THE EXOTIC TASTES OF ASSAM

A typical Assamese thali

Assamese cuisine is very distinct from other Indian foods, which is what makes it exotic. It centers around rice, which is the staple crop of the state,fresh-water fish and local fruits,herbs and vegetables. It is characterised by the natural sharp tastes of the local fruits and vegetables used. The original tastes of the ingredients are preserved since very little spices are used  in the cooking. For example, bitter gourd, in the other parts of the country, is prepared with a lot of spices in such a way that it loses its bitterness. But in Assam, it is simply cut into small pieces and fried in mustard oil with just salt and a little turmeric to preserve the bitterness. Also, Assamese folk prefer sourness of the many sour fruits which are abundantly available  in the state like scented lemon,kordoi or star fruit,ou tenga or elephant apple,bogori which is a type of berry  etc in their meals. Sweets are not very popular except as snacks.

Few non-Assamese people have tried the cuisine since the Assamese people weren’t very peripatetic till late and there are practically no hotels or restaurants outside Assam which serve Assamese dishes. But with more tourists visiting the state in recent times it is beginning to get noticed.

A typical Assamese meal starts with Khar, a bland alkaline dish that is clubbed with rice to serve as an appetizer, and ends with tenga, which is sour and acidic. These two signature dishes are in stark contrast with each other.

The process of making khar is an extremely unique one. It is made from a special type of banana, Musa bulbisiana. The Assamese call it ‘Bheem kol’ (owing to its big size and girth) or ‘Aathiya kol’(owing to its stickiness). This particular type of banana is endemic to Assam and has lots of seeds along its center. The peel is thick and fibrous, unlike other types of banana and dries naturally when kept for about 3-4 days. The dried banana skins are burnt over a slow fire and the cinders are then  immersed in a bowl of  water and kept overnight. This alkaline solution is sieved to get the clear khar solution, which is the basic ingredient of the khar dish. There are various types of khar dishes that can be made, but my favourite one which my grandmother used to make often for me is the papaya-khar, which uses chopped raw papaya. It is a very simple and quick dish to make. You just need to boil the raw papaya pieces in some water, add some salt (and sprouts if you want) and pour a generous amount of khar solution before covering with a lid. Then you just need to let it simmer till it becomes soft and mix everything together. A dash of mustard oil is added to the dish after its cooked.The mustard oil adds a pungent flavour to it, since khar in itself is bland to taste. The Assamese eat khar by mixing it with plain boiled rice, at the start of the meal.  Also, in the villages, the farmers often have some rice with  just some of the plain khar solution mixed with a little mustard oil, chopped onions and green chillies without cooking with any vegetable early in the morning before setting off for the fields.

Tenga, is a light, sour dish which is more soup-like rather than a curry. It is usually prepared with fish or gram flour fritters. The Assamese make a number of different types of tenga, using a sour fruit like Elephant Apple or ‘Ou Tenga’ as its locally called, Cocum or xuthi/thekera tenga, tomatoes, star fruit etc. These fruits are locally available in Assam. A few days back, I learnt to make xuthi tenga, which is again very easy to prepare. The key ingredient in this dish is the cocum or xuthi (Garcinia indica), which provides the unique sour taste. I fried a pinch of mustard seeds in a spoonful of mustard oil in a pan first, after which I added three slivers of cocum, followed by some salt to taste and some turmeric powder. I sautéd this mixture for a few minutes and then added about three cups of water to it. After letting it simmer for some time, I added a little cornflour-water paste to thicken it. One can fry some fish pieces in mustard oil separately and add the fried pieces to the tenga to make a fish-tenga, which is a favourite among the Assamese folk. In my case, I fried some gram-flour fritters in mustard oil separately and added these to my tenga, and let it simmer for some more time. Tenga marks the end of an Assamese meal.

I hope the above write-up served as an eye opener for food-aficionados who are willing to experiment. Bon appétit!

THE GOLDEN FABRIC OF ASSAM

             As a child, I was very fond of playing dress-up, like most little girls are. I used to make my mother and grandmother drape one of their mekhela-chadars around me, and derive great pleasure in parading about like a grown-up. My all time favourite was the muga mekhala chadar because of its natural golden sheen and the bright red and green motifs. Now, as a 21 year old, the child’s fascination has been replaced by a curiosity to know more about this wonder fabric that is indigenous to Assam.

A 2 year old me in a muga mekhela-chadar

             Assam has a long tradition of weaving. In earlier times, nearly every Assamese household boasted of a loom, on which the women would weave cotton and silk cloth for their families. I was surprised to learn that the entire process of silk-weaving, from rearing of silk worms to weaving the final product, is done at home. Muga silk, commonly known as ‘golden silk’, is obtained from the domesticated Antheraea assamensis silkworms, which feed on the host plants cultivated at home. The rearing of silk worms, Sericulture, is a laborious process. Muga is reared in open air and thus, has to be protected from birds and bats. The tiny worms after hatching from the moth eggs, feed voraciously on the leaves and are later collected to be put on bundles of dry leafy twigs to enable them to spin cocoons. Unwinding  of cocoons involves killing the pupae inside the cocoons by drying them in the sun or heating them in a special chamber. After drying, the muga cocoons are cooked in an alkaline solution of soda ash to soften the natural gum. This is followed by reeling of the cocoons , after which the muga threads are dried in the shade for about 4 days. Finally, they are wound on  the skeins of looms, ready for weaving.

             Most designs on muga are based on common flowers, plants and birds arranged in geometrical pattern. More traditional patterns are based on scenes from the Ramayana and from Lord Krishna’s life.

             Muga silk is extremely durable and lasting. The silk strands do not lose their strength over time. In fact, the garments usually outlive their owners! I happen to be in possession of a piece of muga cloth which was woven by my great grandmother on her own loom. Even the silk worms were reared in her own backyard. Moreover, this particular type of silk, is quite expensive and valued above gold in some cases. Thus, muga silk is considered an heirloom in Assamese families, handed from one generation to the next.  

MAWLYNNONG – The Village On The Edge

My brother and I peeking through the roots of the root bridge

A few years back, we were on a family vacation to the wettest place on earth -  Cherrapunjee -  a small town nestled in the East Khasi hills of Meghalaya, one of the states of north-eastern India. The 2 hour drive to Cherrapunjee from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, was an enchanting one. The journey began with clear skies, lush green forests, deep gorges and the numerous waterfalls along the way. On nearing Cherrapunjee, the visibility had reduced to near-zero because of the thick clouds that engulfed us, making it seem as if we were floating through the clouds. The villagers went about their daily chores oblivious of the thick mist which surrounded them. They were used to living among the clouds all their life. The state has indeed been aptly named ‘Meghalaya’, meaning ‘abode of the clouds’.

The village of Mawlynnong is a short drive from Cherrapunjee, and its claims to fame are its living root bridges and having won the acclaim of being the cleanest village in Asia. Our visit could not have been timed more perfectly. The monsoon showers had brought out the best in the lush greenery. The entire area has an abundance of different varieties of orchids hanging from the trees. Small streams gurgled down alongside the artistically maintained cobbled streets. Neat hedges and beautifully maintained gardens adorned the small, neat cottages adding to their beauty. With everyone busy in their homes, the only sound one hears in the village is that of the cicadas and crickets. Garbage bins made of bamboo dot every nook and corner, a sign of the consciousness regarding cleanliness among the villagers. The Khasis are very ingenuous in the use of bamboo in their everyday life and are known for their cleanliness. You always see them cleaning their houses, sweeping their porches or hanging washed linen. We were invited for tea by one of the village locals . As expected, the house was spick and span with all the steel utensils sparkling. We discovered that Khasis put locally available natural resources to good use. The house was entirely made of bamboo, including the doors, windows, walls, floor and even the furniture like chairs and tables. Tender bamboo shoot is also used as a garnishing in their food.

The village even boasts of a well equipped guest house. It is actually a house built on the branches of a huge tree overlooks a clear gurgling stream. A bamboo bridge leads up to the house.

 I call Mawlynnong ‘a village on the edge’ because of its location. It is located on the edge of a plateau overlooking the Indo-Bangladesh border at an altitude of 4908 feet above sea level. One can see the Bangladesh plains from atop the tree house, climbing which required quite a bit of courage since they go right till the top of the tallest trees. The view from up there is a rewarding one.

The next noteworthy facet of our trip was our visit to the living root bridge. The Khasis must be one of the very few people in the world who have put nature to such a novel use. They have learnt the art of training the roots of trees to span their streams and rivers. Mawlynnong boasts of one such marvel. In order to reach the bridge, we had to climb down the slippery, moss covered slope with great care. It is a 10 minute trek to the edge of the river, where two huge rubber trees grew on either side of the river. This particular species of rubber, Ficus elastica, has an incredibly strong root system. It produces secondary roots from the higher parts of its trunk, which are made to grow in the right direction by using hollowed out betel nut trunks sliced down the middle. Over time, a sturdy living bridge is produced. Since they’re living and growing, these bridges actually strengthen over time. So whenever the need arises, the people of this community simply grow their bridges! We walked up and down the bridge a few times in awe, clicked a few photographs and watched the village kids frolic in the river below before climbing up the slope to reach the village again. The journey uphill was an exhausting, owing to the extremely high humidity levels.

 If you haven’t visited Mawlynnong yet and seen its unique culture and equally intriguing root bridges, perhaps it’s time you packed your bags and made your trip to this enchanting land. Bon voyage!

Menace of human trafficking in Assam

Assam and India’s North-East are often described in either extreme ways – it is either the lush green verdant hills and vales, or it is the gun-toting militia and ethnic strifes that seem to occupy the public mind when the north-east is mentioned.

But I often find that there are many acute problems that the Assamese populace faces that seldom find mention in the national media. I was horrified to learn recently how acute the problem of human trafficking is in Assam. And I learnt of this problem first hand.

A few years ago, a poor widow named Amori Das of Keyajeni village near Hajo in Kamrup district approached us to help her in tracing out her 16 year old daughter, Kanika. Amori has five daughters, the eldest of whom worked in our household at that time. Kanika had left for Haryana with some unknown people in hopes of getting a job there. Little did we know that our search would reveal a shocking racket of human trafficking wherein young, often minor girls, from Assam’s villages were being taken to villages in Haryana and ‘married off’. In Kanika’s case too, it turned out that one Deepa had taken her to Rewari in Haryana and reportedly married her off to one Pappu Singh Ahir. Today, he denies any knowledge of Kanika. On tracing him out, it was found that another Assamese girl, Pranita Das, was living with him. Both these girls were taken to Haryana by the same woman, Deepa, who herself hailed from Bagta village near Hajo in Assam, but married a Haryana man about 15 years  ago. Since then, several Assamese girls have been found in Haryana’s villages. Complaints to the police have yielded little result. Kanika is yet to be traced out. The major reasons for such situations are rampant practice of female infanticide in North-Indian states like Haryana resulting in a skewed male-female ratio, and unemployment in among the Assamese youth.

 The problem of trafficking is a great cause for concern since it is a violation of the basic human rights to which all persons are entitled to. This calls for regional cooperative initiatives to combat the issue, which includes launching awareness drives in the villages of Assam so that the villagers can prevent the likes of Deepa from luring away any more of their girls. The root cause of such unfortunate events is the acute poverty and  unemployment among the youth. Providing means of subsistence and opportunities of employment is the only way to break free from this menace  for the women in these areas. The state has failed to provide any meaningful employment to these illiterate or semi-literate women and the only way forward is to equip them with some skills which make them employable in the shortest possible time. It may be more meaningful to provide basic skills which cater to the local requirements and utilise the resources which are locally available and which do not involve too much cost.

NGO’s and government aided groups can provide training to some of these girls from impoverished families located close to cities like Guwahati in carrying out household chores and then place them in urban households where there is a great demand for such domestic help. Another solution is to provide training in Sericulture, which is the art of rearing silk worms and extracting the silk from cocoons. Assamese women are expert weavers. With some professional help and marketing facilities, the rural women can become economically self-sufficient. Candle-making is also a viable option, since the basic raw material – paraffin wax, is a by-product of refining Assam’s  crude oil, which is manufactured by Assam’s Digboi refinery as well as other refineries located in the north-east. Unless all right-thinking citizens join hands to better the economic conditions of the girl-child in Assam’s rural hinterland human trafficking will remain rampant in these parts. We should not brush these issues under the carpet and deny the existence of such crimes in our society. Its time that social organisations highlight these issues and if need be take to the streets to force govt agencies to act.

Introduction to my blog.....

Hi, I am Prerona, presently living in Delhi, but originally from Assam, one of the seven states which comprise what is commonly referred to as the North-East India. Having lived in Delhi practically all my life, I know little about my roots and this blog is an attempt to reconnect and discover those roots. My mind's window to the North-East has primarily been through those who are close to me - my parents, my grandparents, cousins etc. My paternal grandmother, Aita, has been the strongest influence in this regard. My memories of Assam are incomplete without those associated with Aita. She passed away suddenly, victim of a fatal brain stroke, leaving behind a void which I know can never be filled.

 Aita was a very creative person and kept herself busy with various social activities and most of all, she liked to write. She published three books of stories for children and had completed a book on Majuli and its culture, which is yet to be published. She also goaded her own children and grandchildren to write. She would often tell us that no matter where we are or whatever position we may achieve, we must never forget our roots - a tree, no matter how tall or big it may be, is held to the ground only by its roots.

Today marks the end of a month since Aita's demise. This blog has been initiated as a tribute to Aita. I start my blog with an article on Aita, which was written on her Adya-Shraddha.

Remembering Aita

Aita in her teens

  My aita & I had a very special bond. As an infant, I spent a lot of time in Nalbari, so much so that I almost forgot my own parents!  Aita fed me, bathed me and did everything that makes her  deserve  the title of the world's best grandmother. She fed me lots of mashed vegetable soups, which probably explains my love for soups till date. My earliest memory of being fed by her is of when I was about 3 years old. I was a fussy eater. But my aita had a very clever trick up her sleeve. She used to mash everything on the plate, make small balls of the mash & dedicate each ball to a family member, say ma, baba,  koka etc. That way I finished my food, not wanting to offend any ‘family member’. She was a genius with her grandchildren.

To me, she was an extremely kind, affectionate and generous person. She always went out of  her way to help others and never never spoke harshly to anyone. She always cheered me up with her hearty laughs. She was also very motivated and socially very active. She was an active member of organisations like the Indian Red Cross, Theosophical Society and various literary forums, She was a frequent contributor of articles to local magazines and also published a few books. Aita also headed the Nalbari Municipal corporation, a rare feat for a woman in these parts. Very few people can boast of their grandmothers being mayors or authors. My grandmother was both, and I’m very proud to be her grand-daughter.

Nalbari, for me, is synonymous with my dearest Nalbari aita. My favourite place coupled with my favourite person, made it inevitable for me not to visit Nalbari koka-aita's house whenever I visited Assam. In fact an Assam trip always meant a Nalbari trip for me. My excitement would always build up as we neared the house every time, and there she would be standing at the gates with koka to receive us. Our joyful greetings were always followed by a sumptuous meal which she prepared with a lot of bustle in the kitchen. She used to run around the kitchen, making my favourite dishes, and I used to follow her around, filling her in about life in Delhi or asking the odd question about Nalbari's happenings.


I always made it a point to sleep between koka and aita every night whenever I visited them or vice-versa. Yes, even up till the age of 19 when they visited us last! Listening to her stories had become a ritual which I could not do without. She used to run her fingers on my scalp which was so soothing & always rendered me sleepy. Such was the magic of her story-telling capabilities & fingers! I never grew tired of her stories. In fact, I must have heard them more than a dozen times over! She described everything in such a vivid manner, especially the descriptions of the princesses. Those were my favourite parts!

My aita loved a good laugh. She, koka, Abhinav and I used to laugh till our stomachs hurt over the most trivial things. We used to pull each others' legs and end up teary eyed with all the laughing. Those were the good times.
Another unforgettable characteristic of aita's was her voice. Her voice which always answered the phone excitedly, which unfailingly wished  me 'happy birthday' early in the morning every year before anybody else, which recited long prayers at at great speed in the mornings & evenings. I’ll never forget her beautiful voice.
Aita also loved to travel. She was very energetic and fun-loving, and could never stay in one place for very long. We've visited countless places in the country with our beloved koka & aita - Kullu and Manali, Simla, Chennai... Trips were so much more fun and exciting with both of them in tow.
I love my aita and I look up to her. I hope I imbibe some of her traits and be as good a person as she was. She will be sorely missed and I will always remember her with a lot of affection.