Magh Bihu - the local hindu festival today

Uruka today GUWAHATI, Jan 13 . The Bhogali Bihu, also called Magh Bihu,( the local hindu community festival ) the States hindu community has started to celebrate the occasion in a befitting manner. The festivities during Magh Bihu mainly centre around food and fun and frolic, and the vegetable and fish and meat markets in the city for the past few days are witnessing heavy rush of Bihu shoppers. With Uruka, the night of feast before the Bihu falling tomorrow, prices of fish, meat and milk products have soared, but that has done little to dent the zeal of the Bihu-revellers who are splashing out on the items of their choice in the markets. Bhogali Bihu is also the time to indulge in the traditional homemade delicacies of the State like various pithas, laroos, chira-doi, etc. Although modern city life has robbed much of the sheen off the Bihu celebrations, with the citizens having little time or inclination to prepare Bihu delicacies, commercialisation of the conventional food items has ensured that the tradition continues, albeit in a manner that may not find favour with the purists. None the less, Bihu delicacies have now emerged as big business and people are making a beeline to these shops for the past few days. The NEDFi Haat at Ambari, as in the previous years, has opened a number of stalls dealing with Bihu food items, which are doing pretty good business. People are also making elaborate arrangements for the Uruka feast tomorrow night. While the conventional practice of spending the whole night in thatched huts (bhelaghar) in open fields may not be possible in the city, people are nevertheless going for community feasts in many residential areas. People are also erecting mejis, the traditional bonfire in their campuses as also in open spaces to pay obeisance to the fire god. These would be set afire early tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Ajai Singh has wished the people of the state a very happy and prosperous Magh Bihu. In his greetings message, he expressed the hope that the warmth of the sacred flame of the meji –bhelaghar would enlighten all hearts and inspire the people to work in unison towards the progress of the state.Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, in his message on the occasion, extended his warm Bihu and Tusu Puja greetings to the people of the state and said that the occasion would usher in a new wave of bonhomie in society