A MIX OF CULTURES

An insidestory on thecover shoot

An exclusive interviewwith Urmila Mahantaof Kothanodi fame

Vicassam couplestalk of why theirpartners arebetter than them

COUPLE OFINTEGRALTHINGS

COUPLE OFINTEGRALTHINGS

Our little ones talkof their ambition

AN ACTOR’SCONFESSIONAN ACTOR’SCONFESSIONAn exclusive interviewwith Urmila Mahantaof Kothanodi fame

SOAR HIGH SOAR HIGH

RING OF CHANGES

When I was asked to head Enajori for this year, I'll tell you I was morenervous than I was excited. Writing has been my passion and jour-nalism my profession, but it is quite a different ballgame when youare working for a community magazine. I was told I had a free handto turn the magazine whichever way I wished. This, was an exciting

opportunity for me because sometimes we don't need rules to follow. Sometimes we justneed to follow our heart. Enajori felt that to me, I was to work with my people, it felt spe-cial. My goal was to bring the community together through Enajori. A small yet such aspread out community. Bringing to focus on some of the seemingly obvious yet special partsof our lives, our people and our homes was something I wanted to bring forth in the issue.

Some of the accented features of this edition are the news section I have tried to informand highlight the achievements of Assamese people around the globe and Assam in thepast one year. Also, there is an an exclusive interview with Urmila Mahanta who starred inmovies like Kothanodi and Padman among others. It's sometimes important to sit back andtake notice of your partner for life and ask yourself why you love him/her so much. I gotsome of our wonderful couples to do just that in the story Couple of integral things. Inanother feature, Cross Connection I asked our non-Assamese partners to talk about theirAssamese better half and their opinion about our culture. A fashionable bunch we are, I,unfortunately couldn't get everyone on board but tried, check out the streetstyle fashionistassharing some really cool style inspirations. Lest not to forget is the cover shoot and all thefun we had while doing it. Do read the inspiration behind it. In the Young at Heart segmentI have let the little humans of VicAssam share their views, their knowledge et al amongother stories. Last but not the least is SESTAA being the real hero of this edition with theirtireless yet quiet efforts to better the life of disabled children of Assam, also the good newsis that the ATO has granted deductible gift recipient (DGR) status to SESTAA which meansthat all donations over $2 are tax deductible. We are proud of the efforts put by the team.

I would like to extend my thanks to the VicAssam committee for believing in me withEnajori, I tried my best to bring out the community spirit in the magazine and thank all thepeople who made it possible for me despite my unreal deadlines. My ex-colleague andnow a dear friend who made this magazine look the way it does, thank you Sandeep foryour creativity, sincerity and patience! Lastly, Mudasar, my husband, my pillar of support,my best critic and my best friend for his constant support.

On this wonderful occasion of Bihu, I wish each one of you a wonderful and a pros-perous Rongali Bihu. Hope you enjoy reading this issue of Enajori.

Nagma Hasan

EDITOR’S NOTE

SANDEEP VEERPRINCIPAL GRAPHIC DESIGNER PHOTO: ERKIN KALAYCI & TALIA CAGLAYAN

MESSAGE FROM VIC ASSAM COMMITTEE

President : Sundar Sarma

Vice President : Rangam Rajkhowa

Secretary : Ritu Raj Rajkhowa

Treasurer : Kurnic Barua

Members : Jonali Handique Gogoi andMridusmita Haloi

Vic AssamCommittee wasextremelydelighted to beable to welcome

so many new members to ourcommunity on Magh Bihu thisyear. The new members notonly attended Magh Bihu, theyalso made the event a big suc-cess with their huge contribu-tions in preparing the yummydelicacies, in festooning up thehall, in arranging the childrenactivities as well as some sportsactivities. The new arrivalshave demonstrated their talentin cooking, in literature, inarts, music and dance.We are alwaysappreciative ofmembers who takeon a proactivestance and willingto give their valuabletime and energy for thewelfare of our small communi-ty. Every one of us here is timepoor but fortunately is blessedwith a skill or talent of somekind. If we can share it withothers, the whole communitycan benefit from it.

We are celebrating BohagBihu on 14 April 2018. It isour most important function ofthe year and preparations forBohag Bihu had started in fullswing in February 2018. Withthe added support and talentsof the new members, no doubtBohag Bihu this year will beeven better than the past years.Greetings and best wishes toall our members for a veryhappy Bohag Bihu.

Also, this year is a veryspecial year for us inMelbourne. The Assamesecommunity of Melbourne ishosting the 2nd Assam

Convention in Melbourne on28 September and 29September 2018. The VicAssam committee has startedworking for Assam Conventionwhile simultaneously workingfor Bohag Bihu. The venue forthe event is booked, the pho-tographers and the videogra-phers are finalised too.Preparations for cultural activi-ties and for the Conventionpublication Xomonnoy will startafter Bohag Bihu. The firstAssam convention in Sydney in2016 was a big success.Delegates from various statesin Australia had attended the

convention. This year del-egates from New

Zealand are alsoattending theAssamConvention.

Support and co-operation from every

one of our community inMelbourne is earnestly request-ed to make the 2nd AssamConvention a big success. Weshall come with details of howyou all can contribute to theAssam Convention 2018 afterthe Bohag Bihu celebrations.The Assam Convention com-mittee has two delegates fromeach participating state andthey are busy working out thevarious aspects of the conven-tion which includes the budget,fees of the delegates, time thatmay be given to each state forcultural activities etc.

Let us all look forward to avery successful AssamConvention in Melbourne inSeptember 2018.

With best wishes, Vic Assam Committee

2017-2018

Melbourne will be the proudhost of the 2nd Assam ConventionAustralia (ACA) on 28th and 29thSep 2018. This event will see peo-ple from all over Australia cometogether to celebrate our richAssamese culture. The New Zealandcommunity will also join us for thefirst time in this event. To add toour joy, Yarra City Council hasbecome a major sponsor of ourevent by covering 90% of the hir-ing costs towards the historicCollingwood town hall for theevent!

The 1st Assam Convention washeld in Sydney on 1st October2016. ACA is held once in every 2years.

The ACA logo was designed byMelbourne's talented RashmitaBardalai Chelleng. This logo signi-fies AA (Assam & Australia). Thered A stands for Assam - Muga silkand the one horned rhino which isfound only in Assam in the wholeworld, hence it has been used to

represent Assam. The blue repre-sents Australia - with the kangaroo,which is found only in Australia.The intersecting A&A represents ameeting ground or interaction. Aconvention is a starting place fordiscussions hence the 'aa' was alsoused as an Open Inverted Coma (")- the starter of a conversation. Thelower-case lettering of assam wasused as it gave a feeling of the

axomiya lettering.ACA's Facebook page is

https://www.facebook.com/assam-convention.au/ and the Websitelink is https://ozassam.org/. Formore information and updates,please visit these pages.

Here's hoping that we will meetyou in our 2nd Assam ConventionAustralia!

Best wishes,ACA Coordination Team (Vic)Rangam Rajkhowa and Jonali

Handique Gogoi

C o n t e n t s1 NEWS Know what Assamese peopleare doing around the globe

3 CAN ASSAM REGAIN ITSGLORY?

4 ONE STEP AT A TIME

5 AN ACTOR'S CONFESSION An exclusive interview withUrmila Mahanta of Kothanodifame

8 HEAD TURNERS Streetstyle fashion ofAssamesetas

12 BOHAG BIHU 2017

14 BEING ASSAMESE Jennifer Zaman's experience inrepresenting her roots

16 A MIX OF CULTURES An inside story of the cover-shoot

19 NOOK AHEAD Vic Assam women talk of theirfavourite corner in their house

20 CROSS CONNECTION The non-Assamese partners talkof their Assamese better halves

22 SPORTS DAY 2017

24 AWARENESS ON NEURO-REHABILITATION

25 BID ADIEU Prashanti recalls her times withPranjal Bora

26 GOURMET'S NOOK Some delicious recipes tosavour

33 MAGH BIHU 2018 A COLLAGE

35 COUPLE OF INTEGRALTHINGSVic Assam couples talk of theirpartners and why they are better than them

ASSAMESE CORNER30 USUPONIMomi Syed's short story

32 WHAT IS YOUR CASTE?An Assamese Poetry

YOUNG AT HEART39 SOAR HIGH Our little ones talk of theirambition

42 SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

43 DARKNESS

44 A MEMORABLE TRIP

45 FUTURE OF SPACE X

47 PIZZA MAYHEM/ ROBLOX

48 TALE OF MY CHILDHOOD

49 BLACKBIRD

Priyanka Chopra's love forAssam is getting stronger,after becoming a brandambassador of Assam

tourism, in a video clip at a press con-ference recently she announced herfirst Assamese production Bhon-ga Khirkee (Broken Window), whichis a joint venture between her pro-duction house Purple PebblesPictures and Easterly Enter-tainment, a Mumbai-based com-pany. The film is based on thereal life experience of a villagegirl in upper Assam and is setagainst the socio-political landscapeof Assam in 2015. It is written and di-rected by internationally acclaimed As-samese director Jahnu Barua with acast that includes Zerifa Wahid, SeemaBiswas and Joy Kashyap among othersand is slated for a December release.

Guwahati-based Assamese designer Ranjan Bordoloi hasbeen selected for the Forbes India 30 under 30, 2018, aprestigious list of achievers award across 15 categories.

Ranjan is a founder and creative director of Studio Bordoloi andspecialises in reviving the ancient craft of brasswork dominantamong Assamese artisans. His collection Pitoloi includes smallstools and barstools by cutting sheets of brass and shaped bywooden moulds with a floor-based welding technique. His in-novative take on an age-old artisan technique has won Bor-doloi international recognition apart from multiple awards in

India and overseas. At India Design ID in February 2015,his work was selected by Giulio Cappellini, art di-

rector of Milan-based Italian design firm Cap-pellini, and was put on the Cappellini Next col-lection/stage in Milan's Salone del Mobile.

BEAUTY ATITS BESTT

here is hope of an influx of em-ployment in Assam with several busi-ness stalwarts looking out to invest

in Assam. Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Indus-tries recently made an announcement of in-vesting Rs 2500 crore in Assam including re-tail, petroleum, telecom, tourism and sports.This move will create an estimate of 80,000jobs in the next three years, the company pre-dicted. At the Global Investors Summit 2018Ambani said, "We are also going to open newoffices in all 145 tehsil headquarters across

Assam. Our approach has always been to cre-ate sustainable livelihood opportunities and have

generated 20,000 jobs in Assam," Mukesh Am-bani said. Tata Sons Chairman, K Chandrasekaranalso promised that the firm would invest one bil-lion dollar in Assam in the next two years to touchthe lives of two million people in Assam. The CMDof Spice Jet, Ajoy Singh disclosed the plan of theairline which have good presence in the region,to use Guwahati International airport as a gate-

way to ASEAN countries and introduce seaplanes in Brahmaputra River and its numeroustributaries to promote tourism and provideemployment avenues to local youth.

There are actors and then there are legends,prominent Assamese actor Biju Phukan was onesuch legend whose passing away has left an irre-placeable void in the Assamese Film Industry. Theactor was suffering from heart ailments before hewas admitted to Apollo Hospital in Guwahati. A fewhours after his admission the actor died of a car-diac arrest. He acted in over 80 films includingsome Bengali films apart from delivering superhitmovies in Assamese. He was 77 and is survivedby his wife, daughter and son.

Gone forever

PICCREDIT: STUDIO_BORDOLOI.INSTAGRAM.COM

Forbes recognises Pitoloi

PICCREEDIT:TIME8.IN

Paris dictates fashion rules, beingthe hub of haute couture to streetstyle it was indeed a moment of

pride when Assamese designer KunalKaushik showcased his collection of Assamsilk at the Tiffany's Fashion Week in Paris lastyear, and he not only enamoured the Parisianfashion fraternity with the gorgeous collectionbut also clinched the award for theBest Designer.Under his label'Looms of As-sam' Kunal's cou-ture collection wasas colourful as itwas contemporaryappealing to thewestern crowd. Hewent on to showcasehis 12 garments col-lection at the red car-pet show of CannesFilm Festival followedby shows in Monaco,Bangkok among othercountries.

Silky wayto Paris

PIC CREDIT: KUNALKAUSHIKOFFICIAL.INSTAGRAM.COM

Reshita Baruah won the secondrunner-up title and Mrs Con-geniality at the Mrs World con-

test held in Seattle, USA last year. Be-ing one of the firsts, Reshita is the onlycontestant from the Northeast to rep-resent the country internationally at abeauty pageant. She hails from Jorhatand is a perfect blend of beauty withbrains, she not only has won a beau-ty pageant but has also been award-ed a fellowship for a PhD research atthe Bangalore University, India.

PICCREDIT: MS_INDIA_WORLD_2017@INTSTAGRAM.COM

B'TOWNEYES ASSAM

MORE JOBS

1

In the recently concluded Lakme India Fashion Week, Fash-ion designer Sonam Dubal's label San-skar showcased

his collection Majuli,celebrating As-samese silk. Beingpart Maharashtrianand part from Sikkim,and Assam being hisbirthplace, Sonam tookhis Majuli collection toexpress his love for thetextiles and beauty of theculture of Assam. Takinginspiration from thedances and weaves of As-sam., he has worked hiscollection in winter shadesof black, cream, red, brown,grey and beige and embel-lished it with dori and wood-work. The Eri and Muga silkas well as cotton weaves with hints of ikat and Assamese Gam-cha were turned into layered creations that merged perfectlyinto a single outfit or could be worn as separates.

Inspired by the traditions of North East India, Sanjukta Dut-ta's collection at 6Degree Studio during Lakmé FashionWeek Summer/Resort 2018 was a carefully crafted and

ethereally unique blend of history, art and culture of Assamcomprising of silk, cotton, silk-blends, muga and brocade. Hersilhouettes were constructed with saris, blouses, lehengas andcholis, in opulent shades of gold, beige, emerald, sapphire,saffron, dusky lavender, onyx, blush, rust and shimmering off-white. Bollywood beauty Dia Mirza stopped the show with afull-sleeved ruby red blouse, matched with ochré -gold tonedsari with shimmering embroidery that comprised gold zari

work, stones and sequins.

ON THE RAMPASSAM SHINES

International leaningsI

vanhoe Pictures, a Hollywood based Pro-duction house and Easterly Entertainment,a production house in Mumbai are joining

hands to produce the first ever Indo-Americanco-production with Jahnu Barua at its helm asthe director. The film has been titled 'UnreadPages' with the storyline of a happy family tornapart. The protagonist moves away from his landand culture and later returns from New York toAssam to restore his identity. The cast has notbeen decided yet. The film will be shot in both Assam and North America.Parts of the movie will have dialogues in English but most of it will be in As-samese. The film will get all the benefits of the new state tourism policy. As-sam Tourism Development Corporation chairman Jayanta Mallah Baruah saidthe department will bear up to Rs 1 crore in making the film, besides givingother benefits as per the tourism policy guidelines.

Assamese originEnglish novelistRohan Gogoi,

after his debut novelChasing Maya in 2012has now penned downa collection of poemsin Hindi-Urdu and iscalled "Rahgeer-e-Re-hguzar" which consistof 40 poems and lyrics.Hailed as the firstnortheastern poet to publish a book inHindi-Urdu, Rohan discovered his lovefor urdu when he was working on hissecond novel and one of the characterswas a lover of Urdu poetry, it was dur-

ing his research then that he realisedhis personal inclination for the language.The book is published by Pune-basedWestern India Imprint and was releasedlast year.

From a remoteDhing Village in Na-gaon, Assam to

rocking it at the Common-wealth Games in Goldcoast,

Australia, 18 year old HimaDas has made every Indiannot only proud of herachievements but alsomade everyone believe that

nothing is impossible. Theyoungest of five children ofa rice farmer, Ronjit dasand mother Jomali, Hima isshining brighter than a star

by qualifying for the semi-finals of the women's 400metre event at the Com-monwealth Games. We wishher all the best.

2

FIRST OF ITS KINDPICCREDIT: THUMBPRINTMAG.COM

SHOOT FOR THE STARS PICCREDIT: YOUTUBE

In the last 40-50 years the situa-tion in Assam went downhill rap-idly and reduced Assam to oneof the worst states in India. I vis-ited Assam in December 2017

and to my surprise I found peoplebecoming optimistic again. Rays ofhope for Assam moving forward againis appearing in the horizon. Will thathope materialise? I say yes, if the peo-ple of Assam try to remember thatfamous sentence of the greatAssamese hero Lachit Barphukan "Deshat koi Mumai Danghar Nahoi - myuncle is not more important than mycountry" . The real meaning of the sen-tence is that the interest of the countryis more important to me than my owninterest or the interest of my relations.

For a state to move forward eco-nomically the people, the politicians andthe government servants (officers andadministrators) all have to put the inter-est of the state first and their own inter-est after. Based on the news in variousmedia, for the first time in the post-inde-pendence history of Assam, I have seenAssam receiving so much attention fromthe centre. Huge sums of money isbeing offered for various projects inAssam by the government of India. Ifthe government of Assam is able to useall that money and complete all thoseprojects in time, everyone in Assam willbenefit. Everyone in Assam will findemployment, the spending power ofeach person will increase significantlyand Assam will prosper again.

The sum of Rupees 100 croresoffered to find permanent solutions incontrolling the flood alone, if used prop-erly, will not only eliminate the flood foryears to come but it will also help thefarmers to increase productions and theassociated projects will employ a largenumber of skilled and unskilled people.Once unemployed people getemployed, money will flow into the econ-omy and growth will occur in each andevery sector of the economy. I just readin the media that the CentralGovernment has already starteddredging work in the BrahmaputraRiver to make it suitable for heavyriver transport and followed by thebuilding of 7 river ports spreadingfrom east to west. That is also a hugeproject of Rs 1100 crores employing alarge number of people and will enableeasy and cheap way to transport goodsto and from Assam. I have also heardthat significant sums of money has beenoffered to Assam for other projects inthe field of health, education etc.

The Assam state government hasto work hard to take advantage of thisgolden opportunity. The governmentmust be able to use all these fundsproperly in time. The projects must beplanned, designed and completed intime. For the government to be able todo so, the government will need sup-port from the government servants andfrom the people. The people have to

cooperate in each and everyproject if they wantAssam to move for-ward.

If the ministersfind that the exist-ing officers areincompetent orare not willing tocooperate, theyhave to act likeLachit Barphukanwho sacrificed hisuncle for the coun-try. They have to sac-rifice these incompe-tent officers for the inter-est of the state and replacethem with competent persons. Theyhave to find people who are capable ofplanning, designing and completingthese projects in time. There is no timeto relax and talk. The ministers have to

act fast. They have to putthe interest of the state

first and everythingelse next.

Australianscall their countrya lucky countryfor theimmense min-eral depositsand otherresources it

has. I can saythat Assam is the

luckiest state inIndia for all its natural

resources. Assam hasthe huge Brahmaputra river

system with hills on both sides of theriver. Assam gets world's highest rain-fall. The rain and the river system hasmade the land very fertile over the agesand created the forests rich with various

plants and fauna. No other state has allthese resources in one place. In additionAssam has significant reserves of oiland gas, coal and other minerals.

But the Assamese did not learnhow to take advantage of all these natu-ral resources. They destroyed theforests by cutting all the trees. Theexposed soil got eroded in the heavymonsoon rains and filled the river sys-tem with silt. They cut the hills and usedthat soil to fill the swamp areas and thelakes. The shallow river system cannotcarry all the rain water. The excess rainwater has no place to collect andAssam suffers from massive floodsevery year.

First of all Assamese should realisehow lucky they are to receive so muchrainfall. All over the world there is scarci-ty of water. The states in South Indiahave a chronic water shortage problem.China across the border needs waterand started using the water on theirside of river Brahmaputra. Instead ofcomplaining to China, Assam should tryto store the monsoon rainwater for usein the dry seasons and at the same timesave Assam from the flood. The storedwater can be used by the farmers togrow additional crops in the dry sea-sons. Let us hope after the result of thestudy on controlling the flood, Assamwill receive sufficient fund from the cen-tre for various projects to control theflood. That money may be used in somany ways to reduce the flood. Theavailable swamps and lakes should bedredged and made deeper to storemore rainwater. Every river should havea dam where the excess rain water cancollect before flowing downstream.Those dams should be designed in away that it only collects the excess rain-water and does not interfere with thenormal flow of water. The excess watercollected in the dams may be releasedduring the dry season to the river sys-tem. This will enable to create space inthose dams for collecting water for thenext year. This will also helpBrahmaputra from drying out during thedry seasons.

I read in the media that steps havebeen already taken to initiate massiveplantation measures on both sides ofBrahmaputra to control land erosion.But majority of the deforested areas liein the hills which are located in theneighbouring states and Assam govern-ment has no control over those areas. Ifsilting in the Brahmaputra River is notreduced to the acceptable level, flood-ing may occur again in few years' time.Another project may be initiated. Hugepipes open at the top to collect thewater over the danger level may be laidon both sides of Brahmaputra River andthese water may be pumped out fromthe pipes downstream in areas whereflood does not occur.

Let us hope Assam will move for-ward again by making good use of thefunds made available to Assam.

Can ASSAM regain its glory?Things

are looking up forAssam, with a lot ofprojects and budgets

issued towards the interestof Assam, SUNDAR SARMAshares his perspective and

why he thinks Assammay have a bright

future…

3

One step at a timeSESTAA's tireless efforts of working towards the improvement of disabled children in Assam is commend-able, SMITA SABHLOK tells us what has been their most recent step to working towards their goal.

I can't help but shareSESTAA's latest news withour committed supportersfrom Vic Assam. As all ofyou are aware, SESTAA has

been working tirelessly toimprove the mobility and inde-pendence of disabled children inAssam.

We stepped into the newyear, 2018, with the great newsthat the Australian Taxation Officehas granted SESTAA the DGR

(Deductible Gift Recipient) statuswhich means that all donationsover the amount of $2 are taxdeductible. In other words,donate to SESTAA and claim adeduction in your tax return. Isn'tit great that before the end of thefinancial year, all of us can putSESTAA in our donations list forthe year 2017-18?

On the 16th of December, Ijoined the team of therapistsfrom Shishu Sarothi, Guwahati

and made the trip to Goalpara tovisit SESTAA-funded EarlyIntervention Centre. Not very farfrom Guwahati and with a goodroad, it should have been asmooth trip. Sounds easy, notquite! For a distance of139 km one way, evenif there were no traf-fic jams, it wouldhave been a 10hours grueling day(6 hours traveltime and 4 hoursin the Centre). But itbecame more than a15 hours day - the jour-ney from Guwahati started at 6am and the therapists would havebeen lucky to reach their respec-tive homes by 10 pm that day.

Every weekend, the therapistsare giving up their holiday andmaking this grueling trip to helpthe disabled children and parentswho turn up at the Centre inGoalpara. They come from as faras Mankachar, Bongaigaon andother places, which are at dis-

tances of 150 -200 km away.Attendance on the day was 37children and the therapists had towork non-stop for five hours tobe able to look after everyoneand complete their work. It wasnot easy.

On top of that, parents(mostly mothers) had

travelled by bus or anyother mode of trans-port they could affordseeking help for theirchildren. And there was

not even a functional toi-let for them to use in the

Centre. The men 'manage',but no one knows or dared toask what the women did. Thetherapists' team had to makethe compulsory halt at roadsidehotels for the sake of the ladiesin their group.

Can we depend on your sup-port to give them the facilities ofa functional toilet?

For further details and howto donate, please visit www.ses-taa.org or contact Smita.

4

An ACTOR'SconfessionsMeet UrmilaMahanta, of Padmanand Kothanodi fame.She talks of herjourney, her movies,her love for AkshayKumar and herdream to workwith theKing Khan

WORDS: NAGMA HASAN

5

Between life's troughs and crests,we all have a life to live and weall have a story to tell. It's notwhat life has to offer you, it'sabout what you make of all thatcomes your way that makes it

count. That, is what life is worth living for. Not many years ago, an ordinary girl from

an overlooked part of Assam- Sonapur wasdreaming a little dream to make it to the ce-lestial world of stars and making a mark in theacting fraternity. Being from a small town did-n't bother her. Not having a mentor did't bog

her down either. With be-lief in herself and

support fromher family,

s h edared

t o step out of the conventional path and pursueher dream. She began her

journey and she is notone to stop. Meet Urmi-la Mahanta, of Padmanand Kothanodi fame.She talks of her outingwith movies, her lovefor Akshay Kumar andher dream to work withthe King Khan.

On theJourney

Being born andschooled in Son-

apur, Urmila rem-inisces her

childhood tobe a happy

one withl o v i n g

par-

ents and caring siblings. She recalls, "I rememberattending my first acting workshop along withmy brother when I was in Grade 6. Both of ushad participated in the workshop to pass oursummer holidays fruitfully. Although my broth-er left the workshop half-way, I continued withit till the end. That was to be my first brush withthe acting world that sparked a passion in methat continues to rage till this day." She knewshe didn't want to be anything but an actor, sojoining FTII, Pune was only a natural progres-sion. Although she says, "I always thought thatone can't teach acting, you either have the skillin you or you don't until I enrolled in it. Once Ientered its hallowed corridors, I realised howwrong I was. One can have inherent acting skillsbut one has to learn about films and acting andraise the awareness levels, to be able to honeoneself as an actor." After graduating, in 2008while attending the International Film Festival ofIndia in Goa she was spotted by Director Bala-ji Shaktivel for the lead role for his drama-thrillerVazhakku Enn 18/9. It wasn't as easy, she re-calls that she underwent several auditions andlook tests in real locations conducted by the di-rector over a period of two tedious years but itwas all worth it when the movie raked in mon-ey and won her multiple nominations and awards.With a hit on her shoulder she was ready to testthe water on a wider platform. She couldn't havehoped for a better film to make her mark in Bol-lywood when Ketan Mehta's critically acclaimedManjhi with Nawazuddin Siddiqui was offered toher as the second lead. There was no lookingback, movies like Akira by A.R Murugodoss (Ga-jani fame) along with Sonakshi Sinha,KonkonaSen and Anurag Kashyap and "Padman" by R.Bal-ki with Akshay Kumar and Sonam Kapoor fol-lowed her way apart from working for successfulBengali, Malayalam and Assamese films.

On PadmanPadman is a significant film for many a rea-

sons. Apart from being a Sonam Kapoor and Ak-shay Kumar starrer, it had an ace director R Bal-ki, produced by Twinkle Khanna and the ignoredyet pressing issue of women's personal hygienein rural India that was addressed in the movie.When Urmila got a call from Balki's casting of-fice for an audition she was thrilled and was des-perate to make it through. She feels overwhelmedto be part of such a reputed project, "The roleI played wasn't as challenging as it was sharingscreen space with Akshay Kumar. I grew up on

his films, and here was him in flesh and blood.It was a such a special moment for me. I

was swept off my feet by his good looksand demeanour. Despite Balki Sir's andAkshay Kumar's stardom they are hum-

ble and friendly and appreciative of tal-ent. I am also an admirer of Sonam who

is beautiful inside out."

The role I played in Pad-man wasn't as challenging

as it was sharing screenspace with Akshay Kumar.I grew up on his films, andhere was him in flesh andblood. It was a such a spe-

cial moment for me.

The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams- Oprah Winfrey

6

On the challengesDespite her effortless acting skills and critically

recognised films (Ballad of Rustom for Academyawards) it was an out and out commercial movie thatgot her national recognition, we quizzed her if Bolly-wood is the only way to gain recognition as an actor.While she agrees commercial films help avail morerecognition because of its wider reach, she believescontent oriented films have a lasting impression onmovie goers. "Fortunately the trend is changing, peo-ple are opening up to good films. Audience don't onlywant to see commercial product but also content ori-ented product. Padman is a commercial film howev-er it's quite rich in content and delivery. Every actorinvolved in the film gave their best and that's why Ifeel it's been accepted warmly by the audience. Alsoevery film is a journey and every film has its own shareof challenges. For actors like us without a mentor weundergo a rigorous process of filteration through var-ious rounds of auditions, look tests, costume trial be-fore we play the role on screen. However being anFTIIan helps to a great extent but it is never easy!"

On being AssameseIf statistics are anything to go by, there aren't as

many Assamese talent as there should be. Urmilaagrees to disagree, "We do have acting stalwarts with

the likes of Seema Biswas and Adil Hussain doing verywell in the industry although the ratio may be low asopposed to talent from other parts of the country. Butthe upside is that Assamese people are marking theirniche at national and international level in the field ofmusic, sound, costume, art direction etc." She fur-ther states, "We also need to break the glass ceilingof being a North Eastern, language barrier and ori-ental features cause a major setback in bagging work."

However she is a proud Assamese, she says, "WhatI love most about being Assamese are our values,our culture and our equality. We are emancipated andbelieve in gender equality. Our women are empow-ered since ages. Thanks to my parents and strongvalues, I continue to respect and be fair in everythingthat I do."

On KothanodiHow often do you share screen space with an

actor who taught you those very skills? Urmila recalls,"Adil Hussain was my teacher at FTII and here I wasacting in a film with him. When my director approachedme with this script, I was quite impressed by the pitch-ing trailer and when I knew I was to be a part of a proj-ect with the noted cast I didn't think twice." Buri AairXadhu is to an Assamese what Enid Blyton is to everybook loving child, she tells, "As a child I was fasci-nated by the stories of "Burhi aair xadhu ". Adaptingthe role of Keteki, a mother of an outenga(Elephantapple) was a real challenge because I believe actingis reacting but when you have an outenga for your co-star for most part, how do you react? I was a moth-er to a vegetable and had to treat it like a living ob-ject. It was a difficult yet wonderful experience."

On her futureShe has a busy schedule and is trying to live the

moment as it comes,"I am eagerly awaiting my firstinternational project called "Beyond the Clouds" bycritically acclaimed international director Majid Majidiwhich is scheduled to release in April. There are somemovies in the pipeline in Bollywood, a female lead ina Malayalam movie and few more in Assamese." Quizher about her dream role, and she says, "As an actorI would like to test all characters and shades."

Armed with ace acting skills and determinationto do quality work, Urmila Mahanta wants to work withShah Rukh Khan one day and it will be wonderful tosee the pair together on silver screen. Until then wewait and wish her all the success. She dared to dreamand she made it, as Nelson Mandela once said, "It al-ways seems impossible until it is done."

Adapting the role of Kete-ki, a mother of an outen-ga(Elephant apple) was a

real challenge. I was amother to a vegetable andhad to treat it like a livingobject. It was a difficult

yet wonderful experience

What I lovemost about beingAssamese are our

values, our culture andour equality. We areemancipated andbelieve in gender

equality

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Why would you go as far asHollywood or Bollywood for styleinspiration when we have a deriguer bunch amidst us? Elegant,glamorous, avante-garde, suaveand sexy, their sartorial choices areworth noticing. Here are few of themany fashionistas in VicAssam

WHO: Anjana Borgohain Deka

WHAT AM I WEARINGDress: H & M

Accessories: Watch from SuperDry andSunglasses from Vogue

Heels: Novo

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WHO: MrinmoySaikia

WHAT AM I WEARINGJeans: Levis

T-shirt: Zara

Jacket: French Connection

Accessories: Sunglassesfrom Ray-Ban and SamsungGear Smart Watch

Shoes: Puma

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WHO: AntaraSiddhartha Kataki

WHAT AM I WEAR-INGTop: Dotti

Wide legged pants:Zulily.com

Shoes: Best andLess

Bag: Collette

2HEAD TURNERS

HEAD TURNERS

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WHO: Ipshita Chetia Collins

WHAT AM I WEARINGSkirt: ASOS

Accessories: Sunglassesfrom Cotton On

Shoes: Cotton On

Jewellery: Lovisa

4WHO: Jhum Rajkhowa

WHAT AM I WEARINGTop and trousers: Sports Craft

Statement neckpiece: From Venice

Shoes: Winter shoes

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WHO: Mudasar Ghansar

WHAT AM I WEARINGSuit: River Island Business suit

Shirt: Bell & Barnett

Shoes: Patrick Cox

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WHO: BibhutiMahanta

WHAT AM I WEARINGT-shirt: Abercrombie andFitch

Jeans: C.K

Shoes: New Balance Hype

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WHO: Indrani Bora

WHAT AM IWEARINGMekhela

Chadar: Silkalay,Guwahati, India

Jewellery: Dudugiand Bena set

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WHO: JenniferZaman

WHAT AM IWEARING

Bodysuit: ForeverNew

Shorts: Supre

Boots: Made inIndia

Accessories:Sunglasses fromDotti

Jewellery: Lovisa

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WHO: Papari Barman

WHAT AM I WEARINGShorts: Temt

Top: Being Human bySalman Khan and Shirt dressfrom Temt

Accessories: Watch fromEmporio and Co and Sunglassesfrom Ray-Ban

Boots: Custom-made in India byRR Chaussure World

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WHO: Ujjal Roy

WHAT AM I WEAR-ING

Suit: Business suit fromVan Heusen

Shirt: T M Lewin

Shoes: Hush Puppies

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WHO: SyedaSultana

WHAT AM I WEARINGOvercoat: Portman

Bag: Gucci

Boots: NineWest

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WHO: ChinmayeeBezbaruah

WHAT AM I WEARINGTop: Bardot

Skirt: Supre

Boots: Converse

Accessories: Watch from Fossiland Sunglasses from Ray-Ban

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We rang in Bohag Bihu with gusto lastyear. With music and dancing being thepivotal part of the new year celebration,the Assamese diaspora had a memorableevening to remember.

BOH

AG B

IHU

2017

PHOT CREDIT: SUNDER SHARMA,ANJANA AND PRASHANTI

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Out of all the ques-tions, people general-ly ask me, my mostanticipated one is"Where are youfrom"? I always

respond with an air of mystery "Wheredo you think I'm from?" After namingall the Asian countries my featurescould possibly match with, they zero itdown to India with disbelief. Herecomes my favourite part of the con-versation. To help the listener turn hisor her disbelief into conviction, I finallyopen the Pandora's box - "I belong toa mystical and picturesque state in thenorth-east of India, and sadly, very fewknow about us. Our region bordersChina, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, andBangladesh. We are marginalisedIndians and represent its Asian ingredi-ent. We follow the legacy of uniquetraditions, culture, food, and music,not to mention the rich history curatedby our forefathers. We stand out forour distinct Mongolian looks and areproud to be different!"

In September last year, I wasoffered the opportunity to represent

my state 'Assam' in the SouthAsia Australasia MIQ Beauty

Pageant 2017 held in Melbourne. Igrabbed it with extraordinary prideand happiness, not only because I hada chance to live my childhood dream

of participating in a pageant but alsobecause I would represent my cultureand roots on an International platform.Like every other Assamese, I, too,wish that Assam is recognised on theworld map, analogically saying.However, that won't happen unless wemagnify ourselves in the eyes of thosewho are ignorant. Therefore, I tried tomake the best use of the opportunityas a finalist to this pageant. And myobvious answer when the organisersof MIQ asked about what I would liketo perform in the talent round was"Bihu Dance". To be honest, I learnt toperform Bihu only after migrating toMelbourne. The enthusiasm I wit-nessed amidst the AssameseCommunity of Victoria (VicAssam) wasso inspiring that I joined the Bihugroup the very year I set my foot here.And let me tell you this- it takes years

In September last year, Iwas offered the opportu-nity to represent mystate 'Assam' in theSouth Asia AustralasiaMIQ Beauty Pageant 2017held in Melbourne.

BEINGASSAMESE

JENNIFER ZAMAN SHARES HER EXPERIENCE INPARTICIPATING IN MANY FASHION PAGEANTS

REPRESENTING HER ROOTS, HER BEING, THEASSAMESE CULTURE. SHE DIVULGES THE ORDEALSAND THE JOYS…

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to get the steps and rhythmright, it's not as easy as it may looklike. Although I have a long way togo, I still participated every year atthe Rongali Bihu event. A huge contri-bution to my preparations for my per-formance at the pageant came fromour Assamese friends here. Rightfrom my Muga set to my accessorieswere borrowed and so were thedance moves. The presence of ourCommunity members in the audienceinstilled sublime confidence in me. Iended up winning the sub-title of "Ms.Model MIQ 2017". And until thismoment, I receive compliments onmy mekhela-sadowr, the dancemoves, the nuances, music, and theXorai I placed on the stage as aprop. And I bow more and more tothe traditions and culture that sculp-tured my identity.

During the two months precedingthe finale, I tried to promote and edu-cate my social media followers aboutour side of the globe and stress onthe fact that its safe to live thereamidst all the disturbing news ofinsurgency. And that, our soil is sofertile, the air so fresh, animals sofree, and food so abundant; its hardnot to gain a pot-belly. During one of

my interviews with the popularBollywood actor Adil Hussain, of Lifeof Pie fame, who is an Assamese tothe amazement of many, I asked him"If you had to invite someone toAssam, what would be the interestingfacts you would like to mention toimpress him/her about our nativeplace?" Keeping this interview verycandid he replied that if someonewants to visit Assam, he would rathersay "Don't" because everyone whogoes there turns into a sheep andnever wishes to leave. He furtherexplained this metaphor by addinghow great climatic conditions makelives easy. Vegetables simply growon its own without much or any hardlabour and therefore, people livingthere tend to become lazy and com-fortable with the facile lifestyle. That'swhere the reference of a lazily graz-ing sheep comes in.

It stuns me how, even the rest ofIndia, too, unabashedly boast abouttheir limited knowledge about thenorth-east. The closest most wouldreach to establish our associationwith mainland India is to bring in thereferences to the states of eitherWest Bengal or Orissa, which aren'teven a part of north-east. This

reminds me of an interview I had withan Indian-Australian Radio Stationbased in Melbourne where the inter-viewer kept confusing my origins withthat of an Oriya. Although, I contin-ued to stress that the two-piecemekhela-sadowr is our traditional out-fit and not any form of saree, theinterviewer, who was an Indian too,didn't change her mind. I felt baffledand funny at the same time as thiswasn't the first time I faced such asituation, however, since we were liveon radio, I stayed calm and waitedfor the next question. Once the videowas published on my social mediapage, my Assamese friends com-mented furiously on the lack ofresearch and stereotypicaldemeanour displayed by theInterviewer. Most of them felt offend-ed and disappointed; tired of beingmeted out this attitude by fellowNationals. Later though, she did apol-ogise and corrected herself on herown accord.

Following the pageant, the con-testants were

offeredseveral opportunitiesto participate inFashion Shows wherewe were requested torepresent ourNational/ Regionaloutfits and, needlessto mention, in each ofthose events, I flaunt-ed our beautifullyhand-woven fabrics. Ilove to educate peo-ple about the uniquepatterns and assort-ed silks and neverfail to grab theattention of specta-tors. The spark ofhappiness thatflows through myheart when peoplecompliment onour traditional out-fits and jewellery, andexpress a desire to wearthem, is truly exhilarating.

Last year, I arranged a pho-toshoot for the cover of Enajoriat Altona and the team, alldressed up in Bihu Dance cos-tumes along with Dhol, Pepa,Taal, Japi, and Xorai, was asight to behold for the beachwalkers that morning. We

danced to our heart's con-tent on the beachside withlive music played by theDhooliyaa. Our colourful get-up and extraordinary music

drew an audience full of curiosity andamazement and I still remember thejoy of being watched and celebratedin a land unknown to our ancestors.

As a model, representing Assamat any forum would always be a matterof extraordinary joy for me. I shall con-tinue to work towards promoting thisbeautiful culture and the ethos of ourcommunity.

My obvious answerwhen the organisersof MIQ asked aboutwhat I would like toperform in thetalent round was"Bihu Dance"

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We love beingAssamese, we are proudof our rich culture,empowered upbringing,intricate textile designs,scenic landscapes andour people yet we blendin seamlessly with anypart of the world we arein. That inspired thetheme of this shoot. Iwanted the cover toreflect what our com-munity is all about.Caught up in the webof our daily lives in acity far far away fromhome, we never forgotour roots yet effort-lessly we are melburni-ans. We love our bar-becue parties, we everso adventurously go oncamping trips, anglingfor some of us is asmuch a part of our livesas is the feast after that,surfing and swimmingand drinking and party-ing, we do just as well asthe quintessential Aussielocal. That's us... youcan get an Assamese outof Assam but not Assamout of an Assamese!

Mix of culturesBehind the scenesOvercast skies, tiny droplets ofrain and gusts of wind greetedus on the day we picked tohave our photo shoot for ourEnajori cover. Forgoing dearsleep, the crew started turningin from 8:30 am. A delightfulmix of tradition, art and cre-ativity is what we saw in theattires of our enthusiastic mod-els. We had a stipulated timeframe to get our best shots, sowe raced against time and theever worsening weather tomake the cover what it is.

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ERKIN KALAYCI & TALIA CAGLAYANCOVER PHOTOGRAPHERS

PHOTOS: GAURI KONWAR

It felt effortless tointerlace oneselfwith theMelburnianmilieu comingfrom a progres-sive and accom-modating envi-ronment thatevery Assameseis blessed to growup in. Our liberalthoughts and for-bearing natureresonate the veryideology that thiscity is based on.It feels wonderfulto represent ourdistinct culture inthis unrivaledmulti-culturalhub.

JENNIFER

Being born andbrought up as anAssamese I holdmy culture close tomy heart and themulticultural policyof Australiaencourages us tomaintain our inher-ited culture as wellas expects us tocontribute to theformation of ahomogeneoussociety. That's abeautiful mix oftwo cultures I hon-our.

SUNDAR

GAURI

SHEETAL

I think my openness to embrace themany changes in every aspects of life inthis new city makes me a Melburnianand my ardent efforts to stay connectedto my roots through food, music, andtraditions makes me yet an Assamese.

NITISHIKHA

TAWHID

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I'm a proudAssamese who valuesour culture and tradi-tions and at the sametime, I appreciate andenjoy the culturaldiversity of theAustralian society.Hence it's easy toadapt as aMelburnian with arich Assamese her-itage in mind.

No matterwhich part ofthe world Ilive, my soulwill alwaysremain a trueAssamese.Melbournehas just beenthe perfectplace thatturned out thebestAssamese inme. I'll and Iam alwaysproud to carryalong thetraits ofAssam and itsculture withme.

"I sight through my window the mighty Brahmaputra,The hug of the sheer hills that are hundred years old,And wander my mind to the tea plantations, and feel how lucky Iam to behold this picture. I have within me, a part of Assam!Now I overlook the city of skyscrapers, where the gushing windtouches my tresses. Embossing the gleeful tides of the beaches to the people, The aroma of coffee is now what I Crown my mornings, andencompass to be part of this multicultural emblem. And now I realise, I have within me, a part of Melbourne too!

PRIYAM

RAYHAN

SANGEETA

YOANNA

LOCHANA

RITWIK

TAYYABA

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INDRANI BORA

1 My favourite part of my house is mystudy, this is where I relax, think andplan my things. I can read my maga-zines and also have a yarn with my

friends. I can look out directly onto the roadand have a sticky beak of what is happeningoutside!

But nonetheless to say I am very proudand happy with my little vegetable and flowergarden! Every year I get about 8 kgs of toma-toes which I freeze up and use during the

rest of the year, Ienjoy the chillies,eggplants & cauli-flowers which are allorganically grown!.

My seasonalflowers are mysweet delights theybring me cheer of dif-ferent seasons and the colours are my joyand I begin to appreciate nature’s doings. Lifeis beautiful, and we must bless ourselves withthis beautiful country of ours!

BIDISHA MAHANTAKALITA

3 As I think about my favourite cornerof the house, I realise that I amalready sitting in there while pen-ning this down. It

is my first pit stop as I enterthe house after a long day atwork. Purpose of going thereare plenty, mostly in searchof my husband and daughter,who also spend considerabletime in that room. It is thenoisiest; the untidiest and themost imperfect part of thehouse. It is our TV cum musicroom. Or rather that was what itwas meant to be at the begin-ning until the toys started to findtheir way on the floor, and until we decided tostart carrying our dinner plates there eachnight. One look at it and you can tell that thisroom was designed in a hurry. The cheap fur-

niture, the contrasting carpet and the oddand misaligned pictures in the wall makes itanything but perfect. But despite all its flawsit's still my most favourite place in the houseto be. I have spent some of the best times inthat room. Be

it entertaining friends, watching agood horror flick, or simply having a goodmusic session. It is one place that brings myfamily together each day, and so it will alwaysbe my favourite.

NILAKSHI BARAH

4 To me dancing is an exten-sion of who I am. Dancinggives me strength to faceany hardship or complica-

tions that life throws at me and that'swhy the favourite nook of my homeis my dancing room. It is sacred tome, because apart from my littletemple set in there I also dedicatemy time planning out my day, it calms medown when I am emotional or stressed and relaxes me when I just want time formyself. I am blessed as well as it gives me immense satisfaction to think that despite mybusy schedules at work as well at home I have never let my passion for dance ever recede. Ihave continued with my love which I think is a big feat in itself. It is my happy space.

NOOK AHEAD Home is where the hearth is and where theheart is. Some of our Vic Assam ladies tell uswhich is the favourite corner of their housethat they look forward to retreat to and why…

MOUSUMI RAJKHOWA (JHUM)

2 When I was asked about the favourite corner of myhouse, I did not have a second thought. Kitchen isthe most favourite place for me in the house whereI spend a great deal of time cooking or preparing

food for the family and often also for my friends. Spendingtime in the kitchen is never tiring for me even after comingfrom a long and hard day of work. Cooking provides meimmense pleasure and unexplained joy. For me "eat to live" isnot the right expression associated with food because it notonly meets our hunger but it is so much more than that.Almost all our senses are involved with it as we not onlyenjoy the test of food but also feel happy seeing, smelling,and even touching food. Besides having such a huge impacton nutritional as well as mental health, cooking and presenta-tion of food are excellent forms of arts. Artistic appearanceof the meal is very impor-

tant for mebecause it may enhance or retard the appetite of a

person whom I am serving. Cooking has been an integralpart of our culture and inevitably remains an identity of whowe are. I have come from a very colourful, assimilated socie-ty which gives me a distinct identity and it reflects on all myculinary skills. I have grown up in an environment with strongappreciation for culinary skills and the festivals and celebra-tions for us Indians provide us further inspiration to beinvolved in cooking and motivates us further to remain soattached to our kitchens.

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Men are from Mars and women are from Venus, like that difference wasn't enough in a marriage tomake it ever so hard to deal with its daily tribulations, that some couples take the complications a notchhigher and make the differences between them even wider. No kidding, we asked some couples to talkabout their Assamese partners and their cross cultural plunge. Here is what they have to say…

UPEKSHA GAMAGEI first met Saurav in 2004, when I was studying in BangaloreUniversity. We were initially good friends and then gradually loveblossomed between us. He and his fellow Assamese friendsalways used to tell me how fascinating Assam is. My first visit toAssam was in the winter of 2006, having travelled 3 days by trainand a further 12 hours by bus from Guwahati to Margherita, it wassuch an amazing experience and his parents were very welcoming.I fell in love with Assamese food, its natural beauty and very hos-pitable and down to earth people. Everyone I met was very wel-coming and what I loved the most is the way Assamese people areso accepting of people from other cultures. The same way every-one I have met in the Assamese community functions have mademe feel as I am one of their own, for which I'm very thankful.

MUDASAR GHANSAR

Marrying Nagma has been one of the most life changingevents of my life. It's amazing how a community so emanci-pated with a culture so rich is hardly known to the rest ofIndia. Marrying her has not only introduced me to a wholenew world of beautiful people but also made me more openminded. The Assamese people stand out for me becausethey are warm, welcoming and ever so humble. I love theassamese paan. My in - laws and my wife have had animpressionable influence on me and my family. Our differ-ences is our strength and this help us raise our children bet-ter. I can write a book on Assamese people if I had to, butif I am to mention a significant observation of this commu-nity I would like to talk about their pet names which are asdifferent as chalk and cheese to their real names. I knowa Moon uncle and an Apple grandaunt and Don, Dipu,Jitu, Fullmoon among other pet names who have noreal connection with their real names. I continue to

wonder why?

Assamese people are very down toearth and friendly. They have alwaysbeen very accepting of me and havewelcomed me with open arms intothe community. I am a big fan ofthe food and I love bamboo shootand pork. I love Japis andgamusas, I brought back a lot ofthem for my family. My motherproudly put them up in their livingroom. I also like Assamese tea,mostly when my wife makes it.Assam itself is very beautiful, itwas definitely one of my favouriteplaces to travel in India. Kazirangawas a lot of fun, seeing all the rhi-nos and anticipating that we might see some tigers although that didn't happen.But it was a great experience. Everyone there kept calling us for dinners and Igot to eat a lot of delicious Assamese food. A definite favourite were the tinypotatoes. And when it comes to my wife she is Assamese but she is very worldlyand fits very well in Australia and gels really well with my family and friends

LIAM COLLINS

Assam is a beautiful place full ofrich culture and heritage. I came toknow about Assamese culture andheritage after meeting my husbandAnkur. I am grateful for my hus-band who has given me the won-derful opportunity of experiencingAssamese culture in bothGuwahati and Australia by intro-ducing me to a friendly and warmcommunity. Travelling throughAssam, I have grown to love andlearn about its culture and withthe friendly community and myloving family back in Guwahati, Ireally feel a part of it. It can beat times difficult to keep yourculture alive when moving to a differ-ent country. I like how the people of Assam have formed and kept up with theculture. I am lucky to be a part of such a friendly, warm and loving community.

ATREYEE ROY

CROSS CONNECTION

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RAKESH SABRAHWhen I met Priyam, I didn't think of which state she wasfrom, what culture she came from and what traditionsshe would bring along with her, but fell in love with heras a person. As I spent more time with her and her fami-ly, I realised what brings the beauty in her is from theplace that she belongs to - Assam. Despite being fromMaharashtra I could easily amalgamate to her cultureand traditions for the person she is. This intrigued meto know more about the Assamese culture, the food, theplaces, history and its mere elegance which I fortunatelyexperienced this during our wedding in Guwahati. I gotthe opportunity to embrace the uniqueness of Assamthrough her and was amazed to learn about the onehorn Rhino, Majuli, Tea plantation , Jaapi, Assam Silkand Muga. So many things to be proud of yet the peo-ple are still humble. These are a few blissful anecdotesI love being married to my Assamese wife.

VIDHI SHARMAAssam! I have received the privilege to learn and enjoy a beautifulculture in 2015. I have never attended any Assamese event yet inMelbourne but once my husband Ujjal attended one of the eventsin Melbourne and has returned home saying ' I have found my sec-ond home'. I have been to two places in Assam and without failhave realised the amazing sense of fashion, have felt very easy tostart a conversation with the people especially the warm greet-ings. I express my gratitude and thankfulness for the rich cultureand accepting me as a part of the community.

When I got married to Kurnic I wascompletely ignorant about theAssamese culture. But as dayspassed by I started learning the lan-guage and loving Assamese delica-cies. I didn't even know how to weara saree let alone a mekhela chadar.But now I think I have more mekhe-las in my closet than sarees. I havegrown to love the outfit. I loved howI was treated when I was pregnant,and the rituals that followed at my5th and 7th month, even the con-

cept of annaprasan was novel to me.Moving to Melbourne has made me closer to the community and the cul-ture and I can proudly say I love being an assamese buwari. Marrying intoa cross cultural family has taught me to respect our differences.

I will admit prior tomeeting my husband Ihad very little under-standing of the Indianculture. My only experi-ence or understandingof India was eatingIndian takeaway fromour local restaurantwhich was consideredat the time a massivetreat for my familyand I. Fast forwardsome years later and Iwould meet my hus-band who wouldexpose me to themost amazing cul-ture. I would soonsee that my ownGreek heritage andthe Indian way of liv-ing is comparable. I sum this up by saying we bothhave a big sense of family, tradition and showingour love through food. I can honestly say that I amvery fortunate to marry into the most beautiful cul-ture with the most humble, warm and passionatepeople.

SHEETAL SOLANKI BARUA

Before I met Tawhid I wasabsolutely ignorant about Assam untilI went there for my nikah (marriage).No exaggeration, but I was mes-merised by the natural beauty ofAssam and its lush green expanse.Apart from that I was impressed bythe rich cultural and family values ofthe people. The love and affectionshown by my in laws and the peoplewas overwhelming. Despite the lan-guage barrier their efforts to com-municate was heartening. It is anemancipated society where there isno dowry and not a significant difference between genders. My husbandwas happy to have just a daughter especially when we always heararound us about families' need for a son. Last but not the least are theyummy assamese delicacies of which maati dal, banana stem and fishcurries are my favourite. I am proud to be married into the communityand part of the Assamese society in Victoria as well as back home.

YASMEEN FATEEMAFRANCES

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We work hard, we party harder but we also believein striking a good balance between them. To boostour physical and mental healthalong with promoting thecommunity spirit, theVicAssammembersmet upone dayto play agood game ofbadminton, bothsingles and doubles.A spirited day,indeed!

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Awareness onNEURO REHABILITATION

I am not a doctor. Nor am I related in any way tothe medical profession. This piece is based entirelyon my experiences as the spouse of someone whosuddenly suffered from a severe brain stroke andthe innumerable challenges that we have had tonegotiate since then. Dr. Priyam Goswami, sharesher experience…

My husband, Binode Mohan Goswami,an engineer by profession, hadalways led a very disciplined life. Hehardly ever missed his daily earlymorning walk or his hour long yogasessions. He has always eaten

healthily, enjoyed his work and, in general, has led afull life. After every annual medical check up , his doc-tor would comment that he was in "perfect health" forhis age.

We had just returned from a very relaxing two anda half month holiday with our children and grandchil-dren and were settling down once again to the regu-larity of life in Guwahati. Then all of a sudden in theearly hours of the 25th of September ,2016, itstruck.... something that caught us completelyunawares and threw us off totally overboard. Binodewoke up early morning sweating profusely and min-utes later threw up. Even with my limited medicalknowledge, I knew that these were not good signs. Iimmediately called for a doctor and an ambulance.Fortunately, both arrived within minutes and we rushedhim to the hospital. By now he had become uncon-scious and his left side had become paralysed. A CTscan revealed that he had suffered from an ischemicbrain stroke.

A clot buster injection was immediately adminis-tered. I was told that in order to be effective, thisinjection must be given within four and a half hours ofthe stroke. Luckily, we were well within that time.There was reason to cheer for by afternoon he hadnot only regained consciousness but had also startedmoving his left limbs and responding to commands.The crisis was apparently over.

Our happiness, however, was short lived. The fol-lowing day his condition suddenly deteriorated andonce again he slipped into a state of unconsciousness.Hectic consultations among the doctors, followed bymore CT scans and an MRI, eventually resulted in thecase being transferred from the neurology departmentto the neurosurgery department. The tests hadrevealed accumulation of fluid in the brain resultingfrom a clot, which clearly the clot buster injection alonehad not been able to solve. We were informed thatimmediate surgical intervention was the only way out.

The surgery, to remove damaged brain tissuesand drain accumulated brain fluid, took several hours.A small opening was kept in the skull to drain outexcess brain fluid. Once in the ICU, he was wired upto several machines and was on ventilator support.He remained unconscious for five days. On a scale of1 to 6 measuring consciousness levels, he was at 2.5when he was expected to be at or around level 5. Wewere told that the prognosis was not very positive andthat our only hope lay in prayer. Miraculously, on thesixth day, he blinked his eyes.

But it was not before three weeks in the ICU, HighDependency Ward and then the semi ICU that he waseventually shifted to a room, albeit with oxygen sup-port. The massive stroke had reduced my husband toa pale shadow of his former self. His left side wascompletely paralysed making him practically immobile.He lost his speech and all his fine motor skills leavinghim with little scope for communication. He was unable

to swallow anything- solids or liquids- and constantbouts of coughing often resulted in shortness of breathand increasing dependence on assisted oxygen.

We soon realised that after the initial treatmentwas over, the hospital had little to offer to aid thecomplex recovery process of the patient. Even thephysiotherapy that was given was of an extremelybasic nature. We were faced with a dilemma, for nei-ther was the patient in a position to be taken homenor was there a rehabilitation centre where we couldshift him. The doctors suggested that the only wayout was to hire trained home help and bring him backto the hospital if an emergency arose. I was not con-vinced and did not consider this a viable solution tothe problem. After many frantic enquiries we zeroeddown on APOKOS Rehabilitation Hospital, Hyderabad.Since he was not in a position to travel by a commer-cial aircraft, we transferred him to Hyderabad fromGuwahati by an air ambulance. Throughout the journeyhe was on oxygen support and had to be put on theventilator twice.

In the last few months I have realised that for astroke patient, rehabilitation constitutes the mostimportant phase in the recovery process and that thiscan be provided only in a neuro rehabilitation centre.

But what exactly is neuro rehabilitation ? It is adoctor-supervised programme designed for people suf-fering from trauma or disorders of the nervous sys-tem. Rehab helps survivors to relearn skills that arelost when part of the brain is damaged. For example,these skills can include coordinating leg movements inorder to walk. Rehab also teaches patients new waysof performing tasks to circumvent or compensate forany residual disability, for instance to dress or eat withone hand, or how to communicate when the ability touse language has been compromised.

Research has shown that the human brain has anamazing capacity to change and adapt. This is knownas neuroplasticity and is the basis for much of ourcognitive and physical rehabilitation practices. This"rewiring" of the brain can make it possible for a func-tion previously managed by a damaged area to be

taken over by an undamaged part. The brain and thespinal cord can actually form new connections onceexisting connections have been damaged. But for thisto happen, experts say that the most important ele-ment in any rehab programme is carefully directed,well -focused repetitive practice. Repetitive Exercisestherefore play an important role in neuro recovery.Individualised programmes based on the patient'sneeds are set in place which can often improve func-tions, reduce symptoms and improve the general well -being of the patient. The goal of neuro rehab is to helpthe patient to return to the highest level of function andindependence possible while improving the overall qual-ity of life-- physically, emotionally and socially.

It is thus a holistic programme and all the thera-pists work in coordination and under the direct super-vision of a physiatrist. APOKOS Rehabilitation Hospitalhas all these facilities and probably some other hospi-tals across the country have them too. What is dis-turbing, however, is that no hospital in the NorthEastern region offers any form of rehabilitation pro-gramme at all though statistics show that 1 in 7adults in India suffers from some form of neurologicaldisorder. Where are patients supposed to go for treat-ment? How many have the resources to travel to dis-tant places? Are patients expected to resign to theirfate? It is even more disturbing that awarenessamong the general people about neuro rehab is practi-cally non existent. In fact, before I was personallyaffected, I too had no idea about it at all. Had I knownthen what I know now, it would have helped metremendously in taking timely decisions.

Globally, 13 August is recognised as NeuroRehab Awareness Day. "Do we really need anotherawareness day" ? someone asked. Yes, I think we do.It is very important to raise awareness about the factthat neuroscience discoveries are not being translatedinto accessible therapy support.

I believe that as concerned citizens we can playan important role here. While we may not be able tobuild therapy centres or hospitals, we can surelyhelp by engaging in public awareness and advocacyinitiatives. In partnership with neurologists, neurosur-geons, therapists and other professionals related tothe field, we can help create public awarenessabout nuero rehabilitation systems and accessibilityto them. Would this not be a socially responsible ini-tiative for the community?

Physiotherapy to strengthen the body andhelp regain mobility

Occupational therapy to assist with activi-ties of daily living

Speech therapy to help with speaking, read-ing and swallowing.

Exercises to improve gait and balanceElectrical stimulation to relieve painRobotic exercise therapyRespiratory therapyPsychological evaluation and support;

counselling to relieve the patient of stress,anxiety and depression

Counselling for caregivers.

In order to achieve these goals,a rehabilitation programme

usually includes the following

Dr Priyam Goswami is an academic gold medalistof Gauhati University, she obtained her M Philand Ph.D degrees from the North Eastern HillUniversity, Shillong. She retired as the Head of theDepartment. In 1999, she was selected by theIndian Council for Cultural Relations as Professorof Modern Indian History at the University ofTrinidad, West Indies. She has a large number ofresearch articles and several books to her creditincluding her latest book on 'KAMAKHYA TheMother Goddess' with beautiful photographs byBiju Boro and Bhaskar Gogoi. Priyam Goswami is an active member of RotaryClub, Gauhati South, and is also closely associat-ed with the Indian Council for Child Welfare,Guwahati branch.

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Prashanti Rajkhowa writes a eulogy on Pranjal Bora, asignificant Assamese of Western Australia

Iwas standing there transfixed by thesheer number in the crowd. Never had Iever sung in front of such a large audi-ence, I was nervous, wobbly even. I toldPranjal Da how I felt, he looked at me andsaid, "let's go and rock the show", and

boy rock the show we did. That was last yearin Perth and if I had known that that was thelast time I was seeing him, I would have heldon to the moment more dearly than I alreadyhave. A man of character and a delightful com-pany, that was Pranjal Da.

I met him five years ago, during his visit toMelbourne. It's hard to remember him as astranger ever, because the first time I met himit never felt like it. He was friendly and amica-ble, we were Assamese and we spoke thesame language passionately- the language ofmusic. Our jam sessions were memorable andsomething I remember most fondly. Technicallyhe was a tabla player, step into his music roomin Perth and you won't think the same any-more. He was magical with all the musicalinstruments, he would spend immeasurablehours in his room mixing tracks and planninggigs there. Music to him was what breathing isto life.

He was the first person in Western Australiato start the Assamese Radio Live. He was aproud Assamese whose love for people didn'tjust confine to his people alone, he was as pop-ular and loved by fellow Indians living in Perthas did the local Australians. I remember visitingPapori ba, his wife and him in Perth one time,we were at Fremantle market and as one of thestore owners realised I was their guest, shewas not only warm toward me but she present-ed me with a gift as a gesture of love. Thatwas how people around him showed their fond-ness for him. He was a true friend, he wouldgo far and beyond to help out those who need-ed him. After his death, there was an event inhis memory that was conducted, I was told thecrowd comprised of 80% local Australians,that's how far and wide he touched people'slives and hearts. He was my mentor, a manwith a heart of gold. His passing away willalways leave an irreplaceable void in our lives. Imiss him and I know heaven is a far moremelodious place now that he is part of it.

BID ADIEUPainful though parting be, I bow to you as I see you off to distant clouds -Emperor Saga

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CHEF: SAKIBAMOHAMMED |Sakiba Mohammed resideswith her family inGuwahati. Growing up inShillong and having livedin Dubai for 12 years, shewas exposed to a widevariety of food and richcuisines. Over the yearsshe developed her love forfood and the joys of cook-ing. Today, a self taughtbaker and a delightfulcook, she ocassionallytakes orders for cakes andhas won many a local cookery compe-titions.

NOROHINGO PAATOR CHICKENCURRYIngredients : 1) 1 medium chicken 2) 1 bunch curry leaves 3) 6-7pods garlic 4) 1 1/2 tsp black pepper freshlycrushed or powder 5) 1/2 tsp haldi 6) 2 tsp mustard oil 7) 1 medium size onion sliced 8) Salt to taste

METHOD1) Cut the chicken into medium sizeand wash it. Drain the excess waterand keep aside 2) Grind the curry leaves and garlictogether 3) Heat oil in a wok or kadhai 4) Fry the onion till light brown, add thecurry leave paste and let it cook on lowflame for sometime then add the turmer-ic powder, black pepper and salt. 5) Cook for sometime then add thechicken. Let it cook in low flame tillthe chicken is done, stirring occasion-ally throught out the cooking, add lit-tle water if required. Serve it withsteam rice.

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CHEF:SYEDANISHATSIREENZINAIDA |Syeda Nishat SireenZinaida is a home-maker and a selftaught cook. She lovesbaking and lovesAssamese cuisinebecause it is not onlyhealthy but so simpleto cook. When she isnot cooking, she loves to read.

POKA TETELI BURABORALIR RON-GALAU DIA ANJAIngredients : 1) Borali maas (catfish ) 500gram(whole fish should be about 4 to 5kg) 2) Pumpkin 1 cup diced. 3) Tamarind pulp 1/2 cup 4) Green chillies 3nos. 5) Garlic paste 2 teaspoon 6) Turmeric powder 2 teaspoon 7) Salt to taste 8) Mustard oil 1/2 cup 9) Coriander leaves

METHOD 1) Mix salt and turmeric with fish andfry.2) Heat 2tbl spoon oil, add garlicpaste and green chillies and fry lightly.3) Add salt and turmeric and 3cups ofwater. 4) Bring it to boil and add fish afterabout 8 minutes add pumpkin andtamarind paste.5) Cook for another10 mins.6) Add coriander leaves.7) Serve with rice and assamesemashed potato (aloo pitika).

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CHEF: TAANISHIINAM |With a formal Masters degreein Business Administration,Taanishi Inam is a director inNestor Nutritions Pvt.Ltd andhas been awarded the title of“Jackfruit queen” by “theThumb Print magazine forinnovating an ice cream usingjackfruit. She is also a wellknown chef in the cooking fra-ternity known to experimentwith Assamese recipes andcuisines.

ASSAMESE STYLETIL DIA CHICKENIngredients : 1) Chicken cut into big pieces- 1kg 2) Sesame seeds 1/2 cup 3) Mustard Oil 3 tbspn 4) Coriander powder 2 tbspn 5) Ginger and garlic paste 2 tbspn 6) Onion finely chopped 1 cup7) Green chillies 2 numbers 8) Lemon juice 2 tbspn 9) Turmeric powder 2 tspn 10) Salt to taste

PROCEDURE1) Marinate chicken pieces with lemon juice ,salt and 1 tspn turmeric powder and keep asidefor 1 hours 2) Roast the sesame seeds and blend it into afine paste 3) Heat oil in a pan or karahi , add finelychopped onions and fry for some time. 4) Add ginger garlic paste and keep stirring for3 minutes. 5) Add turmeric powder and coriander powder. 6) Add the green chillies and keep stirring 7) Add the marinated chicken pieces and cookover low flame till chicken pieces are half done. 8) Add hot water if required. 9) Now add the sesame seeds paste and cookuntill the chicken pieces are fully done and thegravy reaches the desired consistency. Chicken with sesame seed is ready to be served. Serve with rice.

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HIMANGSHU LAHKAR , GRAPHICS AND LAYOUT DESIGNER, GUWAHATI, ASSAM (FOR THE ASSAMESE SECTION)

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Sometimesyou don't need to be

home to celebrate the warmth ofhome, sometimes you just need to be withloved ones and that's what we did in Victoriawhen every one came together and rustledup the most delicious spread of Axomiyapithas and snacks followed by a scrumptiouslunch for Magh Bihu. A creative display ofour little ones’ artworks, some fun playactivities for both adults and kids and ashowcase of our young ones' talent onstage were the highlights of this day. Our

sine qua non for Magh Bihu-a harvest festivalof bonfires, deli-cious food andmerriment werewell met.

PHOTO CREDIT: TAWHID RAHMAN

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34

Someone very wise once said,"A good marriage is one where each

partner secretly suspects they got thebetter deal." When we asked VicAssam cou-

ples what makes their partner better than them,they hesitated, they flinched, they even tried to evade

but we caught them by the noose and made them walkthrough the aisle of lost memories, hidden emotions

and unexpressed love because after all mar-riage is like a walk in the park… Jurassic

Park. They let the cat out of the bag andsaid something… something nice

about their better halves…

ANTARA ANDSIDDHARTHA

The wife says: Siddharthabrings maturity to our relation-

ship. He has an extraordinary abil-ity to work out the numbers to run

the family which I think is a uniquequality. He always gives us that extra

bit of reassurance with love towardus. He is not perfect but he will do

anything in his power to makesure we are happy. That's

Siddhartha for me.

The man says: Antara is abetter partner because

she takes good care of thefamily, she values time

which makes her a punctualperson and keeps her on top of

her game. She is responsible andjuggles her work and family tasks

effortlessly. I am proud of her.

NITISHIKHA AND RITUPARNAThe wife says: My husband Rituparna, hasbeen my rock solid support system eversince we got married. He's an amazingbrother to my only brother, a son to myparents, and now a father. He is ahardworking man and brilliant at hiswork. He wants the best for our

kid, for us. He is a very plannedperson unlike me. They saymatches are made in heaven. I did-n't believe it until I experienced it.

The man says: Its’ such a wonderfulfeeling when your better half makes youcomplete. It has been wonderful a 7 yearsof marriage. Niti has so many amazing quali-ties. It's a pretty difficult task to describe itin a few words. She is down to earth, shebelieves in helping others, and one of thebest qualities about Niti is her honesty andcommitment towards the family. She doesevery bit possible to bind the familytogether. Last but not the least I can'tfinish off by not mentioning hercooking skills. Always a fan of hertasty food, specially momos.

35

LOCHANA ANDMRINMOY

The wife says: I always wished to dateand marry someone who felt like home, a

best friend and an adventure all at ONCE. 10years of knowing each other and 2years of being

married maybe it's just the 'something's are bestunsaid' kind of relationship we behold. Like any other

relationships, there is love, compassion, adventure, laughsand lots and lots of fights. Not to brag, but it is a cute

friendship we share. He and I are two difficult andimperfect people who chose to travel this journey

of life together. Like he has accepted me withall my flaws I too have accepted the fact of

how big a 'BHAAT (rice)' lover he is andI can expect myself carrying a pres-

sure cooker in any barbeque or

camping possible. Our journeyisn't perfect but it is ours and I

will stick with him till the end. The man says: My life is like a real-wheel

drive car. My wife acts like the rear wheelof the car in my life. She pushes me and gets

me to my destinations in life. She is literally mylifeline. I always wanted to look for a friend in my

wife and I did. Our journey has been a rollercoasterride with many experiences since we met each other 10

years ago during our college days. We have just one mottoin life-Live as if you were to die tomorrow.

BHARGAVIAND SHEKHAR

The wife says: My reason to believemy partner is more important than I

am is an absolute no-brainer. It's becauseonly I know what it would take for someone to

take care of someone like me!!! I am moody, Ithrow tantrums (such a girly cliché I know), but it'strue! Hand over my heart and I know that this guy

has been and will be there by my side holding myhand, no matter what I do or become. If this is

not reason enough to believe Shekhar'smore important than I am in this rela-

tionship, I really don't know what is..

The man says: My reasons tobelieve my partner is more

important than I am in thisrelationship are beyond what

this short paragraph would everbe able to encapsulate. Being the

person who I get up next to every morn-ing, to being my confidante and financial

mentor, she is there for me…always. Life hasn'tbeen this beautiful until we met. My gorgeous wife

Bhargavi has taught me the little nuances of rela-tionship with her pragmatic approach to anything

and everything. With all honesty, I can't eventhink of day without her being around, which

makes me realise what I would otherwisehave missed out on. No wonder why

she's more important. Told youthese 5 lines won't be

enough!

SURAVIAND GAURIThe wife says: I couldgive a myriad reasonswhy my husband is signifi-cant to me. I am thankful tohim for showing me the sim-plicity of everyday life. Myspendthrift nature knew nobounds before I met him.But him coming into mylife has played a hugerole in changing how Iperceive my life andfind happiness in

the simple things oflife! I would gladly saythat he is my "Happy"emoji *:)

The man says: Food hasalways been my weak point.And I am actually very luckythat my wife dishes out someamazing food which keeps myappetite happy and satis-fied. I truly believe that ifmy tummy is happy theneverything is sunny inmy life.

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KASTURI AND UDIPTAThe wife says: We have knowneach other for 18 years and nowmarried for 5 . He is my bestfriend and has been a doting hus-band, partner in all aspects and now adoting father to our 1.5 year old sonVivaan."Important" wouldn't be an aptword for him, as he is the sole reasonbehind our happy existence. Our lifegoes upside down when he is notaround (even if he goes out for a15 mins grocery shopping).

The man says: My Kasturi hasalways been more importantto me than anything else

since the beginning(wemet in 2001). Now that I amthinking why she is better, itseems so obvious. She fills upall the gaps in my life both social-ly and personally. She has so manyattributes that I do not or can neverpossess. She is a kind hearted, lovingand caring human being. She values rela-tionships, is very sensitive (I can be theexact opposite for most/all people) andthinks about everyone. I can go on somany more things like this but Ibelieve the most important pointfor me as to why Kasturi ismore important than me isbecause she loves me morethan I do.

cult times and has given me thestrength to continue and achieve

my highest standards. She encouragedme to reach out and be a part of the

Assamese community to keep my culture alivewhile I am outside Assam.

ATREYEE AND ANKURThe wife says: I met Ankur while

studying in Canberra and ever since thenhe has been an inspiration. He is supportive

and has helped me achieve highest standards ineverything I do. Ankur has also taught me about

the Assamese culture and has made me feel welcomein the society which has given me the opportunity to

meet some amazing people and make new friends. This hashelped me to grow, learn and experience new things. I feel

Ankur has made me a better person with his constant supportand encouragement in everything I do.

The man says: Ever since I have known Atreyee she hasbeen my pillar of strength. Moving to Australia was

my first move overseas and a completely newexperience for me, which at first was a little

scary. However, after meeting my wife mylife changed for the better. She has

helped me through the most diffi-

BARNALI ANDSANJAY

The wife says: I am proud ofmy love because he is always

encouraging and open to the ideaof adapting to new changes. He is a

great father. We are fortunate tohave each other and be parents to

three lovely children. We have no com-plaints in life. We have each other's back,

we complete each other. If I can't dosomething, I have faith in my darling to

fill in for me. We are made for eachother and I know that he is better

than me. The man says: My wife is defi-

nitely better than mebecause she is a smart

decision-maker, marrying

me was the smartestdecision in life because

today we are blessed witha beautiful family. She is a

go-getter, I am not sure howshe does it, but she gets her

way with what goals she sets forherself, I am yet to understand the

mystery and the technique. She is agreat mother, she bonds with her chil-

dren as though she is one of them, happyand living every moment. She takes

care of all of us and her culinary skillsare excellent and makes us finger-

licking food everyday. Surely, sheis the best I can ever have.

37

earth when he seesthat I am soaring too high.

But what sets him apart fromme is his ability to see the funny

side of things. When things are notmoving so swimmingly he could perk it

up with his wicked sense of humour. As aresult, even when the ride is a bit bumpy

he could make it seem enjoyable, andI am truely thankful for that!

The man says: She comple-ments me in all aspects of

PRASHANTIAND RAJ

The wife says: Raj is a people'sperson, he has many friends and

goes far and wide for the ones hecares about. He is the Rahul Dravid in

the Rajkhowa household, alwayscalm and composed no matter

how great and grave the sit-uation is. Last but not

The man says:Jonali's calmness

when things go south,her logical reasoning skills

and her ability to stand trueand tall to what is right even if

it hurts her are some of thequalities I think makes

her a better partnerthan me.

life. She manages myever fluctuating emotions

well. Besides, I think we are aperfect match. We are similar in

so many aspects- we love to dance,sing, cook, and the list is endless.

However there are certain skills in her Ienvy, she is deft at 'Whatsapping' with

one hand while parallely making rotisand bhaajis with the other hand.

And recently she has alsoacquired the skill of snor-

ing, she is not perfect

yet, but I know she willget there(I know she is

going to see red after read-ing this). But the good thing is, I

will stick with her until I masterthese unique skills of hers- which

means forever. Apart from that, she is thebest human I have ever met, a big

heart and a happy mind, she is theperfect integration of beauty,

fun, love and care and I amso lucky to have her.

MRIDUSMITA ANDACHYUT

The wife says: I am tempted to saythat my husband and I are in an equal

partnership, but I wouldn't, only because Iknow it isn't. Achyut has all the qualities

expected of a good partner, likegiving me a pat on my back when

I deserve it, egging me on whenthe need arises, or even

pulling me down gently to

the least is that henever questions my cred-

it card bills.

The man says: I think Maani isbetter than me because it doesn't

take much to be better than me.

JONALI ANDPARTHA

The wife says: Parthaseems to be a better charmerthan me. He is also more easy

going. On days when I amannoyed with him, I

feel he has a betterspouse! :P

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AarushI like to build stuff. Iwant to be an architectwhen I grow up and designreal life structures and cre-ate lots of new things thatpeople have not seen before.

TayyabaI want to becomea Doctor as I likethem. Every timeI meet them, theygive me lollipopsand i also wantto give injectionto mummy ndadda as theyhave cold andbody pain.

Aayan There are many things Iwant to be when I grow uplike chemical scientist, pilotand an automobile engineeror get into information tech-nology because I really love

maths, science,cars andplanes.

Rayaan I wish to be

anOceanographerwith a red Ferrariwhen I grow up! I

love learning about seaanimals and hope to buya red Ferrari one day.

Rayhan I want to be a palaeontolo-gist, an archaeologist and aYoutuber. Did you knowpalaeontology is not onlyabout digging dinosaur fos-sils, but all animals? I wantto be that because I love toread about animalsand Iknow allabout

them, well mostly. Ialso like to dig around,and that's why I want tobe an archaeolo-gist too. Also Iwant to be aYoutuber andshow peoplehow to use

some reallycool

toys.

SOAR HIGHWhen they are not busy mucking around or driving theirparents up the wall or even caught between very seriousconversations of superhero acts, our little entertainers aredreaming. Dreaming of being someone cool, smart and veryimportant. We asked our Australian-Assamese troop andhere is what this cute brigade had to say…

RheaI would like to be a doctorwhen I grow up. Because Ilike to give lollies and med-icine to sick kids. I can alsocheck their temperature,ears and the heartbeat ofsick people and make themhappy by giving lots of lollies :)

Aarohan I want to drive acar like Daddawhen I grow upand go forshopping withMumma.

39

PriyankaMy dream occupationis to be a veterinari-an. I love animalsand I think thatbeing able to helpand care for the help-less and needy is verynoble work and is alsosomething that I would love to do.

Eashan When I grow upI will have twojobs. I amgoing to be aYouTuber andalso aPalaeontologistbecause I knowa lot aboutdinosaurs. I want to use that knowledge in find-ing dinosaur bones. People will learn a lot aboutthem and Ubring them back to life and make aJurassic world.

Iku Kakati

Every person has as aimin life. My aim in life is tobe an architect. I wouldlike to design building. Ithink designing buildingwill be fun and exciting. Iwant to be an archtectbecuase I like drawingand designig.

Rohan Kakati

AngelaWhen I grow up I want to besomeone very important in thefield of law because I want tohelp all the unfortunate peoplewho has been denied justice"

Lisan I want tobe a policeofficerwhen Igrow up.

Idhant I want to buildrockets andgo to spacebecause I

like planets.

Rahul I want to be a nurse for thekids because I like to takecare of kids who are sick orinjured. I want to makethem feel better. I wantkids in the hospital tofeel ok and comfortable.This will make me feelproud of myself becausethat would mean I havetaken care of the sickkids well.

LisaI want tobe anadventurer when Igrow up.

Krish When I grow up,I want to be afireman becausehe puts outfires. Firemanrescues people,houses and ani-mals. I will weara red hat, a fire-man dress andwill drive firetruck too."

Sayuru I want to be a doc-tor when I grow up.

40

Nihaal When I grow up, Idesire to be aMaster Chef!Cooking food andexploring newdishes, ensuring tomake a 100%taste satisfactionto everyone usingthe freshest ingre-dients and themost innovativemethods.

Rajvir I want tobe aPoliceman

and catch allthe baddies!

Riha I want to be ashopkeeperfor a kidsscienceexperimentshopbecause youcan talk topeople and Ialso want tobe a teacherin my schoolHaileybury.I amworkingon myplans ofmy shop. Thisis really hardwork for me.

Vivaan I want to be apilot because Ilove aeroplanesas they fly veryfast when theytake off. Andalso, the pilotuses lots ofbuttons and ahandle to flythe plane.

Barsa I want to be aforensic scien-tist as well as aveterinarian.

Jai I want to bea videogameprogrammer.I lovebuildingcodebasesfor videogames as itis fun andchallengesmy brain.

NigelWhen I grow up, Iwant to be a soft-ware engineerbecause I want toinvent new thingsto help people.

Yoana

41

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42

DarknessLisa Sharma's short story fills you with imagination and mystery, unravel the truth as you read on…

You stood inthe creepingdarkness.Pitch blackloomed in

every direction youturned. Fear rippledthrough you as bands ofsweat reminded you ofbeing lost in nowhere. Nosound or voice called outto you, your breathingbecame slow. The silencealerted you. Some thingspassed you and you shud-dered in the darkness.Your footsteps were likefairies tip-toeing acrossthe floorboards withoutmaking a single squeak.Your fear controlled youas you walked but thewalking didn't feel right.You walked to nowhere,you couldn't control yourfear and you had no ideawhere you were. Therewas a faint smell of damp-ness and rain hanging inthe air. The air felt like itbecame denser as youwalked. The growing dark-ness was 'Where was Igoing?' You would ques-tion yourself for ananswer. It felt like youhave been here for years.

Suddenly, a glowinggolden streak passed

you; it was a golden blur.Light! You thought, exhila-rated. Being the growingdarkness with no soundwas unpredictable whatcould happen. You triedrunning but it felt youwere the slowest runnerever. , the golden thingwas hovering over you,urging you to follow. Youcould see its thin trans-parent wings glowing. Yetthere is still silence, butthis time it feels different.The golden thing whizzedforward. "Wait" yourvoice was thin andsoft, you could feelthe dryness of yourthroat and yourlips covered in athin layer of cold-ness.

You bolted,your legs felt thepower swirlinginside you. Yourmind had onegoal: Follow thegolden thing. Youfollowed for along timebut nothinghadchangedjust theeerie silenceand the dark-

ness. "The only exit isyou," your mind leakedout information. It waslike a voice entered yourmind or was it your ownvoice? You slowed yoursteps, thinking about thatmessage. Maybe, youthought just maybe this isa dream. So you pinchedyourself. The skin turnedred and the pain cho-rused over your arm, itwasn't a dream. So, whatwas is it? The glowingthing hovered over youexpanding as youthought. It was glowingstrongly, it was turninginto a mouth of a cave.Should I go throughthat or leave it? Youthought for a while.I'm going to do it.

You passed thegolden thing; it waslike a portal. Whenyou entered it werelike waves ripplingwhen you passed.When you reachedthe other side, sun-

light poured in alldirections.Your eyesfelt so usedto the darkthat you for-

got about

light. Light that made youdaydream or the light thatalways brought you backhome. Your coldnessmelted away , the arms ofthe sun wrapped aroundyou. Your eyes seem toadjust as your eyeswidened. Vast desertlands lay upon you likestretched seas of sand.This is an endless illusionthat never wants to stopits tricks. Never. But thisidea was uncertain. Youwish this would…

Hours pass. It wasendless. You gave up eas-ily, letting yourself col-lapse on the heatingsand. You fell and withthat you felt water rushingthrough you. The sunsparkled in the river.Nothing can stop it, when-ever you gave up, youenter another world.

"She opened her eyes"a nurse squealed andcame near you.

"You have been in acoma for 3 years and youfinally wake up".

That's all she said andI looked across the win-dow. The world hadchanged. It changed alot. You just sat there,staring.

PIC CREDIT: PEXELS

43

Yo u n g A y a a n t e l l s u s a l l a b o u t h i s t r i p t o A s s a m r e c e n t l y.

My trip toAssam was anawesome tripand I'm goingto tell you all

about it. On a Sunday afternoonwe were preparing to go to a rel-ative's place in Melbourne wherewe would keep our car and takea taxi to the airport. After a veryshort journey we arrived at theairport where we would be takingoff in an A380 to Singapore.After we checked-in we wentthrough security and waited atour gate until we started board-ing after a long wait.

We managed to board theplane and settled in on what weknew would be a very adventurefilled and fun journey! After along flight we arrived inSingapore where we went to thehotel we had booked to rest.After a relaxing stay at the hotelwe explored Singapore for a bittill we went back to the airport toboard our next flight. After wegot past security we just waitedtill they announced that our flight

was boarding so we readied upknowing we had another longflight ahead of us. But becauseof the amount of movies I'dwatch the time just flew by tillthe captain announced that we'dbe landing at Kolkata airport.

When we landed we realisedthat it was a very smoggy daythere but we knew it wasn't so ithad to be pollution. But wedecided to gloss over that andget past immigration and meetup with my grandparents whocame to pick us up and takeus up back to the hotel wewere staying in for the next 2nights. It felt like time just flewby at our stay in Kolkata wewere finally ready to take ourlast flight to Assam. Wechecked-in, went past secu-

rity and waited a bittill we boardedour flight. It was avery short flight,just 40 mins. But Ireally did enjoy theviews that I got inthose 40 minutes-the farms, theriver and the littletowns that wecould see below.Soon we wereready to land at

our destination, Assam!After we landed in Assam we

went to get our luggage and weheaded straight for our housewhere we would get a goodnight's rest knowing that this wasthe start of a long journey. Forthe next couple of days weattended lots of marriages untilChristmas! That day my dad, myGrandpa and I went Christmasshopping and soon enough wegot everything we needed andheaded back home. I called mygood friend, Lucky, who happensto live upstairs and we gottogether to decorate theChristmas tree. Unfortunately, weweren't really celebratingChristmas, so the tree and thepresents were basically the onlyChristmas things we did thatday9. And then after that westarted getting ready for mycousin's wedding. On the day ofSangeet I had a little group that Idanced with on that day and Ithink we went brilliantly! Weattended every single event thatwas related to my cousin's mar-riage and it was one of the mostfun things I did in Assam. Afterall the marriages unfortunatelymy dad had to go back toAustralia. And time just flew bytill it was our turn to go back toAustralia. We repeated the samejourney we had on our way toAssam but this time backwards.And finally we arrived atMelbourne where I got to reflectat the epic journey that I had andin fact that's exactly what I'mdoing right now.

44

SpaceXSpaceXThe Future of

The recentlaunch of theFalcon HeavySpaceX'slatest rocketcaughtMRIGANKBORA'Sinterest. Heshares hisknowledge…

I am going to talk about themost recent launch of theFalcon Heavy, SpaceX's lat-est rocket. This specificlaunch was one that I found

particularly interesting, having aprofound liking for space travel.After watching the livestream of thelaunch on YouTube I decided tolook deeper into what the futureholds for Elon Musk and his compa-ny. Here is what I found out.

On the sixth of February 2018the world's most powerful rocketlaunched in to outer space carryinga brand-new Tesla Roadstertowards Mars. It is called theFalcon Heavy and currently, it is themost advanced and the biggestrocket in the world standing at 23stories tall. SpaceX's latest rocketto date. Powered by three mainboosters, all firing simultaneouslyto release five million pounds ofthrust at liftoff. SpaceX is the firstprivately owned American space-craft manufacturer to make itsrocket reusable. Hoping all threeboosters would come back to landon Earth, one of the boostersmissed its position. A minor hiccupin an otherwise successful launch,the CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk said.

The rocket will be able to carry

cargo of up to 64,000 kilogramsinto orbit in the near future. Muskhas also said that they will beready to put satellites into orbit onthe following mission which willoccur in the next three to sixmonths.

The launch of SpaceX's FalconHeavy was debatably one of themost hyped rocket launches in

years. About one hundred thousandspectators went to witness thelaunch at Florida's Space Coast.Among those seeing the launchwas Apollo 11 astronaut BuzzAldrin, who in 1969 launched fromthe same pad as the Falcon Heavydid to fly to the moon.So after all this, what is next installfor SpaceX?

BFR (Big Falcon Rocket)Well the company's primary goal isto send humans to colonize theplanet Mars. The Falcon Heavy isquite an enormous rocket but inorder for this SpaceX needs a rock-et "way bigger than that."

The recentlaunch of theFalcon HeavySpaceX'slatest rocketcaughtMRIGANKBORA'Sinterest. Heshares hisknowledge…

45

The company's thoughts on how itwill bring humans to Mars haschanged during the years. Muskhas discussed his most recentplan whilst at a conference inAustralia last year where herevealed plans for a truly massiverocket. It was also suggested byMusk that the rocket can be a wayhaving quick flights around theplanet within just thirty minutes.Flying from Hong Kong toSingapore in twenty two minutes,Los Angeles to Toronto in twentyfour minutes and London to Dubaior New York in twenty nine min-utes. The BRF (Big Falcon Rocket)would give off more than doublethe thrust of the Falcon Heavy,coming at eleven million pounds ofthrust.

Musk has said that it is "con-ceivable" SpaceX could be, within

three to four years, performing anorbital test flight of the BFR. Thisis near to the timetable he laid outwhen he announced the rocket lastyear but he has said some ofthese goals were "aspirational".

Falcon 9SpaceX being a business needsto earn money. The Falcon 9

does this, launching 18 complet-ed missions in 2017, which wasthe most for SpaceX to date. Thisyear the launch calendar is evenmore daring.

Most of these launches willsee satellites or ISS (InternationalSpace Station) go to space.SpaceX has been flying the Falcon9 for nearly eight years now, withthe company giving it upgrades

along the way, doubling the load itcan carry to orbit. The final ver-sion of the Falcon 9, the "Block 5",will be seen taking flight this year,having nearly triple loading capaci-ty of the original.

Other EndeavoursOver the next few years SpaceXhas a number of ambitious goals.With plans to increase the amountof launches, which is currentlystanding at more than one permonth; begin flying people to theInternational Space Station andthroughout the moon; and finishdevelopment, testing for the BFRwhich would clear the path forElon Musk's ultimate goal of inhab-iting Mars. Now that's plenty ofthing to look forward to but it's notthe full picture.

Besides showing all of us afew insights of lunar and Martianbases, there are still zero soliddetails on how he will build theseaccommodations. And most impor-tantly how will he keep humansalive while long space trips, inwhich radiation will become anissue. Also it is still not clear onhow Elon will fund the whole proj-ect.

But after all this one thing sole-ly stays positive. That all thesefuture aspirations are quite ambi-tious but possibly a few or maybethe entirety of the plans maychange - even a little.

Not only is Elon Musk guilty ofextending and missing deadlines,but he usually eliminates the planscompletely. The by-product of thatprocess however is frequentlyquite special.

The rocket will be able to carry cargo of up to64,000 kilograms into orbit in the near future.Musk has also said that they will be ready to

put satellites into orbit on the following missionwhich will occur in the next three to six months

46

ROBLOXBY LISAN In a Roblox game called ride a train through ablack hole. I was waiting for the train I saw a manhe was a scientist. I had a chat with the dude. Hesaid? Wait bye bye the train is here. Hop on saidlazer_ex. And if you don't know he is my friend.Ok stay calm let's go! WOW!! SO NI AHHHHHHH!!!!!GET OUT! Gooooooooo! No!!!! Lazer_ex you aregoing to die!! WHAT WHY!!!! YES!! YOU SURVIVEDoh it is time for my death bye… no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PIZZA MAYHEMBY NIHAL PHUKAN Have I forgotten how to

make my own favourite food,which is pizza, have I? I have.And so, I take out grandma'sspecial cookbook then flippedto the Pizza page…

"SPLAT",'EEWWWW', I havelanded on pizza. Pizza is niceto taste but not nice to landon! Then I see something Ihave never seen before…. APIZZA CITY! I open a door of asmall pizza building, I think it'sa nursery because there's allthese little pizzas runningaround. I walk to a Pizzabehind acounter smiling at me.

"Hello?" I say to the pizza,wait, what am I thinking piz-

zas can't talk!"HELLO!" says the

pizza… I amshocked!

"Where amI?" I say

after Icalm

down."YOUR AT PIZZA PLANET!"

says the pizza, Then I burstinto laughter!

The laugh was so loud thata sheriff looking pizza burst

through the Pizza door "WHAT ARE YOU? A MAN

OR A MOUSE? He shouted"I'm a kid!" I say "Oh, FALSE ALARM", then

he turned away. As soon asthe sheriff looking pizzawalked away, I started eatingeverything in sight:

Pizza cars, Pizza houses,Pizza trains and Pizza People!

Once I have finished eat-ing, I don't feel well; I think Iam going to throw up. I run tothe nearest pizza sink, butthere isn't one because I'vealready eaten it all up! But nowit's too late and I start pukingon the damp pizza floor. WhileI vomit everything suddenlychanges back to the kitchen,where I opened Grandmas spe-cial cookbook…

You know what, I think I'vegot a new favorite food, HAM-BURGERS. I turn Grandmas

special cookbook to theHamburger page.

"SPLAT"

47

Rahul Doloi reminisceshis trip with his family toDisneyland in the UnitedStates of America…

TALE OF MY CHILDHOOD

When I was sixyears old, my par-ents took mybrother (who wasnine at that time)and me to

America. We visited Washington D.C.and New York, to view the Statue ofLiberty. Thenceforth, we travelled byplane to Los Angeles, consequently, tovisit Disneyland.

After a tedious 7-hour duration onthe plane to Los Angeles, I was literallybursting to get to the theme park. Myfamily took me into a whole bunch ofMickey Mouse galleries, and a theatreroom displaying the first originalMickey Mouse film: Plane Crazy, creat-

ed in1928, so of course,

it was black-and-white.I had my picture taken

with a great quantity ofDisney characters and withother sorts. With Shrek andPrincess Fiona, aFrankenstein, and TheWiggles, just to name a few.Just as we made our way through afew of the dozens of Mickey Mouse gal-leries I had made my parents visit, mythoughtful parents wanted to see myreaction to what I'd do if my family was-n't there, surprisingly they managed topull it off.

I was too busy staring at a littleboy, my age, if not, perhaps a bityounger, having a picture taken withAladdin and Jasmine. I was staringin awe at the couple that went wayback in 1992. My parents and myolder brother snuck away, leaving

me to fig-ure that I was the onethat lost them.

At first, I thought of goingto the Los Angeles PoliceDepartment (LAPD), but at thattime I wanted to be a detec-tive, so I thought maybe, Icould perhaps conduct a littleinvestigation of my own. I was

smart that way, so instead of shouting'Mum!', I yelled 'Monjita!' (which was mymother's name). I later explained toMum (who heard the whole thing butdecided to wait and see what I didnext) that instead of confusing theother mums thinking their sons werecalling them, I only directed it at mymum. After shouting a few more

times, I was stopped as an adulthand clamped around my miniatureshoulder. I slowly looked up,expecting to see my Dad, instead,

it was a man with a warm smile

thatflooded myinsides with a fuzzy feeling. He askedme 'Are you lost?'. I nodded ever soslightly, but that was enough for thekind-hearted man to acknowledge that Iwas scared.

He took my hand gently and saidhe was going to take me to the recep-tion. Meanwhile, my parents were star-ing dumbfounded at what was unravel-ling in front of their eyes. At that exactmoment, Mum ran forward from herhiding place, along with my brother andDad behind, and laughed uncertainly.They both exchanged a few wordsthen we walked off. I didn't really makeany sense of this incident, as my 6-year-old brain couldn't interpret anyof it, not until a few years after thetrip to America.

PIC

CR

EDIT

: PEX

ELS

PHO

TO

PHOTO CREDIT: OHMY.DISNEY.COM

48

The story of a blackbird and her chicks,aspiring author Barsa Sarma tells a tale

Silvery flakes drift-ed downward, glit-tering in the brightlight of the har-vest moon. The

blackbird soared. Theblackbird screeched to thearrival of winter. A plethoraof hoots and barksannounced winter withthanks. The blackbird asswift as an arrow, noddedin approval and curtly leftthe silver gaze of themoon-lit clearing.Breathing in the scent of afresh upcoming winter, theblackbird flew eagerlyback in the direction ofhome.

Sensing another pres-ence, the blackbird cockedhis sleek black head side-ways and saw it was theswift, darting movement ofanother blackbird. "Hellothere, Moony!" cried thejet-black female. Moonyglanced at his beautiful,sleek mate.

"Hello, aren't you sup-posed to look after theeggs?" asked Moony, con-cerned.

"They're still nothatched yet. They'll be finewithout me for a littlewhile,"

Moony followed hismate, Mopsy back to theirnest. When they arrived,they found their threeglossy black eggs engulfedin metallic silver. Mopsy

tucked the three eggs toher underbelly,

"Well? Helpme; the eggs

are about tohatch, cover

them too," snappedMopsy back at her

mate. Moony snugglednext to Mopsy and the

black eggs with hisinky black wings. He

instantly fell into adeep sleep.

A soft scratchingnoise roused him, the

golden fingers of sun-light warmed him, hetook in his surroundings.The trees were drapedover with a snowy whiteveil. The pointy tips of ici-cles clung on to the trees'branches. It was like a bigwhite wing was drapedover the whole forest.

Moony could faintly hearthe deliberate scratchingnoise again. He looked atthe peaceful sleeping faceof Mopsy, her feathersshining brightly as the palegolden sunlight descendedon him. He stared at theblack dappled eggs; one ofthem barely twitched butunder the keen eyes ofMoony, he knew the eggswere going to hatch. "Wakeup Mopsy, the eggs aredue to hatch anytime now,"Moony crooned softly.

Mopsyopened her

ebony eyes and theboth of them watched

in patience. The eggs gaveway to the insistentscratching beaks of thechicks. The chicks stoodunsteadily on the floor ofthe nest. Two of the chicks

had coal-black, scruffyfeathers and the sameebony eyes as their motherwhile the third chick hadpure white feathers andtwo lovely sky blue eyes.Moony and Mopsy gaspedin affection and awe. Theycontinued to observe thechicks as they openedtheir eyes for the first timeto a world covered in mag-nificent pure whiteness.The chicks gave cries ofpleasure as their lifebegan.

BLACKBIRD

49

Disclaimer: The Editorial team has included all the submissions without any revision of the contents and is not responsible for the commentsand/or opinions expressed by the authors. Copyright: All the rights of submissions published in this magazine are reserved by the authors.No part may be reproduced without permission from the authors. For any correspondence related to Enajori 2018 submissions, please contact Sundar Sarma at sarma.sundar@gmail.com Nagma Hasan atnagma.thetwins@gmail.com For any correspondence related to VIC Assam Inc., please contact vicassam_committee@yahoo.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHER: TONY COLLINS

Vic Assam Inc appreciates the financial support receivedfrom the Victorian Multicultural Commission,Government of Victoria towards the celebration ofBohag(Rongali) Bihu 2018.