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Anti-CAA protests amid Magh Bihu festivities in Assam
On the morning of Magh Bihu, the temporary ‘bhela ghors’ and ‘mejis’ are set on fire with offerings of ‘laru’ and ‘pitha’ (traditional sweets), thanking the gods for a good harvest.
Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Assam will shift from the streets to homes and paddy fields on Tuesday and Wednesday as people celebrate Magh Bihu, the annual harvest festival.
Organisations spearheading the stir have appealed to people to burn copies of the act at ‘juhal’ or fireplaces inside homes and also while setting fire to ‘bhela ghor’ and ‘meji’— the temporary structures made of bamboo, hay and straw in paddy fields—to show their opposition to the legislation.
“We are urging people to burn copies of CAA on Tuesday during ‘Uruka’ (communal feast on the night prior to Magh Bihu) at bonfires, on the day of Bihu while burning ‘meji’ and also at their ‘juhal’,” said Lurinjyoti Gogoi, general secretary of All Assam Students Union (AASU).
On the morning of Magh Bihu, the temporary ‘bhela ghors’ and ‘mejis’ are set on fire with offerings of ‘laru’ and ‘pitha’ (traditional sweets), thanking the gods for a good harvest.
This time copies of CAA would also be part of the ritual.
Other organisations associated with the protests—Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and Cotton University Students Union—have also appealed to the public to burn copies of CAA as part of Magh Bihu festivities.
Held after harvesting is over and when there is an abundance of food, Magh Bihu is also called Bhogali (feasting) Bihu. But the festivities this year are low key with people deciding to follow tradition and rituals without being extravagant.
Assam has been witnessing widespread protests since early December last year opposing CAA. Baring the first days which saw arson, deaths in police firing, the imposition of curfew and a ban on the internet, the protests have been peaceful.
In keeping with the ongoing protests, banners with ‘CAA Ami Nemanu’ (We won’t accept CAA) and ‘CAA Baatil Korok’ (Repeal CAA) can be seen at markets selling ‘laru’, ‘pitha’, curd, cream and jaggery and also at ‘bhela ghors’ and ‘mejis’.
“Magh Bihu is our dear festival and hence there was no question of asking people not to celebrate. But people of Assam are aware and expressing their resentment spontaneously against CAA through banners,” said AASU’s Gogoi.
Take the case of nearly a dozen youths from Bangthai near Bebejia in Nagaon district of central Assam, who have made a ‘bhela ghor’ shaped like the map of Assam and adorned with a figure of Lachit Borphukan, the legendary Ahom general who defeated the Mughals, on top.
Three ‘gamochas’ or traditional Assamese towels and the slogans ‘CAA Ami Nemanu’ (We won’t accept CAA) and ‘Joi Aai Asom’ (Glory to Mother Assam) also adorn the structure.
“We decided to build the ‘bhela ghor’ with this theme as we wanted to express our protest against CAA. But we won’t burn this one as it is shaped like Assam’s map. A separate ‘meji’ with CAA inscribed on it will be burnt on the morning of Bihu,” said Parth Bordoloi, a science graduate and aspiring actor.
