Uruli_Bihu_2021

Living the
‘New Normal’

Rashmirekha Baruah

Last year has been a game changer for us isn’t it!

Life was so normal and suddenly, out of nowhere we were locked up, fear of an unseen virus,
fear of proximity and physical presence. All this was new and we were just coping every time
there was a new announcement or a new rule laid on our plates, well was there any other
option! Nah..

Flexible timings at work, working from home was surely a luxury but then it gradually
became our new normal. I don’t need to share the statistics around household chores as all
of us were in the same boat.We would wait to stand at the balcony to light the torch or beat
a metal plate (the 5 or 9 PM magic that was supposed to drive the virus away, yes somewhere
deep within I was hoping it would work).

It all started to change things at home and at workplace, sometimes for the better or else
worse. No house help, no home delivery, limited access to stores and restricted timings, our
world had to be managed within a lot of boundaries that were unseen before. Life was getting
out of balance and there was no end to virtual meetings in our profession, dealing with
frustrated souls andunpredictable emergencies. No fixed routine for lunch or dinner or even
a snack break and physical fitness was a far-fetched dream due to the craziness we were
getting into. When this continued for a month and the lockdown was extended after April
2020, we had to cope up positively and everyone at home had to come forward to share
responsibilities. We sat down together and the blueprint was on the table – Cooking and
cleaning the house was my responsibility. Very fondly accepted the cooking job though, husband
Raktim had to help with washing the dishes and share some of the cleaning responsibilities and
our son, Abhimanyu had to make sure all the electrical appliances were in place and switched
off after use. We purposely planned it that way as he was less careful about it. We thought the
task would grow him up. Easy isn’t it! As his parents would be tired after the chores and office
work he had to lay the table for meal; so I taught him the correct alignment of placing the table
mats and the dishes, the least that I could plan for him as a mother.

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As far as fitness activities were concerned, Raktim
felt he was really missing out on this morning runs
and all those events in town and outside he would
invariably take part in otherwise. As there were
restrictions in our apartment like others, running
inside the campus was a big constraint! The gym
was just looking like a haunted place during this
period. So, to keep up with the fitness regimen, he
started climbing the stairs from ground floor to the
20th upto five times every morning and that turned
out to be a perfect calorie killer. As the outside
restrictions were relaxed, he got a bicycle to add to
his fitness plan and to travel further. He used to say,
“where there is a WHEEL, there is a way”.

Since we were locked up, there was no kids play or outing and I could see my son glued to
his online games. We thought that was the best time for us to get our Alice, the beagle home
for a good distraction. This was around September
2020 and there she comes in a red basket, very little
30 days old puppy. We were supper excited when
the main gate security called on the intercom to
inform that there was a puppy arriving.

That was a whole new world of experience as our
entire focus was to adjust with Alice and vice versa
and we were prepared to share her responsibilities
whether it cleaning up, feeding her or playing. At
the end of a hectic day, three of us dedicated our
time to her. It was funny, felt nice to see an additional
member sitting next to us watching TV or biting
away to glory. That continues till date and it is her
7th month in our lives. Some more additions were
the air purifying plants that I brought home since I
knew we had to stay longer indoors. To overcome
long hours of stress at work, I learnt Reiki up to Master level and started practicing and it
was a life changing experience.

I would say, the Pandemic is here to teach us lessons, remind us of our roots and of course
that health comes first. We have coped up so far and hoping to stay positive all the way. „

Rashmirekha Baruah lives in Bangalore

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Redesigning LIFE

Zinnia Phukan

We had gone to Vietnam on a family holiday towards the later part of December

2020. It is a beautiful country with lots to see and all of us thoroughly enjoyed
our time there. At the same time, something strange was happening in one
province of China, Wuhan, which of course started coming into attention only
towards the end of Jan/early Feb 2021. A new virus was spreading fast among
the people of the province and the authorities in Wuhan shut down everything
to control the spread of the virus. But by that time virus had started planting
its seeds in different parts of the world and the first signs of the severity started
coming from the old homes in Italy, soon it was in Spain, and news of the virus
started trickling in from different parts of the world.

My husband who had taken up a new job in Dhaka came to Bangalore on 8th
March to get his visa renewed. On 15th March he was informed that the
Embassy had put on hold issuance of all new visas. On 15th my son Anirudh
who studies at IIT Guwahati informed me that their hostel would be closed for
2 weeks. My husband
immediately booked a
ticket for him for the next
flight in the morning and
suddenly we were all in
Bangalore, like a family
reunion for 2 weeks. On
25th March, a national
lockdown was declared to
control the spread of the
virus and prepare the nation
to ramp up medical facilities
and emergency health
services. It was for the first
time we heard of anything
like this, we being so used

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to taking for granted the freedom of movement and our day-to-day lives.

I am an interior designer who takes turnkey projects to do up new houses, offices, showrooms,
and also renovation of existing spaces. I had a few projects running when the lockdown was
declared. Some of my workers had already gone back home to Rajasthan and we were
managing with a smaller workforce. Suddenly after 4 days, I got a phone call from my main
person saying that the workers who were working on the existing project left for Rajasthan
and everything stopped. It seemed the whole world had come to a standstill. I had no other
way but to call up my clients and tell them about the situation explaining to them that the
workers would be back as soon as the lockdown was over. But as we all know the lockdown
was extended further and travel restrictions were in place for over 4 months. So the world had
changed within a very short time, there was no house help, the calls with clients, suppliers,
contractors stopped and I felt like I was in a new world where there was only me, my husband,
and our son.

All the household responsibilities came on my shoulders; luckily my husband was there and
he helped by sharing a big portion of the work. I started trying new dishes and developed
some culinary skills. During my free time, I started to make small changes in the house by
rearranging the seating arrangements, making a few small changes in the placement of the
paintings or the other accessories, playing with the lighting in the evening, using candles, etc.
I also started taking pictures of the new settings and started posting them on Instagram just
to keep myself busy. Slowly I could see that people were following my posts and my followers
started increasing with time. People started to call me to get ideas about what they could do
to bring changes to their houses and beautify their interiors as everyone was spending all the
time at their houses. I started to enjoy these interactions as I was meeting new people and
doing something constructive.

My son suggested a few online courses to his father; liking the suggestion my husband
decided to take an online course with COURSERA on Finance to keep himself busy and learn
something new at the same time. He found the course very useful and started to invest in
stocks directly instead of only mutual funds as he was doing earlier. So, he was happy that
he could pick up something new during the lockdown period. As for our son, he started doing
his classes online and the college decided that they would be graded based on their first
semester results combined with the quizzes and class tests they had already taken by then. By
the end of April, his semester was over. Even after his regular studies were over, we could
see him keeping himself busy with things like developing his coding skills, reading new
books, and never complained about the whole situation. Another good thing that happened
was we could spend some quality family time, watching movies together, talking about our
holidays and to make up lost travel we started watching travel programs on Netflix.

Slowly the restrictions were eased a bit and I started interacting again with my clients just
to keep the ball rolling. I started with giving suggestions on how to make small changes in
the house to bring some newness without physically visiting them. I also subscribed to some
online interior publications to broaden my horizon and get new ideas. It helped me to do some

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new things like a home office, a nursery room
for toddlers, and home gardening. Along with
house work, these things were enough to keep
me busy and give me a sense of doing
something creative.
Towards the end of June with things more
under control, clients again started calling to
finish the existing projects and some new ones
who wanted to start doing their houses.
Initially, it was quite difficult as all the workers
were still in their hometown. A few of the
workers started coming back with a lot of
difficulty due to restrictions of movement from
other states and I started with trying to
complete the running projects that were already
delayed by over 3 months. We began working
with immense precautions like using face
masks and hand sanitizers, not putting too many
people in one location, etc. By early August, I
started taking up some new projects as clients were also feeling more comfortable
interacting physically and most of my team was back in Bangalore. By the end
of August, my husband left for Dhaka to resume his work. Our son is still with
me doing his classes online and by the time this is published, he will be finishing
two more semesters from home giving me company during one of the hardest
times humanity is facing in the recent decades.
Covid cases are on the rise again making another lockdown imminent. This time
my husband is not with us. I hope the shutdown is short and things start improving
sooner than later so that we all can resume our normal lives and go back to doing
things that we all have missed doing in the last year that has gone by. „

Zinnia Phukan is an interior designer and entrepreneur. She lives in Bangalore

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New Beginnings in the

LOCKDOWN

Monangku Hazarika

A year down, the greatest global health crisis Covid-19 pandemic has completely changed

our day to day life; and now when we look back, last year was a mixed bag with lot of
struggle along with a lot of learnings as well. Amongst many other things, the pandemic
taught us to be more frugal and keep delivering the best service to our clients despite crisis.

Upasana and I, as food lovers wanted to venture
into the hospitality industry. So, in January 2020,
just before the pandemic struck, we started
Berytoz, a north Indian restaurant in
Marathahalli, Bangalore. Hmmm what a time
to get into a new venture!

Like any other business, the restaurant industry
has been devastated by the pandemic and quite
a lot of new restaurants had to closed down. In
the midst of all the hardship, we at Berytoz
managed to keep the kitchen open for takeaway.
In the initial phase, people were scared to order
any home delivery fearing the risk of viral
contamination. However, gradually things took a
turn, and people resorted to ordering online and
take away. With “safety” and “hygiene” becoming
topmost priorities for customers and keeping the
gravity of the situation in mind, we took extra
care in terms of the safety of our own team and
our customers as well by sanitizing the restaurant
every hour, getting the RT-PCR test done for
our staff every 15 days.

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One important point, the pandemic has taught us to believe in is empathy, to trust our
employees who have been a constant support to bring the business forward with all the
fear and anxiety. And because of our support staff, we have managed to sail through. Now,
slowly we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

We are grateful to Assam
Association Bangalore and
my dear friend Chinmoy
Goswami for showing
confidence in Berytoz,
allowing us to serve snacks
and packaged Bhog during
the Durga Puja and
Saraswati Puja celebrations
2020. We look forward to a
long-continued association.

I also have another venture

called ‘Swazuna

Technologies’ and ‘Organic

Media’, which I’ve started

in 2017 and 2019 after

working for a decade in the

corporate sector. During the very early stage, Karnataka Government has recognized Swazuna

as one of the best start-ups through the entrepreneurial program Elevate 2018. We managed

to add corporate clients to the list and things are moving the way we expected. My overall

entrepreneurial journey so far has been pretty good.

Life has completely changed after covid-19. Suddenly the busy schedules, rushing to be in
urgent meetings, running around to make ends meet has stopped and the new normal is
to work from home. I am enjoying this change as it is allowing me to spend some quality
time with my parents here in Guwahati, my son Aayansh and other family members and
friends. „

Monangku Hazarika is an entrepreneur based in Bangalore.

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Musically Yours

Dhrubajyoti Lahon

We are a family of four – I (Dhrubajyoti Lahon), my wife (Swapna), and two daughters

(Disha– 14 years, Nimisha – 11 years), have been living in Bangalore for almost 2 decades
now. We basically belong to a place called “Nakachari” in Jorhat district, bordering Nagaland.
And just a few kilometers away is the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, which is famous for its’
rich biodiversity and is home to the only apes in India, the western hillock gibbon.

Changing the mindset :

During these difficult times of the Covid pandemic, like most of you, we also unknowingly
started looking at our lives differently. Our headspaces were overflowing with negativity,
worry and sadness seeing people suffering around. The uncertainties about the future and not
being able to perform our usual routine which we were used to, was overwhelming. We were
worried for our loved ones and all we could do was to pray for everyone’s good health and
wellbeing. As lockdown kept everyone at home, we started paying more attention to the little
thingsin life (or the things we considered as little in the pre-pandemic times), such as – family
chitchats, food we eat, the sky, the clouds, listening to music etc. We explored many different
activities that can keep us occupied at homeand also help us staying positive. Reading,
exercising, art, cooking, playing
board games were a few of the
activities.Anything that we do
together as a family, which gives
us a sense of eternal fulfilment and
belonging, gets into this list and
one such thing was Music.

Music has always been a big part
of our lives. Disha and Nimisha,
both have been learning musical
instruments for some time now,
but it has not been a serious
pursuance though, rather a fun

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element. They were never pressurized, we Reading was our getaway
always wanted them to enjoy music so that from all the stress and
they are motivated enough to continue
learning it for long. anxiety. While for some of

So, the forced stay at home, gave us an us, reading is learning new

excellent opportunity to play music together information, for others it
during the evenings, after completing online is a fantasy world. It was
schools and office work. The challenge for interesting to see books of
the girls to pick up a new song, every fortnight, varied topics – technical,
in any of the languages – Assamese, Hindi,

Kannada, or English. The girls did put lot of leadership, novels

efforts to meet the challenge, and we were (Assamese, Bengali, Hindi),
pretty happy seeing them putting whole hearted fictional etc., around the
efforts in something which improves cognitive
house which each one of
abilities along with the fun involved.

After we uploaded some of the videos of us indulging in whenever

their songs in Facebook, many people one finds time.
suggested to start a YouTube channel. We

did it, and created a YouTube channel by name “Disha & Nimisha” and started uploading their

videos. They received lot of appreciation for their songs, we have been very grateful to all

the people who appreciated their work, and provided constructive feedback.

The YouTube link to their channel is –
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC89_CsPcbRMnrc9PhUDrGBg

Assam Association Bangalore (AAB), over the years, has been providing an excellent platform
to all the people involved, to showcase their talent. Disha & Nimisha got many opportunities
to perform on the AAB stage, and every time, the AAB members bestowed them with so much
appreciations, that we cannot express our gratitude enough.

As in previous years, in 2020 also AAB celebrated Durga Puja , with the entire cultural
program organized in an online setup. It was an excellent and meticulous arrangement, all the
participants performed extremely well. Disha performed a song whereas Nimisha did a dance
performance. It was such a nice feeling to be a part of such a big AAB family.

Another thing we all indulged in was reading. Reading was our getaway from all the stress
and anxiety. While for some of us, reading is learning new information, for others it is a
fantasy world. It was interesting to see books of varied topics – technical, leadership, novels
(Assamese, Bengali, Hindi), fictional etc., around the house which each one of us indulging
in whenever one finds time.

The girls could not see their friends for a long time, so using video calls to catch up and
chat was another thing they did frequently. Group study sessions were very helpful to stay
productive even at home.

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The need for “social distancing” also helped us
look back down memory lane, to remember those
people whom we have not connected with for a
long, even though they made an impact in our
lives in one or other way. Almost, two decades
back, after joining a company in Bangalore, I
was sent to Germany on a 2 months work
assignment. It was my first travel abroad, and
everything was alien to me. Fortunately, there
was a Telugu gentleman living in the same
building as me. From the very first till the last
day of my stay in Germany, the gentleman helped
me in every way to make my stay comfortable
and enjoyable. We lost contact. But during this
time of “social distancing” we could connect with each other remembering those old good
days, and this was an excellent feeling.

Online school, online music classes were a very new thing the girlsexperienced in this year.
With online school, at first they were excited but as time went by it got harder and harder.
They, on top of not being able to meet their friends, had to finish up notes, study alone and
submit assignments. Studying became a lonely task. Online exams were hard to get used to.
But after almost an entire year of online school, the idea of actual school seems strange now.

Even though we tried so many different ways to stay positive at home, we had to go through a
stressful time when one of our family members back in Assam had to be hospitalized, we could
not do much from Bangalore apart from trying with all contacts in Assam to provide the best
medical care. Luck was not on our side, and we eventually lost him, which was very painful.

In the first week of December 2020, we travelled to Assam, with a one-way ticket, to spend time
with parents, in-laws, and with brother’s family. It felt great to reunite with everyone again.

We took few days to arrange everything for online office work, online school, and music
classes, and since then, everything has been working perfectly.

It also gave us an opportunity to experience the December and January winter days in
Assam after so many years.

Gratitude :

We are thankful to all the people who have been fighting against the deadly virus trying to
keep the people safe, our hearts are with all the people who lost their family members,
relatives, or friends. We, pray and hope that the bad times get over soon, and look forward
to a normal life in the coming days. „

Dhrubajyoti Lahon lives in Bangalore

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Wanderlust

CHANDUBI LAKE
So Near, Yet So Far From the Chaos

Dr. Mitali Baruah

Assam is known for its natural beauty and abundance in vegetation. Apart from a
few national parks and wild life sanctuaries, there is wilderness all around,
many of which are protected as reserve forests.
There are many such places in and around Guwahati to which people can escape
from the busy city life for a while. One such place is the beautiful lake Chandubi.
Known to most people in Guwahati and its neighbourhood, but less known
to people from other parts within and outside India. The poor wifi and
network connectivity makes it a true escape from the city life.
Winter in Assam is the best time for outings and
outdoor activities, congenial time to enjoy nature as
the heat of the bright sun is not overpowering and
also because floods or water logging are unheard of
during this dry season. So, the ideal time to visit
Chandubi is during winter, from October to April.

About the lake :

The lake was formed when the forest in the area
went down during an earthquake which took place
on 12th June, 1897. The intensity of the earthquake
was said to be 8.7 Richter scale. It is situated across
an approximate area of 2000 hectares and is around
7 km long, 1 km wide, while the depth is around
3 m. It is famous for its lagoons. There are a few
villages located around Chandubi with a population
of 5000 approximately and the main livelihood of
the villagers is cultivation and handicrafts.

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How to reach :

Chandubi is located about 60 km from Guwahati, Assam.

The lake is situated in Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, Kamrup District, at the foothills
where Khasi and Garo hills meet.

It can be reached by 2 roads : One road goes from Guwahati city bypass and ISVT via Deepor
Beel (a huge water body, a Ramsar site, famous for migratory and resident birds and is
currently under the threat of encroachment), through Rani Bazaar, and Rani Reserve Forest.

The other road is from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport which bifurcates to
the left from National Highway 37 at Mirza Town. The road going from Mirza passes through
villages, paddy fields and tea gardens.

One can enjoy the beauty of rural Assam and of soothing sight of lush green tea gardens while
driving to Chandubi.

Both the roads meet at a point before reaching Chandubi. Since public transport is not
available to Chandubi regularly, one has to either take private vehicle or hire a rental car.
Adventurous tourists can travel by shared vans from Mirza.

Things to do in Chandubi :

Chandubi boasts of many attractions and different activities of tourist interest, although it is
not yet properly developed. There are facilities for hiking (short and long treks), boating,
cycling, ethnic and rural tourism, tea tourism and also exploring its famous handicrafts.The
Chandubi Festival is held near the lake every year during the first week of January.

Rural and ethnic tourism :

The Rabha community, comprising a major tribe of Assam, are the main residents in this area
along with few Kachari and Garo families. The surrounding villages are ideal Assamese
villages, very neat and clean. The houses are built in accordance with traditional designs and
tourists can enjoy local food and check out their handicrafts and handlooms.

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Bird watching and wildlife :

The area has a rich potential for bird watching and wildlife experience. A good variety of migratory
birds visit the lake during winter and many species of resident birds are also found here.
Wild elephants frequently come to the lake to drink water. Other wild animals are also found
here. There is an abundance of butterflies near the Chandubi Falls.
Water lilies bloom in the lake in the season. Other flora and fauna are found in abundance too.

Chandubi Festival...

Every year from 1st January to 4th January, Chandubi Festival is observed near the lake. The
main purpose of this festival is to showcase the culture and tradition of local people and the
conservation of nature. During this festival, handloom and handicrafts of this region are
exhibited and sold, namely local costumes, vegetables, bamboo and cane products and furnitures
etc. They also showcase their traditional way of living and eating.

Where to stay :

Assam tourism offers a guest house beside the lake with a capacity of 10 rooms along with
facilities for food. One has to book in advance through the Tourist Department, Assam. Some
camps which provide day visit and night stay are situated on the south bank of the lake;
namely: Chandubi Jungle Camp, Chandubi Echo Camp, Chandubi Nature Retreat etc.
The most popular resort in the area is the Chandubi Jungle Camp which comprises of few thatched
huts with attached baths. Stilt huts and tents are also available for overnight stay. Breakfast is
complimentary and Assamese and Rabha cuisines are served for lunch and dinner. Usually a buffet
is laid out but food can be pre-ordered based on personal preferences. The camps also organise
guided tours to the falls and the village. Cycles are available for hire by tourists.
Some of the local families have opened out their homes offering homestay.
Villagers from 6-7 villages have come together and formed a committee and taken on the
responsibilities of maintaining the ecology of the area, encouraging tourism and assisting tourists.
They run the boat services to the south bank of the lake and look after the cars parked on the north
bank while the visitors put up in the south bank. With the intention of the maintenance of ecological
balance which is the top priority, the area has banned the use of loudspeakers and plastic.
This ‘getaway’ is an ideal place to be away from the chaos of city life and be in the midst
of nature, to de-stress and indulge in some adventure sports while at the same time uphold
and ensure the maintenance of the ecological balance of the area. „

Dr. Mitali Baruah is an eminent physician based in Guwahati. She loves traveling and
writes travel blogs. mytravelshoots.com
She is a photographer par excellence and has won many contests at the national level.

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Med_LIFE Wordsmith

Dr. Tapan Saikia has done MBBS MD (Medicine) from
Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh. A Medical
Oncologist & Blood Stem Cell Transplant Physician, he
is currently the Head of Medical Oncology & Research
Director at Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Mumbai, with a
significant history of working in the philanthropy
industry. Skilled in Heamatologic malignancies, Breast Cancer, Clinical Trials and Public Speaking, he
is deeply involved in educational, social and developmental work in Oncology. Dr. Saikia likes to devote
himself in finding ways to help needy patients by providing medical and financial counselling.
Born in Naharkatia Assam, Dr. Tapan Saikia is actively involved in establishing various oncological
health care centers in Assam.

A Short Autobiography of
SARS-CoV-2

Dr. Tapan Saikia

I n history, in a story, or in any natural calamity, there are always two sides - one gets
more prominence, other remains untold, misunderstood or distorted; I have one too.
I have to survive; my family and I came into this world thousands of years ago, not by
choice but by design - then, the better developed living beings treated us like unwanted
children, even saying ‘you’ve no life’, the ‘junk’, as you would. Nature wanted me to live on;
as some human scientist said, ‘the mass is constant’ and will remain so.
My creator blessed me with a unique biology so I continue to live forever inside the cells and
tissues of other living beings - humans, animals, birds, mammals, non-mammals and even plants.
Homo Sapiens, smart ones as they are, found how to stop one of us. One man, Edward
Jenner with his fertile brain and keen eyes managed to develop vaccines - a deadly weapon,
created from our body itself, how smart is that! My brethren, the small pox virus now lives
only in cages of highly secured laboratories. Not a great idea; someday, somehow, my
brethren will find ways to be free again, perhaps with the help of a traitor, hiding amongst
the Homo Sapiens themselves.
Let me return to my story. I had a survival scare - how long could I have lived in those flying
mammals, ones that have a different biology - they fly by some kind of sense. I am told that
they have no vision, a thing I don’t understand. I have a completely different survival system,
so, I had to find ways to enter the world of Homo Sapiens. I had to work hard, mutate myself
by trials and errors. This wasn’t easy, and it took me years.

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Talking about mutations, humans have their own way of understanding; I keep hearing that
when a wrong replication happens mutations develop in viruses. Why can’t they have an
alternative concept - that there’s actually nothing wrong in the replication process, it is simply
needed to procreate ourselves. I have been told about an illness that humans suffer from,
called cancer - similar biological events take place in those cancer cells as well, providing
opportunities to grow. Such a concept might allow them to find them better answers to halt
my progression.

Homo Sapiens, I have to challenge them, that’s the way we were made! It’s a real war, getting
into their breathing apparatus; some fight it off with a strong resistance power, they call
immunity. Whatever, but I have found plenty of them with weak immunity. I am strong
enough now, my armaments take me not only to their breathing apparatus, but also let me
spread my tentacles into their blood vessels and other parts of the body.

I found their Achilles Heel in Wuhan, China. I will not divulge how things happened, as
administration says, ‘it’s under investigation’ or as scientists say ‘an ongoing research’.
Scientists and other authorities are investigating - if they are smart and intelligent as they
think they are, will find out someday. In the meantime, they have christened me - SARS-
CoV-2. The modern world has helped me travel far, hanging on to their noses and throats-
every breath of a Homo Sapien where I could survive, in and out, become lethal; getting
hold of the current host - then getting out into plenty of others. I have been designed to
come in waves, for how long, I don’t know - my creator will guide me.

I am astonished to observe - I have shaken up the fragile biological, economical and social
fabrics of Homo Sapiens; it wasn’t my intention. I only want to live as per my Creator’s wish,
they had to look back hundred years - the same story of wearing facial covers to prevent my
entry, cleaning their hands to shake me off, keeping a distance from one another - to not allow
me to jump across.

With all their intelligence, they haven’t found any real weapon to kill me - some weak
potions might have paralysed me, allowing some to recover; I also don’t like too much of
oxygen, I let them go.

I feel bad to see so many of them dying, I can’t help it. I am also fighting for survival, they’re
not my enemy.

I notice they’re fervently working on the ‘Brahmashtra’, the vaccine; some are already in use
to blunt my activities. This will probably work, but unlike small pox vaccines, current vaccines
will not be as potent; I am made differently. I don’t wish to destroy mankind - they aren’t my
enemy, I reiterate.

I just need to survive, I will be happy to live in some corner. I know some of my extended
family members, like the influenza virus, have found their own ways to survive. I will find
mine someday, in an insidious way; I can’t just disappear, it’s not in my hands - my creator
knows how it should come about. In the meantime, just do simple things - wear good quality
masks, keep your hands clean and keep a safe distance when you’re out of your home. Also,
don’t lie, don’t hide - it’s only for your safety.

Disclaimer : It is a work of half truth (already known) and half imagination. It is also a work
of fiction; and hence, should be read as such. „

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Storyteller

The Will of Janardhan Kakoty

Meghali Dutta Chaliha

T he whole family was seated for lunch. Only the two daughters-in-law, Saswati and
Manasi were still not seated. They were busy serving everyone their favourite dishes.
After all, it was only on Sundays and holidays that the whole family gathered
together for lunch. On all other days, everyone had different mealtimes. Both Vinay
and Vijoy would rush to their work just after their breakfast at nine. Vinay, the elder of the
two sons,a physician, a busy private practitioner, who is very popular in the town, both for
his expert diagnosis and efficient treatment and his amiable behavior, would come home at
3 pm and then have a light lunch. Vijoy, the younger, a software engineer in a corporate firm,
is also equally busy and leaves home for work almost at the same time and has a working
lunch in his office itself. The three older kids go off to school even earlier at 8 AM after a
hurried breakfast with packed tiffins. The youngest of them, Bornil, who has just completed
two, remains at home in the company of his grandparents. Saswati, who works as a lecturer,
in a junior college and Manasi who works in a private bank also rush to work soon after
breakfast, but only after giving instructions to Mala didi who remains the commander in chief
of the kitchen after all have gone.

“Deuta, do you want some more fish curry?” Manasi asked her father in law. She knows that
fish cooked with mustard seeds is his favourite. She had learnt to prepare this dish from her
mother in law, who is an expert cook.

“No, no, Manasi. I have had enough. I am growing old. So don’t overfeed me. Overeating at
this age will do me more harm than good.” He answered. He asked Vinay who usually does
the Sunday shopping of fish and poultry,” How much did the hilsa fish cost per kilo, Vinay?”
On such occasions Vinay would tactfully avert the question. He knew that his father would
not be able to digest his meals if he heard about the soaring prices of foodstuff. Pretending
not to hear his father, he asked Shilpi, his daughter if he would help her in removing the fish
bones, because hilsa, though very tasty is notorious for its ugly bones. Vijoy would do the
grocery shopping while Manasi and Saswati would buy the daily fruits and vegetables and the
kids’ favourite food items and the household used to run smoothly and without any hassle.

Not only today, on numerous other occasions, all of them, even their mother, Madhabilata had
the opportunity of knowing and dealing tactfully with Mr. Janardhan Kakoty’s miserly nature.

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Though he would defend it and term it as ...He knew that his father
being economical, everyone knew in their would not be able to
heart of hearts that it was nothing other than digest his meals if he
being miserly.

The other day, when all of them wanted to heard about the soaring
celebrate little Bornil’s birthday, in a decent
restaurant with some very close friends as prices of the foodstuff.
invitees, Mr. Kakoty voiced his resentment in Pretending not to hear his

clear terms and announced that he considered father, he asked Shilpi, his
it a sheer waste of money. Ultimately, the entire
family had to remain content with homemade daughter if he would help

pulao and chicken. The elders reconciled her in removing the fish

themselves to the harsh reality, but the bones, because hilsa,
youngsters were terribly disappointed. Vinay, though very tasty is
who was very fond of his nephew, Bornil,
notorious for its ugly
bought him a beautiful tricycle on the occasion

of his birthday. The kid was so excited with bones. Vijoy would do
the gift his Borta gave him, that he flaunted it the grocery shopping
in front of everyone. Shilpi, Shreya and Aahnik
patted him on his back with words of while Manasi and Saswati
appreciation, his grandma gushed in utter
surprise, and his Ma, Deuta and Borma looked would buy the daily fruits
very pleased too. So little Bornil thought, he and vegetables and the

would go to Koka and show him the gift too. kids’ favourite food items
Little did he knew that, his Koka, Mr. Kakoty
would disapprove this purchase, it was such a and the household used
prized possession for him. to run smoothly and

“What? Who bought you this?” he yelled at without any hassle...

Bornil. “ Shilpi and Aahnik’s old tricycles are lying on the garage, unused. They just needed

a bit of repair and they would have been fit as a fiddle. What a useless expenditure!” Little

Bornil was almost in tears. But he was so frightened, he almost forgot to cry. And his Koka

raising his voice and yelling at people in anger was not a new thing. He has been used to such

behavior of Koka.

He silently rode away from Koka’s bedside in his new cycle. Vinay was angry with his father
for scolding little Bornil for no fault of his. But as is the norm in the family, no one raises
his voice against elders. He just tried to ignore the incident. This is what happened every time.
They either ignore it while silently burning within themselves in anger or subtly smile among
themselves enjoying his behaviour. But no one confronted or disrespected him.

During Rongali Bihu last year, he called Manasi and Saswati and gave them a thousand rupees
each to buy some Bihu dresses for the kids and themselves. “I shall not give Vinay and Vijoy.

ø¬ıU ¸—‡…±˚165

They will buy something for ...Let us start the formalities from
themselves.” Manasi and Saswati tomorrow and complete it very
took the money from their father-

in-law with extreme reverence soon. We shall form a trust with
and came out of the room. Once some senior and respectable
out of the room they smiled and
winked at each other. When their persons from our town to see to

mother-in-law heard about it, all the smooth running of this noble
the three of them had a good
laugh. “Poor fellow, he is not work. What do you say, Vijoy?”

aware of the soaring prices, you “Of course, Dada. Let us start the
know. So please don’t mind.”
She pitied her husband. construction soon. I shall consult
an architect friend of mine for the
“Of course not, Ma. We know
and understand Deuta, right design and meanwhile we will

through his marrow! This money have to get the permission from
is a token of his love towards
us, we accept it as such, not it’s the town municipal committee.
monetary worth.” Once the construction is

Then, there was the time when completed, we will name it after
Mr. Janardhan Kakoty had Deuta. We are so sorry Deuta, for
himself turned seventy-five. The
excited and enthusiastic family misunderstanding you...

members ordered a Black Forest

Cake from the best bakery in the town with the letters “HAPPY BIRTHDAY KOKA” in bold.

They bought a pair of off white kurta pyjamasand a pair of brown leather sandals to go with

it. The two daughters-in-law prepared some sumptuous dishes because it was a Sunday and

they were at home. They also invited a few elders from the neighbourhood so that their father

would be pleased. But all their efforts went in vain. Contrary to their expectations, he was

disappointed. He did not like any festivity. Rather, he did not like the expenditure involved.

With deep reluctance clearly written on his face, he went through the ceremony of cutting the

cake and talked with the guests.The other members of the family were thankful that at least

he did not create any scene in front of the guests.

Such was Mr. Janardhan Kakoty, known by all his acquaintances as a miser, disliked by some for
this trait of his, but for many, he was a source of amusement. The family members, in particular,
used to smile subtly among themselves at such incidents because they knew that beyond his
miserly nature, lay hidden a man of strength and integrity and a man with a heart of gold.

And now, here he is, in the ICU, at the mercy of the ventilator, caught amidst a game of tug
and war between life and death. He had gone out on a bicycle in the busy streets, when a car
knocked him down and he sustained a severe head injury. His family had always cautioned him

ø¬ıU ¸—‡…±˚166

against riding the bicycle, because the traffic in the city was ever increasing. They had wanted
to keep a driver for him which he always refused. And there he is, lying in his death bed,
oblivious of the fact that every passing minute is adding to the ICU bill in geometric progression.

After two days of struggle in the ICU, Janardhan Kakoty passed away. His sudden and
unexpected death left the family members in deep grief. The grand children loved their Koka
deeply inspite of the awe. His last rites were performed ceremoniously and religiously and on
the eleventh day, both Vinay and Vijoy spent with open hands in the Adya Sraddha ceremony.
Their father’s favourite dish, Hilsa with mustard and Boriola fry were served on the day of
the ‘Matsya Sparsha”. Though they were not sure, whether their father would have approved
of such expenditure or not, perhaps he would have called it meaningless luxury, still Vinay
and Vijoy left no stone unturned to commemorate his death in a grand manner.

Once everything was over and Vinay and Vijoy were rummaging through his almirah, a
document they found left them completely dumbfounded and in tears of remorse for not
understanding their father. They were totally unaware when late Mr. Kakoty had consulted his
legal advisor and had kept a will ready. Dividing his land and property and his savings equally
between his two sons, he had donated a full bigha of land and a sum of Rupees 1 crore for
the construction of an old age home. Vinoy, Vijay, Manasi, Saswati and their mother,
Madhabilata were simply stunned. Their father, whom they had always thought to be a miser,
had made such a huge donation for public interest. How great and noble a soul he was! How
much they had ridiculed him, sometimes even despised him, wereangry or ashamed for his
miserly nature and how very different he proved himself.

Vinay was the first to break the silence. “Let us start the formalities from tomorrow and
complete it very soon. We shall form a trust with some senior and respectable persons from
our town to see to the smooth running of this noble work. What do you say, Vijoy?” “Of
course, Dada. Let us start the construction soon. I shall consult an architect friend of mine
for the design and meanwhile we will have to get the permission from the town municipal
committee. Once the construction is completed, we will name it after Deuta. We are so sorry
Deuta, for misunderstanding you”.

Madhabilata broke down in tears while Manasi and Saswati nodded their heads in approval,
with tears welling up in their eyes. They felt so proud of being Mr. Janardhan Kakoty’s
daughters-in-law. „

Dr. Meghali D Chaliha is presently serving as the Head of the Department at
Jorhat Medical College, Assam and engaged in undergraduate and postgraduate
research teaching and research. She is interested in literature and has several
publications. Her novel in Assamese ‘Faculty Enclave Diary’ will be published shortly.

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Songs of the Soul

The Spring Within

Kumar Arnavdeep

One of these days, when –

The foxtail orchid
Is still in bloom,
And, Lady Bordoichila
Is still in town..

When –
The fields are still
A shade greener, and
The cuckoo still sings
A song…
A song so familiar!

What if you eavesdropped a little
On that heart of yours?

Would you know?
Would you call its bluff
Of quiet nonchalance;
And tell that it beats?

That it beats
To the beats
Of a celestial drum -
Transcending both
Space and time?

And, that it is home -
Home to the eternal spring? „

“A simple Axomiya and an occasional (novice) poet : I draw a sense
of tranquillity from capturing passing thoughts into quatrains and limericks.

Some of them rhyme, while others don’t”.

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A Tale of Cloud-Lost

Dr. Ranjana Bhattacharya

No one could read my tear drops

As the whole town was high with the rainfalls
And each scorched by lane was cooling down

But with your thought my heart was boiling up

Once, we got fantasized by those
Drizzle drops at the windowpanes
Of the city bus we’re travelling
And named the bus as CLOUD

The clouds were moving around in the streets
Teasing the fancy umbrellas

We shouted- Clouds, wait, wait
Clouds, we will fly with you
Clouds, we’ll turn in to rains inside you
Clouds, give us a seat by the window’s side to seat close by
Clouds, take two drops of our heart’s blood as fare

But the clouds stopped not
Made a flight above the hills upwards the sky
And waited there to remind us of our past

We too thought ‘What’s the use of the clouds?’
It loans water from the sea
Heats water with the sunshine
Take away the vapoured soul
Of the sea to the sky
To be impregnated with rains

One day it gives birth the rains on the earth
With tearful eyes the rains move in search of rivers
The Cloud-lost rains bear so many troubles

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Umbrellas beat it, roof tops drive it away
It is bailed and thrown away from the courtyard
Only we two loved the rains
Took it abreast throwing the umbrellas away
Rains, will you go to the sea?
Rains, oh, no need to go
Stay inside us wiping out our sighs
Rains, will you make us listen the tale of the sky?
Rains, the love bird has grown in our inner
Will you make it fly to the end of the sky?
The rains took you to the clouds
The rains gifted you an umbrella
You’ll never wet in the rains again
But the rains wrote an elegy in my breast
Rains, do come,and
Wash away my dribbling tears. „

Translated by Dr. Ranjana Bhattacharya
from the original by Pranab Kumar Barman

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Just Be You

Soni R. Medhi

Wish I were a Me only for once

Without being tagged in any instance,
Sometimes being overweight,
Sometimes to slay, with that weight
Sometimes the sarcasm kept me under that weight
And sometimes fake concerns fixed me straight
Wish I were a Me from the inside
And keep everything…beside
No matter how strong I dare to pass
This narrow world throws a wench to pass
Though that didn’t keep me far behind
From thinking or speaking bright
Had it been possible then
I would have corrected the spell
No..nowhere and never for God’s sake
Did I want to be a Damsel so stressed
So what if it is Me, Myself only, no strings attached
At least my truth, would not have been butchered
Slay …Dare…and just be You
Dive in for once and and for all
It seems too good to be true
We aren’t just a body of blood and bones
It’s our spirit that takes us to the Unknown
Let’s celebrate being ‘Me’, for ‘Me’ once
Let the world witness ‘Me and Us’.
Be bold to make the first move
Keep your immense power within you

ø¬ıU ¸—‡…±˚171

You are beautiful, and soulful too
We don’t need to be Superwoman
To appease the entire clan
So what if your duties bound you to others,
Is it too selfish to ask something for ourselves?
Wouldn’t you want to be in that place
Where we can speak our mind and be fearless
At times, it may sound a bit insane,
But yeah…it is absolutely ok to be in a lane
So just be yourself
Because it is good to be You. „

Soni R Medhi is a UX Enthusiast/Designer by profession and an artist by heart.
Her desire to express her concerns towards society has led her to venture into the
world of art and literature. She lives in Bangalore.

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Kids Corner

ëë... I came towards him and greeted him and he
greeted me back. We talked until the class
started. It was a wonderful day… and we
attended classes together, exchanged notes and
had a lot of fun. At the end of the day, we were
very happy that we could see each other again ...

íí

Lockdown Days

Parthiv Goswami

It was the fourth month of the lockdown when our online classes started, I was quite delighted

because I could finally see my friends. I hadn’t been in touch with them for months. However,
I still couldn’t talk to them freely, except while doing study-related discussions or projects.
In addition, the school decided to conduct the exam earlier this time and my football classes
started as well. So I was busy most of the time and this made talking to my friends more
difficult. I had to wait until the exams were over, for the post-exam holidays.
Soon after the holidays started, I started calling up my friends. During the first call, I felt I
was talking to someone else totally. My friend changed a lot within the period of lockdown.
I just kept nodding as my friend spoke about his time and what he did throughout the
lockdown. I too said the same but with a rather nervous voice; but slowly the nervousness got
off and we spoke and had a good time like normal. I didn’t have many friends, but I did have
one best friend, who I hadn’t met in quite a while either.
I decided to call him. The phone rang and rang but he didn’t pick it up. I kept trying but to
no avail. As I was beginning to sulk, a call came from an unknown number. I picked up the

ø¬ıU ¸—‡…±˚173

phone and a coarse voice said, “Hello, Parthiv! It has been a long time. Nice to speak to you
after so long.” I was confused and asked him who he was and how he knew my name. When
he told me who he was, I was shocked and very delighted at the same time. It was my best
friend! He said that I was calling his old number and when he saw the number of missed calls,
he called me from his new number as soon as possible.
We talked for hours about ourselves and our time and happenings throughout the lockdown.
After some time, he said that he needed to study for the exam and we ended the call. It felt
very nice being able to talk to my best friend. This also gave me enthusiasm for the exams.
The exams went well and the school announced that it was reopening the next month.
I was overjoyed and couldn’t wait for school to open. Of course, there would be precautionary
measures due to the virus still being there, but it would be great to meet my friends in person
after a long time. My best friend called and we talked about the exams and the reopening.
He too was excited for the school to reopen. He ended the call by saying “I will see you when
our school reopens.”
Soon, the re-opening day came. As soon as I reached school, I searched everywhere for my
best friend and found him watching the buses as they came into the campus one by one. He
saw me approaching, and smiled and waved at me.
I came towards him and greeted him and he greeted me back. We talked until the class started.
It was a wonderful day… and we attended classes together, exchanged notes and had a lot
of fun. At the end of the day, we were very happy that we could see each other again. It
seemed just like that old times again, for both our school and our friendship. „

Parthiv Goswami studies in Class 9
Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir.
His hobbies include playing the guitar, and football.

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School Begins

Anayah Choudhury Saleh

Today I didn’t go to school by bus

Because the road was in a fuss
My father took me by his bike
As the taxies were on a strike
At school I saw my friend
Showing her raincoat as it was the new trend
Because there was heavy rain
I saw a girl in pain
Her hand was bleeding
The teachers were in a meeting
I told her to get up on her feet
As I said I will give her a treat
She stood up straight
I gave her something from my tiffin
For I didn’t want to get late
As the school bells rang
And the music teachers sang
The classes had started once again
And I loved it as education is the main. „

Anayah studies in Class 4, Delhi Public School.
She loves to write stories and poems and enjoys drawing.

ø¬ıU ¸—‡…±˚175

Brahminy Kite

Aron Choudhury Saleh

Brahminy Kite is my life

The Brahminy kite is flying so high
In the sky.
It is an eagle or a kite?
Does it hunt in the day or night?

It has so many feathers.
It is one of the gliders.
They are so strong.
And they are never wrong.

They eat flesh.
They are not from the Welsh.
They are so fast.
Like flying dust. „

Aron studies in Class 4, Delhi Public School.
He loves birds and got the idea of

this poem when he spotted the Brahminy Kite it in the sky.

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THE LITTLE SINGHAM

Drawn by : Prachurjya Bhattacharjya

Prachurjya is a student of Class 3, Don Bosco School, Guwahati (Assam).
His hobby is drawing. He enjoys cartoons also.

He is the the son of Layout Artist Bubul Bhattacharyya.

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