When
the sky is a clear shade of blue, cuckoos sing lustily and bees flit tirelessly
from one kopou phool (flower) to another, you know spring is in the air. And
when it’s spring, it’s time for Rongali Bihu, Assam’s most popular festival.
One of the endearing traditions of Rongali Bihu is the Bihu husori
(troupe/band) - dancers who perform in the front yard of houses (and earn a
little bit of money and lots of betel nuts in the process).
I was about nine
years old when I became a part of a Bihu husori made up of other four other
kids from the neighbourhood. Seeing my non-existent dancing or drumming skills,
I was allowed to sway and clap vigorously (in rhythm, of course) with a
constantly sniffling 6-year old who obviously shared the same non-skills as
mine. An 11-year-old boy (who apparently was born drumming) led the troupe.
This excellent dhulia (drummer) along with his sister and brother (the dancers)
were instrumental in earning us enough money to buy a ‘local’ (free-range)
chicken for the Bihu bhoj (feast). These and other happy memories were dredged
up by the pulsating husori performance by the amazingly talented husori troup
of the Axam Samaj, UAE.