On this day (15/10/77) 29 years ago, Jayanta Hazarika suddenly left us all in tears and left for the Heavenly Abode. Devastated as we were then, today we remember his scintillating personality with great fondness and a sense of loss. Time has proved over and over again that the void left by the sudden premature demise of Jayanta Hazarika (Rana) at the age of 34 on 15 October, 1977, can never be filled. The memories of his face with childlike innocence and the heart, big enough to shower love on everybody, still fill me up when I think of him.

The blue sky and the early morning breeze augured well for my journey both across time and space. The crowded bus creaked into a start on its journey to Dhing from Nagaon town. As we passed the town and the paddy fields started, my mind left the hustle and bustle of my co-passenger and I remembered how it all started. It was on my last journey to Bardowa that I met that bhakat with an altruistic spirit to serve and guide. His age was difficult to guess and his eyes told a tale of pain and hope. I spent four hours with him, enthralled by what he shared. He had a message for me.

I have lived away from India for a long time, almost eight years now. Although I am not physically there, my thoughts are always with my country and my state Assam. My attachment to my homeland constantly finds expression in an innate desire to contribute something for the people who live there. We often discuss the situation back home in Assam, through AssamNet , a mailing list of Assamese people. I am also a regular subscriber to Prantik, a well-regarded magazine founded by late Bhabendra Nath Saikia. It was through an issue of Prantik that I came to know of Prajnalaya.

The festivities called the Assamese Get-Together (AGT) 2006
were held in San Mateo, California over three days, June 30
and July 1 & 2. Here is a slightly edited version of the report
put together by the Bay Area organizers of AGT 2006. The
report is also available at the AGT Web site assamesegettogether2006.org.