It’s my Birthday! So I decided to do a ’10 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Tezzy’ post. Hope you find it entertaining đ .
assamese
Rongali Bihu will be celebrated the world over by the Assamese community on Sunday 15th April. Rongali Bihu is one of three major cultural festivals from Assam, the North Eastern state of India from where my family originates. This festival marks the beginning of spring and celebrates the harvest season with a wide range of festive treats including Til’or Pitha and Narikol’or Laru (do try out the recipes for these by clicking here).
But todayâs post is not going into depth about Bihu. Proudly Assamese, I wanted to take advantage of this upcoming special occasion and share a beautiful piece of Assamese folklore with you. Every culture has treasured âhand me downâ fairytales that have been whispered down generations, and the Cinderella-style struggle story that has a prominent part in Assamese story-telling is that of Tejimola.Â
Share this:
When exploring a city, I like to take to the streets like a local. Sure, a fancy hotel stay is a much-needed rejuvenating treat but I had under 24 hours to backpack around Guwahati, the capital city of Assam (North East India) and ofcourse it involved a major eatathon!
Share this:
Guwahati is a maddening chaos. The streets are jam-packed with traffic, hawkers and bystanders.
We walked through its streets this monsoon-laden Monday. The air is hot and muggy, and the humidity shrouds the body with a permanent layer of perspiration, making my flimsy cotton t-shirt stick on like a second skin.
Share this:
My father in-law has a very endearing caretaker who originates from the Garo Hills. Swing is a short, middle-aged man with a rather muscular stature and a deep, dark chocolate-brown complexion, and has been a part of this family ever since I married into it. Yes, his name is Swing! Given his fondness for the bottle and a very jovial disposition, this name seems pretty apt for him. Sparse teethed yet ever-smiling, Swing has formed a special friendship with my daughter who he last saw as a 2 year-old. My daughter does not speak any Indian regional languages, and Swing has very limited use of the English tongue. Yet the other afternoon, I saw him sitting there trying to tell her a story in colloquial Hindi.
Always keen on hearing some regional-style storytelling myself, I sat down to listen and offered to be the translator between the two. Swing narrated the story of Gangbo Raja, a folktale that has been passed down generations in the Garo Hills.
Share this:
My family originates from Assam, the North Eastern state of India. You might have heard of Assam if youâre a serious tea drinker. Or perhaps youâve heard of our one-horned rhinos or the worldâs hottest chili, the âBhoot Jolokiaâ. Assam also boasts of having Asiaâs oldest oil refinery. Like every state of India, Assam is seeped in its own unique set of cultures and traditions.
Bhogali Bihu festivities are in the air. This is the festival of feasting and marks the end of the harvest season. Assamese households get busy preparing traditional Bihu treats and socializing with friends and family.
I am a total novice when it comes to Assamese cooking. Meet Sharmin Pasha. Sharmin created the very popular Assamese Cuisine & Recipes page on Facebook and has over forty-thousand fans worldwide. Needless to say, she is an authority in Assamese cooking. She also happens to be my sister-in-law (my hubbyâs only sibling)!
The Tezzy Files 