ASSAMESE FOLKLORE:: The Sparrows

Once upon a time, in a small village in Assam, there lived two brothers. The two brothers were farmers and had a piece of land where they grew paddy for rice. One year, in their field, among the paddy plants, a pair of sparrows set up their nest.

After sometime, the She-Sparrow laid two eggs, and eagerly waited for her eggs to hatch. The He-Sparrow and the She-Sparrow took turns in sitting in the nest to keep the eggs warm. Soon, the eggs hatched into two small baby sparrows. The He-Sparrow and the She-Sparrow were very happy. They lovingly fed their babies. Slowly, the babies started growing.

In the meantime, the paddy also started growing. Each day, the brothers would come to the field and water the plants. They would also remove the weeds to help the paddy grow better. Soon the paddy was ready to be reaped. Seeing this, the She-Sparrow said to the He-Sparrow, “The farmer will soon reap the paddy for rice. That will destroy our nest. Our little ones are not ready to fly yet. What will we do?” The He-Sparrow assured her, “Do not worry. Some of the paddy is yet to ripen completely. It will take some time. We will start teaching our little ones to fly from next week.”

The sparrows soon started to teach their little ones to fly. Every day, they nudged the little ones out of the nest and encouraged them to fly. But they were very small. Even their wings were not fully grown. Then one day, they heard the two brothers talking. “Brother, this crop is ready to be harvested”, said the Younger Brother. The Older Brother replied, “You are right. We need to complete the harvesting soon. But this is a huge field. We will not be able to do it alone.” The Younger Brother said, “I have thought about that as well. Let’s talk to the village council. If all the villagers help us, we will complete the harvesting in one day!” “Great idea!” said the Older Brother, “I will talk to the council tomorrow and we can harvest on Sunday.”

The She-Sparrow started weeping. She said to the He-Sparrow, “Our little ones still cannot fly. We are all going to die.” But, the He-Sparrow smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Wife! I guarantee that they will not be harvesting on Sunday.” The She-Sparrow calmed down a bit, and they continued to teach their children to fly. On Sunday morning, the She-Sparrow was very worried. She could neither sleep nor eat. But the He-Sparrow stayed unfazed. And, surprise, surprise! Sunday came and went, and the two brothers did not come, and neither did the villagers.

On Monday, the two brothers again came to the field. “Brother, the villagers are so lazy. Nobody came yesterday,” complained the Older Brother. “I am getting worried. The paddy will get wasted if we do not harvest it soon,” said the Younger Brother. The Older Brother replied, “I will do one thing. Tomorrow I will ask our neighbours to help us and we can harvest next Sunday.” The Younger Brother was relieved. He smiled and said, “Oh yes! If the neighbours help us, we will be able to complete the harvesting in two days.” Both the brothers left the field happily.

The She-Sparrow became very worried since the babies were still not able to fly properly. But the He-Sparrow said, “Wife, don’t worry. They will not start the harvesting on Sunday.” This time, the She-Sparrow believed him. Indeed, just as the He-Sparrow had predicted, Sunday came and went. The two brothers did not come, and neither did their neighbours.

On Monday, the two brothers came to the field. The Younger Brother said in an angry voice, “Our neighbours are completely useless. No one came on Sunday.” The Older Brother said in a reassuring voice, “This time, we will ask our relatives to help. Blood is thicker than water, you know. They will definitely come.” The Younger Brother thought for some time and replied, “Yes, you are right. And, if we start next Sunday, we will be able to complete the harvesting in three days. That is not bad.” Saying this, they left the field arm in arm.

Hearing this conversation, the She-Sparrow looked at the He-Sparrow and said, “This time we are done for!” The He-Sparrow said, “Our babies can fly a little now. So, we can leave if we fly for short distances throughout the night. But, I don’t think they will be doing the harvesting this Sunday.” “How can you be so sure?” asked the She-Sparrow in surprise. The He-Sparrow smiled and said, “Just wait and watch.” And, once again, he was proved right! Sunday came and went, and the two brothers did not come, and neither did their relatives.

Next day, the brothers came to the field early in the morning. They were depressed and worried. For a long time, they stood silently. Then the Older Brother spoke, “Brother, we cannot let the paddy rot. Let’s come tomorrow and start the harvesting ourselves.” The Younger Brother agreed, “Yes, it will take us about six days to complete the harvesting. But atleast, it will get done this time.” They silently walked off the field.

The He-Sparrow turned to the She-Sparrow and said, “Wife, tonight we will have to leave this field.” The She-Sparrow said ,”Well, maybe they won’t do the harvesting tomorrow. After all, they have always been postponing it.” The He-Sparrow replied, “Till now, they have been depending on others for the completion of their work. That is why their work was not getting done. But now, they have decided to do it on their own. So, the work will get completed.”

The sparrows flew away with their babies that night. And, next day, early in the morning, the two brothers started the harvesting.

© Copyright 2010, Private

Haiku on catching up with an old friend

We talked and we shared,
As if it were yesterday.
Years becoming days.

ASSAMESE FOLKLORE - KOMOLA KUWARI

A friend of mine was commenting that there are hardly any English translations of Assamese folk tales. Maybe there are. But, I could not find anything to give her. So, I thought of translating one story that my mom used to narrate to me while I was a kid. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do....

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Kamrup, there lived a King and his Queen. The King and his Queen, Komola Kuwari loved each other very much and they lived in peace.

One year, there was a severe drought in Kamrup. There was no rain. All the crops died. After a few months, the rivers and the wells also dried up. But, still, there was no rain. Soon, the cattle started dying. All the food grains that the people had saved got over. There was no food and water in the kingdom. The King was very generous and fed the people with grains from his palace. Finally, a day came, when the King’s ministers told him that the food-grains in his palace will be able to feed the people only for one more week.

That night, the King had a dream. He dreamt that he was standing in front of Lord Varuna, the rain-God. Lord Varuna said, “O King, this is your test. You are well-known for being a just and kind king. But, who do you love more- your people or your Queen?” The King asked, “My Lord, I am not able to understand.” Lord Varuna said, “Near the foot of the hill, dig a deep well. Put your Queen at the bottom of the well. I will fill the well with water. Once the well is filled, the rains will come.” The King asked, “Thank you, my Lord. But what will happen to Komola Kuwari?” Lord Varuna smiled and said, “If you love your people and if you are a good king, you will have to sacrifice your Queen.” Saying this, Lord Varuna disappeared and the King woke up.

The King could not bear the thought of losing his beloved Queen. On the other hand, he could not tolerate the misery of his people. He did not know what to do. He was so worried that he could not eat or sleep for the next two days. Komola Kuwari noticed this and asked, “What is worrying you, my Lord?” The King, after a long pause, replied, “Lord Varuna appeared in my dream. He said that the rains will come only if I put you in the bottom of a deep well. Lord Varuna will fill the well with water and then the rains will come.” Komola Kuwari laughed and said, “Is that all? My Lord, you know that I am scared of the dark. Is that why you are hesitating? But, I will be happy to do this little thing for the welfare of our people. As soon as the water starts filling, you can take me out.” The King looked at her and smiled at her innocence. He said, “No. Anyway, maybe it was just a dream.” But, that night, the King saw the exact same dream. Lord Varuna said, “O King, you are blinded by the love of a woman. Do your duty. Dharma (duty) is the most important thing in the world.  Do not let your forefathers down.” The King woke up with a start. He did not know what to do. But, next morning, from the balcony of his palace, he saw that some people were digging a well near the hill. Komola Kuwari came to him and said, “My Lord, have pity on our poor people. They will soon die of hunger and thirst. Please forgive me but I have ordered the digging of the well.” The King hugged her and said, “Thank you for helping me make the decision.” Komola Kuwari said playfully, “Okay okay! But you know how afraid I am of the dark. Please pull me out as soon as the water starts coming.” The King nodded. Komola Kuwari asked, “Promise?” With tears in his eyes, the King again nodded.

Soon, the word spread about the well. Next morning, at dawn, Komola Kuwari dressed up in her most beautiful robes, and walked with the King to the well. The people said, “Our Queen is looking more beautiful than the rising sun!” Two workmen lowered the Queen into the well on a rope ladder. Before going down, Komola Kuwari smiled at the King and said, “Don’t worry, my Lord. I will see you in a bit.” Once the Queen reached the bottom of the well, the priests started chanting prayers. In fact, all the people started chanting prayers to Lord Varuna.

After a few moments, the King sang out to his Queen:

“Komola Kuwari, my dearest princess,

How far the water reaches?”

All the people fell silent and listened with rapt attention. Then, from the bottom of the well, came the singing voice of Komola Kuwari:

“My beloved, my happiness knows no bounds,

I feel the touch of water at my ankles, my dear!

It’s so dark down here, but I am not scared,

‘cause I know you will soon get me out of here.”

After a few more moments, the King again sang out to his Queen:

“Komola Kuwari, my dearest princess,

How far the water reaches?”

From the bottom of the well, came the singing voice of Komola Kuwari:

“My beloved, my happiness knows no bounds,

I feel the touch of water at my knees, my dear!

It’s so dark down here, but I am not scared,

‘cause I know you will soon get me out of here.”

  

After a few more moments, the King again sang out to his Queen:

“Komola Kuwari, my dearest princess,

How far the water reaches?”

From the bottom of the well, came the singing voice of Komola Kuwari:

“My beloved, my happiness knows no bounds,

I feel the touch of water at my waist, my dear!

It’s so dark down here, but I am not scared,

‘cause I know you will soon get me out of here.”

After a few more moments, the King again sang out to his Queen:

“Komola Kuwari, my dearest princess,

How far the water reaches?”

From the bottom of the well, came the singing voice of Komola Kuwari:

“My beloved, my happiness knows no bounds,

I feel the touch of water at my chest, my dear!

It’s so dark down here, but I am not scared,

‘cause I know you will soon get me out of here.”

After a few more moments, the King again sang out to his Queen:

“Komola Kuwari, my dearest princess,

How far the water reaches?”

From the bottom of the well, came the singing voice of Komola Kuwari:

“My beloved, my happiness knows no bounds,

I feel the touch of water at my neck, my dear!

It’s so dark down here, but I am not scared,

‘cause I know you will soon get me out of here.”

 After a few moments, the King sang out to his Queen in a choked voice:

“Komola Kuwari, my dearest princess,

How far the water reaches?”

From the bottom of the well, no reply came. At that moment, the rains came pouring down.

The King and the people of the entire kingdom broke down in tears. 


© Copyright 2010, Private

Right to Information Act: A step-wise user mannual

A lot of you feel that there are irregularities and corruption happening around you. If you want to expose that corruption, file an RTI to get the data. We cannot just accuse somebody to be corrupt. We will need to arm ourselves with accurate information. Filing an RTI is not VERY tough. You and I can do it. The following is a step-wise guide to help you file an RTI.

1. Here is a list of the official departments of Assam. Pick your department from
http://www.assamgovt.nic.in/departments/index.asp 

2. The RTI application has to be addressed to the PIO of the department. You can find who the PIO of a certain department is through this : 
http://www.sicassam.in/ssc/sio-dept-list.php

3. Application Fee of Rs. 10.00. Fees to be paid by Cash, Bankers Cheque, Demand Draft or IPO payable to the Authorized Officer or designated officer OR by remittance to Head of Account: “0070 – Other Administrative Services”
Further Fees (Sec 7(1), 7(3), 7(5)):
-Rs. 2.00 for each page created or copied (A3 or A4 size)
-Rs. 50.00 per Diskette or Floppy
-As per price fixed for the Publication available for sale, or photocopy charges of Rs. 2.00 per page


4. Keep some points in mind while writing an RTI application:
- Restrict the period of information to 1-3 years.That way the PIO can't reject your application stating it is too voluminous.
- A good RTI application is short and childishly simple for the PIO to fulfill.
- Do not give any reason about why you need the information
- If you need a lot of information, write many small RTI applications. A single lengthy application may scare and overwhelm the PIO, and tempt him to throw it into his drawer. He will hesitate and postpone searching for the information. Instead, send a small, manageable RTI application with only 3-4 questions. Then, after you receive a reply to that, send another one… and another. 
- Use a white sheet of paper to write an application. There is no need to use Note-sheet, or the Court stamp paper. You can even use your letter pad.
- The matter/content can be hand-written, or typed. There is no compulsion of typing the content.
- Make sure the application is legible and easy to read.
- Be very specific and ask to-the-point questions. Don't ask vague questions.
- Do not ask a question containing 'WHY'! For example, questions like "why you failed to pass the bill", is liable to be rejected for not being covered under RTI Act.
- Remember that you do not need to write the reason for asking the information.
Some sample RTI applications: http://rti.aidindia.org/content/view/221/76/

How do I submit my application? 

You can do that in person, either yourself or by sending someone to the office of the PIO or APIO. Or you can submit it by post also, by sending it at the address of the PIO or an APIO. In the case of all Central Government Departments, 629 post offices have been designated as APIOs. This means that you can go to any of these post offices and submit your fee and application at the RTI counter in these post offices. They will issue you a receipt and acknowledgement and it is the responsibility of that post office to deliver it to the right PIO. The list of these post offices is given at http://www.indiapost.gov.in/rtimanual16a.html 

Is there a time limit to receiving information? 

Yes. If you file your application with the PIO, you must receive information within 30 days. In case you have filed your application with Assistant PIO then information has to be made available within 35 days. In case the matter to which the information pertains affects the life and liberty of an individual, information has to be made available in 48 hours. 

Who is covered under RTI? 

The Central RTI Act extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir. All bodies, which are constituted under the Constitution or under any law or under any Government notification or all bodies, including NGOs, which are owned, controlled or substantially financed by the Government are covered. 

For a more detailed list of questions and answers on RTI, go to http://rti.aidindia.org/content/view/270/99/

Appeal

Dear all,

At the very outset, I would like to state that I have no political affiliations. I do not belong to any political party. I do not belong to any organization. In fact, I am one of those Indians who have completely lost faith in the political system of India to such an extent that we do not even vote. Yes, I have never ever even voted in any election.(Of course, I am not proud of it.) In fact, I do not even have a voter ID!


Then who am I? I am just one among many millions of common people of Assam who is fed up with the corruption in the state. It is not that I do not care about the situation in my country. It's just that I had given up.

Then, why am I suddenly showing so much attention? Tough question! But let me try to explain it.There is no ONE specific moment. I guess it has been a build up over the years...right from encountering the worsening Delhi traffic in the name of Common Wealth Games to the floods that affect my father's village EVERY year.  For years, we have been taken for a ride by one political party after another. The politicians have looted us to such an extent that today Assam is one of the poorest states in India, while the politicians of Assam are probably some of the richest people in Assam. And, for years, we have been complaining about corruption and saying "Why doesn't someone do something?" We waited and waited and waited. But, that miraculous "someone" did not come to our rescue. In fact, every time a common man such as a Manjunath, an Akhil Gogoi or a Satyendra Dubey emerges, the opposing forces drown his voice. It is then that I realised that we- ALL of us -will have to be that "someone" who will have to do "something". Afterall, it will be more difficult to drown the voices of a million people. The common man will now have to do something 'uncommon'. Now, a time has come when millions of common citizens like me are ready to stand up and say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH." If we do not do that now, the next generation will never forgive us. Here, I quote from the Bhagvad Gita - " The one who tolerates injustice is as guilty as the one who does injustice." We have decided to not take part in this injustice anymore. We are raising our voice against corruption in our beloved motherland, Assam.

I had created created the page "Supporting Akhil Gogoi" on Facebook in May 2010, while I was at home, away from work, recovering from a surgery. I had created the page to only inform some of my friends about how Mr. Akhil Gogoi is utilizing RTI (Right to Information) Act in Assam to expose scandals and misuse of tax-payers' money by corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. Now, of course, this page is no longer just mine. It has now become a place where a lot of like-minded people like me raise our voices against corruption. This is the place from where we, the educated youth of Assam, have decided to stand by our motherland. But raising our voice is not enough. Some action also has to be taken. But not just some emotional knee-jerk reaction to the current events. We will have to carry this forward. This is just the beginning.

On Sunday, August 8, at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, a lot of us will be gathering to participate in a peaceful silent candlelight vigil or a "mouno xuko xobha" to mourn the death of honesty among Assam politicians. THIS WILL BE A NON-POLITICAL GATHERING. WE WILL BE PROTESTING ONLY AND ONLY AGAINST CORRUPTION AMONG POLITICIANS IN ASSAM. We do not care who the ruling party is , as long as they work for the common people in a selfless manner. In our gathering, there will be no speeches and no "naaras (slogans)". Afterall, we are just a bunch of common people; we are not doing this to get votes!

I have always strongly believed that the media can act as an effective catalyst to any positive social cause. It has the power and the authority to do so. And, that's why I am writing to you. I request you to help us spread the word about this candlelight vigil. I request you to help us send a message to corrupt politicians that we are not going to be cheated anymore. India is a democracy. If we, the common people, have the right to vote people to power, we also have the right to keep the politicians in check.


I also want to send out an appeal to each person of Assam. On August 8, at 7pm, wherever you are - whether in Assam or outside Assam, join us. Let Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Jorhat, Guwahati, Hyderabad, London, New York, etc. have simultaneous similar gatherings. We need people in each city who can take this forward in their respective cities. For once, we have to make our voices heard. All of us together will have to send out a strong message to the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats - "It's NOT "okay" to be corrupt. "Everyone is corrupt" is not a valid justification. Stop insulting our intelligence. Stop testing our patience!"

Anticipating your support and thanking you in advance,

Regards,

Aryama Dutta Saikia

(a frustrated 'common man' who has decided to stop complaining and do something) 

Haiku on a Rainy Sunset on a summer day

Raindrops on my face,
Cool breeze rustling through the trees,
This divine sunset.

Haiku on Choice

Love knows no borders.
Hatred knows no boundaries.
Choose wisely, we must.

Haiku on the Futility of Violence

Spoils of the battle,
Orphaned children, widowed brides,
Evenly we share.

Haiku on a War Veteran

Medals shining bright,
Triumphant, he returns home,
Soul scarred for ever.

For you

I wish I could tell you -
My world revolves around you.
Like a Monsoon without showers,
Like a Spring without flowers,
Lonely and meaningless I'll be,
Without you beside me.

Haiku on Driving home on a stormy night

Dark skies, fierce winds.
Heavy downpour, lightning streaks.
I wait for you, scared!

Dessert Ideas: Fried Apple

Today, I feel like eating something sweet. So, I decided to make the southern-style Apple Fry.
While I was in the US, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the food in the southern states of the USA is as spicy and greasy as that of India's! Though I lived in Missouri, I traveled often to Kansas, Louisiana and the other southern states. So, I had ample opportunity to gorge on fried chicken, cole slaw, apple fry and loads of similar southern delicacies.
I was always under the impression that apple is a fruit and hence, it should be eaten raw or atmost as apple jam. I mean that's what we do here in India! So, I was pretty taken aback the first time I came across Apple Fry. Frying a fruit?? Hmmm, interesting... But after I tried it once, I was hooked. And, it has remained my favorite dessert ever since.

Ingredients:
250 gm apples (2-3 apples). Do not use sour apples.
100 gm butter. If you are health-conscious, then use un-salted fat-free butter such as Nutralite.
2 table spoon sugar. You might have to use more sugar if you are using slightly tangy apples. If you are health-conscious, then use jaggery. You can use fat-free sugars such as Sweet N Low as well.

Preparation:
1. Cut each apple into 12-15 slices length-wise. Remove the seeds in the core.
2. Peel each apple slice.
3. In a heavy pan or skillet, heat the butter on a low flame till all the butter melt.
4. Add the apple slices and stir to make sure that each slice is coated with butter.
5. Add the sugar/jaggery and stir to make sure that it is evenly distributed.
6. Cover the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes. Remove cover and stir every 1-2 minutes to make sure that the apple slices do not stick to the pan.
7. Apple Fry is ready! Do not refrigerate.


Apply Fry can be served as dessert by itself. However, it tastes great if you add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream with each helping. So, go ahead- pamper your sweet tooth!

Garhwali Recipe: Aloo Gutka (dry potato fry)

Recently, I have taken to cooking seriously. I mean I have always been "cooking", but now, I am getting into experimentation; I am trying out various recipes. I am married to a Garhwali. So, I am trying out a few traditional Garhwali recipes as well.

Garhwali people are very simple and this simplicity reflects in their food as well. There are hardly any jazzed up Garhwali recipes. Most of their dishes are simple and do not involve a lot of ingredients.

One of the simplest yet tastiest traditional Garhwali dishes is Aloo Gutka. It takes less than 15 minutes to make it.

Ingredients:
250 gm potato (4-5 big potatoes)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
4 table spoon vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil
2-3 green chillies, each cut length-wise into 2 pieces
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Boil the potatoes.
2. Peel and cut the boiled potatoes into 1 inch cubes
3. In a deep pan, heat the oil on a medium flame till hot
4. Add the salt, turmeric powder and coriander powder and green chillies
5. Immediately after adding the spices, salt and green chillies, add the potatoes
6. Stir to make sure that the potatoes don't stick to the pan
7. Cook for 5-7 minutes
8. Aloo Gutka is now ready!

Aloo Gutka can be served with hot roti/chapatti/Indian flat-bread or puri/loochi or tortilla. It can also be used as sandwich filling.

Peace, at last

chaos or focus

Akhil Gogoi: The Assamese crusader

Most of us secretly harbor fantasies of being a hero, exterminating corruption and making a difference in the society. Well, in Assam, Akhil Gogoi and his organization, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), are doing exactly this.

Akhil Gogoi is the most well-known RTI (Right to Information) activist of Assam. For his contribution to exposing government corruption in Assam through RTI, Akhil Gogoi has been felicitated with various prestigious awards such as the Shanmugam Manjunath Integrity Award and the first-ever national RTI award.

Akhil Gogoi, secretary of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) , had unearthed two scams running into Rs 35 lakh and Rs 25 lakh. The data obtained through RTI revealed two scams under the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY). Under one IAY project, Rs 35 lakh was sanctioned for construction of 140 houses in 12 panchayats. But, not a single IAY house was constructed. In another case, Gogoi found that Rs 25 lakh was paid to a fictitious firm for purchase of muster-roll registers and measurement books.

In March 2006, Akhil Gogoi started an RTI investigation, followed by a social audit, that led to the expose of a Rs 1.25 crore scam in Sampoornai Gram Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) in the Golaghat district. 

Another RTI investigation by Gogoi detected chain of corruption from FCI godown to the fair price shop.The probe, which revealed that only 5-15 per cent of wheat flour was reaching intended beneficiaries, also led to arrests of several officials. Assam government set up three committees for enquiring into the matter. PDS system was reformed. This probe also resulted in threats to Gogoi to the extent that CIC suggested to the state government to provide security to him. 

Akhil Gogoi's and KMSS’ actions have mass appeal. They have grown from strength to strength, unearthing many a scam and forcing action to be taken against the guilty. KMSS and Akhil Gogoi were thus becoming a threat, not only to the corrupt and powerful, but also to the political parties, who used both threat and lure to try and contain him. But,in vain. So, all of a sudden the security agencies, at the behest of the government, have now branded them as Naxalites/Maoists. 


I knew Akhil Gogoi while I was studying in Guwahati's Cotton College. I was in Class 11 and he was doing his BA English. Though he was our senior, he would always find a few minutes to talk to us whenever we crossed roads.He had inspired a lot of us to follow our dreams. Even at that time, at the age of 20, Akhilda used to be against violence of any sort. In 1995-96, he had led an agitation against the Cotton College administration demanding professors to be more regular in taking classes. There was not a single incident of violence or vandalism. Akhilda had led the agitation by going on a hunger strike. So, if the authorities are saying that someone like Akhilda, who loves O. Henry and looks upto Gandhi, is a maoist, then they are implying that by default, every human being is a maoist. Now, that's ridiculous!!


Sitting in our AC apartments, away from the leeches of the society who prey on the poor hapless rural majority of India, the least we can do is offer our moral support to the cause of Akhil Gogoi and his KMSS.

VRCE's notorious "Gang of Girls": Now, all grown up & married!!

Haiku on lost childhood

My carefree life halts.
I see your smiling face flash
On a "Missing" sign.

Haiku on a Boring Day

A Tick and a Tock !
The clock fights a losing war
Against stoic Time.

Haiku on effects of the first monsoon shower

Eyes closed, I take in
A rush of musty odor
Of freshly wet soil.

Haiku on a sick bird

Frightened little bird
Cruel stone breaking its wing
Oh heartless humans!

My First Love

Remember how it felt when the love bug bit you for the very first time when you were in school- when you had that constant breathless feeling, when the butterflies in your stomach used to turn violently against you whenever you saw the object of your affection, when you used to become the happiest and luckiest person on earth the moment you got a smile from your love? This feeling of childhood love is very difficult to replicate later in life when we become cynical, practical and objective. So, if you didn't fall in love as a kid, you surely missed out on something very precious !

I remember my first love- I guess I always will. It happened when I was in Class VIII, and the boy was in Class IX. Every morning, during prayer time, he used to stand in the queue next to mine, and smile at me when he was supposed to be praying. He was a pretty boy with a pretty smile and I used to smile back at him. One day, after a couple of weeks of this to and fro smiling, he walked upto me in the school playground and introduced himself. He had a pretty name too! I started to introduce myself but he stopped me saying that he already knew me. The bell cut us short and we walked back to our respective classes together. The next day, I was looking forward to seeing him at the morning prayers, and was slightly disappointed when he didn't come to school. In fact, he didn't come to school for 2-3 more days. By this time, I had, of course, told my friends that I like this boy. So, each day 5-6 of us would scan the prayer hall to locate the boy. When he didn't come to school the whole week, we were in a state of panic. And, for the first time in my life, I experienced that sinking feeling of desperation that is usually associated with love- of course, I didn't know it at that time. My very resourceful friends started their own private investigation. One of them discovered that he lives near our school. In fact, his house is on the way to my home. After school, as we walked slowly by his house, I was even more depressed to see a huge lock on the gate. The next day was a Sunday and for the first time in my life, I wanted to go to school on a Sunday. Another first - I had a sleepless night. I kept asking stupid questions to my table lamp-"Did he leave school?" "Will he come again?""Maybe he left the town because he didn't like me?" Don't worry- I didn't expect my table lamp to answer.

On Monday, as I waited in the prayer room, I was too dejected to look around for him. And, then suddenly, I heard his voice saying Hello to me. There was sunshine in my life again. He told me that his sister who lived in a nearby town was unwell and his family had gone to visit her. I was courteous enough to ask him how his sister was doing. He said she was fine and then we both fell into this uncomfortable silence. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he said the three most beautiful words in this world, "I missed school." (????) I replied,"Me too." There, at that moment, I experienced my very first foot-in-the-mouth moment. (Oh, before I forget let me tell you that falling in love for the first time leads to a lot of other first-time experiences.) Luckily, the Headmistress came to my rescue as she called for silence. During lunch break, he caught up with me in the corridor, "I missed school because not coming to school meant not seeing you." All I could think of was, "Okay". The day was not yet over and I had my second foot-in-the-mouth moment!! When I narrated this to my friends, they thought I behaved most unromantically. They went on damage control mode and started giving me advice on how to reply to his statement. Oh, by the way, my friends were convinced that he had proposed to me with that statement. After spending one whole Social Studies class whispering to one another, we decided that I should now approach him and initiate conversation. So, that day, after school we waited at the school gate so that I can walk with him. After sometime, he came to the gate surrounded by 5-6 boys. There we were - surrounded by friends and both groups stealing glances at each other. He continued to talk to his friends and I decided to go home since my mother would have killed me if I got late. As I was walking away, from the corner of my eye, I saw him saying quick byes to his friends and sprinting to catch up with me. We walked in silence for sometime. Then he asked very matter-of-factly, "You do know that I like you.....yes?" I said,"Yes, I guessed." He continued,"I am a good boy with no bad habits. I like to play cricket and watch TV. I play the guitar. I am fairly ok in studies. I want to be a lawyer when I grow up. Abid and Bibhu are my best friends. So, do you like me?" That was a lot of information to take in at one go. All I could manage was a whispered,"I have to go. I am already late." He said,"Then say YES. That's short. It won't take much time." I laughed. Of course, I didn't remind him that No was equally short. He gave me a ear-to-ear grin when I said YES. That's the moment I have always associated with him whenever I think of him.

I spent the next few months on cloud nine. Pity, there wasn't a cloud 100 or a cloud zillion! I would have been there too! We would talk at prayer time, between classes, during lunch break and at the school gate after school. Every time I saw him, I would be filled with unbridled happiness. I could not stop smiling in school and at home. I would spend most of the boring classes day-dreaming about him. It was during this time that I watched "Maine Pyar Kiya" seven times. Everything around me seemed beautiful. The world was indeed a perfect place to live in. But as the school year came to an end, we started growing sad since we would not be seeing each other for one entire month of the winter vacation. During those days, we didn't have telephones and emails, and we were too scared of our respective parents to write letters. So, we parted for the vacation with promises to think of each other every waking hour - and we actually kept that seemingly impossible promise.

Once school reopened, there was the excitement of Valentine's Day - my first V Day. My friends and I had a tough time coming up with a "safe" gift. You see, the gift should be such that his family should not be able to guess that it came from a girl. Moreover, Namrup being a small town, everyone knew everyone else. So, I could not buy anything that looked remotely romantic. So, "love you" cards, teddy bears or anything with the word "love" written anywhere near it were a strict no-no. Also, there was the problem of budget - I had only Rs. 20. After weeks of planning, I finally decided to give him an Amul chocolate. Remember, the punchline of the Amul chocolate ads "a gift for someone you love"? Very intelligent, huh? So, on V day, I gave him the carefully wrapped Amul chocolate. He opened the wrapper, started laughing and said,"Open your gift." I opened the gift that he had given me and it was an Amul chocolate too! As it turned out, our friends were not innovative at all. The whole school was giving Amul chocolates as V day gift, and yes, everyone had the very same logic! We had a great laugh as we ate the two Amul chocolates together. Chocolate never tasted sweeter.

That school year was very important for him as he was in Class 10, and board exams were a huge deal in our school. As teachers started piling homework on him, we started spending less and less time together. He was under a lot of pressure from his family to do well in the Class 10 exams. His father was retiring that year and they were moving to Guwahati. To get admission in a good college in Guwahati, he needed to get high scores in his exam. As the school year progressed through September, I saw less and less of him. And, then the last day of the school year came. There was a farewell party for his batch as they were leaving school. We talked for a long time. I wished him good luck for his exams. After his exams, he and his family were leaving the town. After he left town, we wrote to each other a couple of times. But writing at friends' addresses was always risky. In his last letter, he told me that he did very well in his Class 10 exams and that he was planning to join one of the good colleges in Guwahati. Slowly, as I got busy with my Class 10 exam preparations and he got busy with his college life, we drifted apart and finally, lost touch.

Years later, when I heard of his death from hepatitis, I remembered the last conversation we had. It was on that day of the farewell party of his batch. I had asked him,"Will we meet again? I don't know what the future is going to be like." He had said,"The future? I don't even know what tomorrow is going to be like! I am just happy to be with you now." Then, as I sat in my hostel room in REC Nagpur, more than 6 years after I had that conversation with him, a sudden sadness engulfed me and I found myself sobbing.

Haiku on a hot summer day

This hot summer day
I see a distant drizzle
A calming mirage.

Bushisms

Remember George Bush? Wasn't he a fun President! Today, while cleaning out my inbox, I came across a very old email that a friend had sent about some of the all-time famous Bush quotes. And, guess what? Bush might be no longer around, but Bushisms will never go out of fashion!! Here are some of my personal favorites:

1. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." --Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

2. "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." --LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000

3. "I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe -- I believe what I believe is right." --Rome, Italy, July 22, 2001

4. "We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease." --Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001

5. "I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport." --Washington, D.C., Oct. 3, 2001

6. "You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror." --interview with CBS News' Katie Couric, Sept. 6, 2006

7. "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." --Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000

8. "They misunderestimated me." --Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000

Racism

These days, "racism" seems to be topping the list of hot topics - what with Indian students facing racial attacks in Australia and the Mizoram CM raising the age-old debate about the treatment meted out to people from north east by the rest of India! Well, I am from the northeast - Assam to be precise. And, by the way, I am proud as hell to be an Assamese! 


Anyway, I did my education in Nagpur and in the US. To be honest, I face more racism in India than I ever did during my 4-year stay in the US as an international student.


To begin with, when I joined VRCE Nagpur in 1997 for my BE degree, I was shocked to see that people's knowledge about the northeast was appalling to say the least. I was asked questions like "What do you people wear?", "What kind of houses do you live in?", "Do you hunt wild animals?", etc. A lot of my school friends who had gone to various premier engineering colleges across India were faced with the same ignorance. What was more shocking was that the students in these colleges were not riff-raff average students - they were some of the brightest minds in the country.

Another interesting thing was that everyone thought that girls from the northeast are easy and that they are raving alcoholics and drug addicts who wear as less clothes as possible. In fact, I bet a lot of them were surprised and probably a little disappointed to see that we wear clothes and not leaves ! It sounds funny now, but I used to find these things infuriating. I remember an instance when one of my classmates very innocently asked me, 'Are you able to adjust here?' I thought it was kind of him and told him that I was doing fine. He persisted.'But do you get the food that you people eat?' Not able to understand my confused look, he continued.' Afterall, your staple food is pork and rice.' It was a good thing that there was a table between him and me which prevented me from strangling him. Nevertheless, I yelled at him and his ignorance in a mixture of English and what I hoped to be Hindi. Of course, he didn't argue with me. The next day, he came up to me and apologised and asked if I can hear him out. Since my temper had fizzled out by then, I agreed. He showed me the Class 10 Social Studies textbook of Maharashtra board, and sure enough, there was a chapter on the Northeast states of India where it was clearly written that the people of northeast live in treehouses and that their staple food is pork and rice !

During the 4 years that I stayed in Nagpur, I am glad to say that we could atleast change the opinions of our friends about "northeast people." Initially, everyone had assumed that all people from northeast get admission under ST or SC quota. But this was a blessing in disguise. All of us from Assam worked doubly hard to prove ourselves; a lot of us ended up in the top 10-20 in their departments, and, during campus interviews all of us ended up getting jobs. We surely gave the people who sneered at us a run for their money!

After my 4 year stint at Nagpur, when I went to the US for my Masters, I was pleasantly surprised to find complete absence of racism. It felt so nice not to be stared at constantly. There everyone was from somewhere else - so, of course, everyone blended in this cosmopolitan utopia. Though there were stray instances of attacks on Muslims after 9/11, it never translated to racism or xenophobia. In fact, I think if 9/11 would have happened in India, it would have caused mass massacre of all muslims.

Well, after spending 4 years in the US in utter bliss, history repeated itself when I moved to India to work in Delhi in 2005. PG accommodation was almost impossible to find since few were willing to keep northeast girls in their homes. Why? Oh, because northeast girls are "loose". So, life came to a full circle for me. Since then, I have been married to a north Indian for the past 4 years and hence, been deemed respectable by my current landlord in Delhi!

Anyway, now that I am older (and hopefully wiser), I can't help but ask myself if this is not racism, then what is? But, the buck does not stop with the individuals who have these misconceptions. What is the root cause of all these - is it the Chapter in the Class 10 Social Studies textbook of Maharashtra or is it the Doordarshan programs on northeast where people in the northeast are always shown wearing feathers and jumping around with spears? These are the images that are being implanted in the minds of the rest of the country. Yes, we are different. But, aren't Gujaratis, Marathis and Biharis different in their own right? I mean, isn't India supposed to be all about "unity in diversity"?

HOME

Thousands of miles, they fly-
Over the oceans, they fly-
Across the valleys, they fly-
Leaving behind homes, barren and cold,
To be in lands with flowers of yellow gold,
Basking in the warmth away from the cold!

But when the snow thaws-
And away the cold goes-
Somehow each one of them knows . . .
And not for a moment they pause,
Away from the verdant lands, back they fly;
Have you ever wondered why?

Just a thought........

What's a smile worth without a tear?
What's bravery worth without a fear?
What's a day worth without a night?
What's peace worth without a fight?
What's a friend worth without a foe?
What's happiness worth without a woe?
To strive for perfection, Imperfect we have to be;
Noone's perfect,
But maybe that's how it's meant to be!!