Assamese Miss Home On Rongali Bihu

Hyderabad: Members of the Assamese community in Hyderabad celebrated Rongali Bihu with small gatherings and cultural events, recreating traditions of their home state Assam despite their limited numbers in the city.

“Rongali Bihu is a spring festival that marks the beginning of the agricultural season. Traditional music, Bihu dance and special foods are offered for seven days. It is a vibrant celebration of culture, fertility and community togetherness,” Bhavana Baiuh, a resident of Hyderabad, told Deccan Chronicle.

Participants said music, especially Zubeen Garg’s songs, forms an important part of the informal celebrations where friends gather to sing and dance and recreate the festive atmosphere of Assam.

Alankar Kaushik, lecturer at the University of English and Foreign Languages, said: “At the University of Hyderabad, Bihu was never marked on a calendar; it arrived silently, in our conversations, our desires and our shared longing for home. By the afternoon a few of us would gather in a hostel room or a friend’s flat, having an impromptu celebration with whatever they could, homemade pithas, simple curries and endless teas. There was no grand planning, just an unspoken understanding: tonight is ours.” belonged.”

Priyashmits Choudhury said, “Growing up in Assam, Bihu never felt like just a festival; it felt like home. The sound of the dhol in the early morning, the smell of fresh flatbreads in the kitchen and the house slowly fills with people, laughter and warmth… Bihu meant new beginnings, but more than that, it meant togetherness.”

“It’s quieter. It’s not like before. There’s no sudden crowd of relatives, there’s no loud music from nearby houses, there’s no chaos that makes it feel alive. Here, it feels like I’m following a tradition rather than living it. But I’m still trying. I’m trying to recreate a piece of home in my own little way. It does for a moment. But deep down I know it’s not the same. Because Bihu in Assam isn’t just about food or rituals, it’s about the environment, the people and the energy you grew up with.”