The London Bihu Committee, the oldest Bihu Committee in the United Kingdom is happy to announce and to inform our relatives, friends and compatriots in Assam and elsewhere that Rongali Bihu was celebrated at St. Andrews Church Hall, Southgate, North London on 4th May, 2008. It was celebrated a couple of weeks later than the traditional date to fit into local British Calendar; in fact, 4th May is the first day of spring in the U.K. It was a beautiful, colorful and balmy spring day. The whole country was agog with the freshness of spring flowers of multicolored hue and varieties of fruit trees in full blossom. After a rather dull and wet winter, it was a great welcome.
There was new vigor, a new spirit injected into the wonderful Bihu fun and enjoyment that for the first time in the history of Rongali Bihu celebration since 1987, the British born Assamese youths have taken over from 1st generation Diaspora in organizing this event. This new trend of British Assamese youths was appreciated and welcomed by the Assamese community. The community as a whole responded by turning out in greater numbers than usual, exceeding our expectation. We cannot but applaud the young Brits’ (Assamese) understanding of their roots and their combined leadership, initiative, dedication, commitment and hard work that gave a new color and a breath of fresh air and made this occasion something different from those in the past. I hope the young generation of Assamese born in other parts of Europe, USA, Canada, Australasia and the Gulf countries will emulate from the example set by the young Assamese Brits.
All traditional Assamese snacks including tilar laru, narikolor laru, ghila pitha, chira-doi and kata-nimki were made at home and were absolutely delicious. We are so pleased that at least in Britain and some parts of America, such cooking is not a dying art. I have seen that these delicacies are now available in Assam on commercial basis. The main course had nine different items to cater to vegetarian and non-vegetarian taste. It was a culinary delight.
Unlike in the past, we did not invite any well-known celebrity for entertainment. We kept individual stage performances simple and short in format, but high in entertainment value. The audience appreciated our policy of public participation in tune with Bihu music and we received wonderful response. A panel of judges who remained completely unobtrusive chose the best male Bihu dancer and best female Bihu dancer. We also supported and encouraged the non-Assamese, non-Indian crowd who numbered quite a few to take to the floor by playing popular Indian music. We believe that other people of Indian extraction and also Europeans should and would learn about Assamese culture. An American girl astounded everybody in the crowd by her rendering of faultless Bihu geet. She also played the little tal.
That’s all for now. I look forward to next year’s with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.
Dr. Nilmoni Sikdar
For London Bihu Committee
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