Bhogali Bihu fever grips Assam amid CAB row

Guwahati, January 13, 2019:

The harvest festival Magh Bihu is almost upon us as Axomiyas trade their hectic routines for the celebration of Bihu. The smell of rice cakes is already wafting from every house in every village and every town and delicacies such as sunga pitha, til pitha, laru etc are being prepared in large quantities.

In cities, though, people who are too occupied with work to make indigenous Assamese sweets themselves, find that buying the sweets from local Bihu fairs is far more convenient. In fact, the laru-pitha market in Guwahati is estimated to be worth over Rs. 45 crores this year. The total market value of the products, including meat and fish varieties which are expected to be bought in the city, is expected to be worth over Rs. 175 crores.

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The feast of ‘Uruka’ is a big deal in Assam and Assamese people are visiting their local markets in search of the best quality meat and fish. This year, foreign fish varieties such as salmon, octopus and crab are also being sold at Six-Mile in Guwahati at astronomical prices. And also, who can forget the duck? The bird is a highly sought after delicacy in Assam during Bihu-time as Assamese people cook a special delicacy using bottle gourds to beat the chill of winter.

The energy of Bihu music has also started to infect the environment as youths of Assam start grooving and dancing to the tune of dhool, pepa and gogona.

But despite the fever of Bihu catching on in various parts of the state, a gloom has also set over the state with many organizations protesting the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. KMSS adviser Akhil Gogoi, in fact, has clearly stated his intention to sit for a fast while the rest of the state indulges in merrymaking during Bihu