The Warmth of Assam

The evenings are cold here – about 9 to 10 degrees (I can almost hear the Delhi junta scoff and term 10 degrees as almost warm weather!) Nevertheless, the cold evenings are a good time for… bonfires!

The family I live with has been lighting a bonfire almost every evening since I arrived. This is the time when all of them gather together and have quiet conversation. I have been invited to join them a couple of evenings, and these have been some of my most memorable times here so far.

The first evening they asked me to join them, about 3-4 days back, Uncle (that’s how I address the head of the family) narrated experiences from his youth to me. He told me about the year he spent in Madras – and we both lamented about how they speak little or no Hindi in the south! Aunty (his wife) pitched in from time to time in Assamese. The conversations between Aunty and me are absolutely hilarious. She understands Hindi, but can’t speak it. So she talks to me in Assamese and I reply back in Hindi. The children of the house (there are three – two older daughters and a son) find these exchanges absolutely delightful and usually gather around to help translate between the two of us.

Today, Aunty asked me to join them again. While warming my toes, I had two hours of lovely conversation with them. I told them about how I had shared pictures of the house with everyone back home and they gave me a lot of ideas about what else I should capture on the camera:

-Uncle suggested that Aunty drape me in her set of traditional Assamese attire (called Saader-Mekhaala)

-Unanimous suggestion of me washing clothes/utensils

-Aunty especially insisted on a picture of me using the hand-pump (she laughed and mimed my vigorous actions too, to emphasise her point!)

One common topic that often crops up is how life in Bombay is different compared to Chhaygaon. They wanted to know more about my house today and I explained how space is limited in the city so we live in apartments. Aunty was amazed that we live on the 5^th floor and the young son, Kishore, tried to estimate how high that would be by pointing to various trees around (Kishore is quite a character – he is in the 7^th standard, always finding excuses to skip homework and sings Kolaveri at least once every morning!)

Next came the highlight of the evening – Assamese lessons for me! I have been trying to pick up a few useful sentences from Raman, so today was the time to showcase what I had learnt. I recited one-by-one what I knew and we all laughed when I struggled with some pronunciations. Kishore then took up the task of becoming my tutor and taught me a lot of vocabulary until his sisters stopped him because he was teaching me incorrect words!

So, yes, the evenings are cold. But there is the bonfire to warm me. And more than that, there is the warmth of the people itself, which lingers on for a long, long time J

Zui (assamese for fire)... And that's Shivani, the younger daughter (she is in the 10th standard)

The Beginning

Let me start by saying that I am a rather urban creature. I don’t mean that in a bad way – it’s just that I am very used to the comforts of my entirely urban lifestyle. And I like it that way.

Hence, moving to Chhaygaon, although only for 6 weeks, has been a reality check of sorts.

Chhaygaon (pronounced Soy-gaao) is a place about 50 km from Guwahati in Assam. I won’t call it a village, that would give the wrong impression. Chhaygaon is situated right on NH37 and is a fairly large marketplace. Very well-connected to other nearby towns and Guwahati. I suppose one could call it a small town. Only my imagination of “small town” was a bit different (reality check again!)

I am living with a local family here. Their house reminds me a lot of the large village houses they show in Hindi movies. The makeshift gate opens into a small open courtyard. This is where the family gathers round a bonfire on the cold evenings (more on that in a later post). Then there is the main structure, which is occupied by the family. On one side, separate from the house, are a few rooms in a single row. I live in one of these rooms. The NGO I have been assigned to for this stint has hired these rooms, and the room adjoining mine is occupied by Shojolika, a very helpful lady who works at the same NGO. Behind the main house and our rooms is the washing area (bathrooms, handpump, etc.).

Electricity is intermittent in Chhaygaon. Power goes out every couple of hours at an average, but usually returns in an hour or so. There is no “running water” in my house (we do have taps in the NGO office, though) – we have to draw water from the handpump every time we need it, be it for bathing, washing clothes or sanitation. I have been provided with gas and stove, so I cook my own food.

As I write this, it has been a week for me in Assam. I am fairly settled, and have started to like the clean, green, peaceful surroundings. But the first evening here had been extremely difficult.

Couple of people from the NGO had accompanied me to show the place where I would be staying. I was aghast when I first entered my room. It was rather bare (just a bed with a very thin mattress, a table, couple of chairs and the gas/stove), very dimly lit and gloomy. As they showed me the other areas, I felt increasingly uneasy. While leaving, the girl tried to encourage me by assuring me that I would settle in over time. I was immediately ashamed that my discomfort with the surroundings was so apparent.

Alone in my room that evening, I tried to come to terms with the change and be positive. But there were just so many questions/difficulties coming up in my mind one after the other! The next couple of days were spent figuring things out, overcoming each “challenge” step-by-step. I have shared a lot of laughs with the family I live with – they are amused at my clumsiness over certain tasks, and I join in with them, acutely aware of how I have always taken my “comforts” for granted. Comforts like electricity, running water/hot water, a washing machine/laundry, someone to clean every morning, a hot meal when I wish for it, comfortable beds.

Reflecting on the past week, I realise that the most encouraging factor is the people around me. They are warm, helpful and caring in every way. It also helps that my project partner, Raman (we are sent in pairs for this stint) is Assamese. He is from Guwahati and speaks the local language, which has helped tremendously.

There are many other small incidents and innumerous thoughts with me right now – will post it all bit-by-bit! Sharing a few pictures of my house for the time-being.

The road leading upto my house

That's the gate, and you get a glimpse of the colourful house within!

The open courtyard within (you can see the signs of a bonfire on the left) and the main house

Passage which leads to my room (white door on left is mine)

The washing area