Assambirds

My Trips To Guwahati Kamakhya Temple: It is one of India's archaeological gems and Shakti Pithas, situated on Nilachal hills, Guwahati. Guwahati is a sprawling metropolis, hub of Assam's financial world and home to some of Assam's richest archaeological gems. People go to Guwahati on business trips, thinks my mother. So, last year—some day in October—when I came back home from office and told her that I was going to Guwahati the next morning, she didn't seem to be worried. Instead, she asked me: "Are you going for official work?" "Yes." I said. "With yo...

My Mother Celebrates Dhanteras Her Way Women buying metal utensils on Dhanteras ahead of Diwali festival at Boring road on November 2, 2021 in Patna, India. (Photo by Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Hindus believe that buying materialistic things at Dhanteras—the day Goddess Lakshmi arrives, just before Diwali—can bring luck and prosperity. On this day the market can be seen packed with people: moneyed people buy gold, expensive clothes, cars, etc.; the middle class buy silver, utensils, electronic goods, clothes, etc.; but both classes buy brooms—which is consider...

Bortol People lighting earthen lamps and inscense under the banyan tree at Bortol. Every year, people come in their hordes to attend the mela at Bortol. They offer ducks and ash gourds to the temple and ask god to fulfill their wishes. The unique prasad is another attraction to them. Bortol, which is a place of worship for Hindus, has been attracting me for a long time. I heard many stories about it, some of which I found to be quite interesting. Though it is not far from my hometown Golaghat, I couldn't arrange a visit to it, especially when melas were organized there. L...