Beauty of Assam Bandh

What is ‘Assam Bandh’?


This is a kind of holidays , which are well signified in Assam. These holidays give sudden visits, without coming according to the calender, with maximum frequency in a year.


The biggest festival of Assam is Bihu…..which comes thrice in a year…. But Assam Bandh comes at least 10-15 times a year. It is a day for celebration for some, and a time for relaxation for others.

I visit Assam once or twice in a year, and this is a record, that I never missed an Assam Bandh during my visit. Lucky me! But, sometimes it becomes troublesome too.

Last year, I went to Assam for 20 days. I stayed couple of days at my in –Laws’s place and then went to my maternal place –Jorhat to stay few days there. My mom informed me beforehand that we would have to visit Grand-ma’s place at Sibsagarh to attend a family Puja, the very next day we would reach Jorhat.

We reached Jorhat at 8 pm as we drove from Guwahati to Jorhat, enjoying the natural beauty of Assam all the way. Reaching Jorhat, I called up my sister who used to stay in Agriculture University hostel, to ask her if she could accompany us. She replied me in a shocking way…. “How come will u go to Sibsagarh…? …Tomorrow is Saka (Wheel) Bandh!” We were not aware of that as no newspaper, we read, carried the news. The bandh was declared by Bodo student union.

We got worried. What to do now?

Bodo population is extremely thin in upper Assam. And, we did not want to miss the Puja at Grand ma’s place. We decided to start our voyage…became ready to face all the troubles, all the way to Sibsagarh. My Dad said that he would not accompany and wanted to take rest at home for the day. So, my mom, me and my son, my husband and my maid were the travelers.

Next day morning, at around 9am, while we were supposed to start our journey, we suddenly realized that we did not have enough petrol to drive whole the way. It was around 80 kms from Jorhat to our destination. In fact, we checked Dad’s car also, but it also had not enough petrol.

Thinking that may be some petrol pump would be open on the way, taking some risk, we started our journey. Checked all the Petrol pumps on the way…..all were closed. Roads were completely empty. We drove fast.

Suddenly after crossing around 20 kms, we saw two/three people sitting with 10/15 bottles with some raddish water….. They were sitting just opposite side of a closed Petrol Pump in the national high way. Oh…….those bottles were full of petrol! ……My husband immediately stopped the car….and went almost running as if he had got some diamonds!!!

I observed him from inside the car and could see the vivid transformation of his face from a tensed red face into a bright one. He bargained…and bought 10 bottles in four times higher than the petrol price. We were happy! And the sellers too…! Some good feelings also flowed out from our hearts for those people though we were in lose.

So, we reached Grand ma’s place… all uncles, aunties, relatives - all were present in the Puja, despite it was a working day – ‘Wednesday’. All were relaxed…..as it was public holiday – called ‘Assam Bandh’!

Assamese Kitchen

I am not an excellent cook, but like to explore exotic dishes, and hey…..I enjoy the MasterChef and the cooking programs too….!!!

Cuisine of a land reflects the culture, tradition and practices of a specific society. A cuisine is primarily influenced by the climate and the ingredients that are easily available in the area. As I originally belong to Assam…just wanting to write few words on its cuisine.

Mother Nature has given Assam bountiful greenery. The biodiversity of Assam makes her biologically rich with many rare and common plants and herbs. There are more than 3000 species of medicinal plants and herbs. Infact, Hsüan-tsang, the famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar and traveler said that every plant in this region has medicinal value.

Assam is a multiethnic society with diversified culture. Forty five different languages are spoken by different communities in Assam.

In this state, eating means much more than just indulging the stomach. Cooking process is in sync with nature, and reflects the simple lifestyle of the populace.

We, Assamese cannot live without rice. Rice is our staple food which is cooked in numerous ways. In rural areas and to honor guests in traditional way, Assamese people serve meal on Ban Kaahis (heavy bell metal plates) and give them to sit on bamboo mats (Dhora) or low stool (pira). Sometimes, meal is enjoyed in plantain or banana leaves also.

A traditional meal in Assam begins with a khar, a class of alkaline dishes named after the main ingredient, and ends with a tenga, a sour curry, made mostly with fish. These two dishes characterize a traditional meal in Assam. In between the khar and tenga fish, meat, vegetables are served and chutneys and ambals provide the refreshing touch of tartness to make the tongue anticipate the sweet dishes. Raw Betel nut generally concludes the meal.

Our Non Assamese friends lovingly call us Khar Khoa Asomiya as khar is served as a first course of a meal.

We are fresh fish lovers. It is enjoyed eating with hands as many fishes, specially the small ones are full of sharp bones. More the bones tastier the fish is. Baked fish in plantain leaf is a delicacy. Fried small fish is a favourite side dish. Meat is also a delicacy. Dal is also served along with one or two Bhajis. We also have our very own chutneys like Kharoli, Pani- Tenga etc.

Assamese cooking is a mixture of different indigenous style with regional variation. It is basically low cal and low fat cuisine. But, off lately, the Assamese cuisine has the influence of Bengal, Orissa and Bihar.

The Assamese unique food preparation is distinguished by its distinct flavour of exotic herbs, the smell of lemon (gol nemu or kaji nemu) and the sweet smell of Joha and Bohra rice. We also have our own share of exotic delicacies like fermented bamboo shoot, herb chutneys and khar.

The people of this land of blue hill and river take full advantage of Mother Nature’s bounty. Locally available green leafy vegetables known as ‘Xaak’ are: Spinach, "Lai" (a family of mustard greens), Mustard greens, fenugreek greens. "Khutora". "Moricha", "Mati Kaduri". "Mani Moni", Mint, Cabbage. Green vegetables are often boiled with water to form a gravy or fried in oil with onions. Other locally available vegetables are: cauliflower, beetroot, kolhrabi, curry bananas, banana flower, banana stem, bell pepper, "potol". jeeka". "bhool", snake gourd, bottle gourd, "ronga lao".

It is a common practice for a typical Assamese kitchen to have fermented and dried bamboo shoot, dried cocum (thekera), rice powder, powered lentils (mahor guri), Kharoli, Khahodi and chilly pickle (bhut jalakia, kon jalakia).