Bihu By Any Other Name

Ask an Assamese how many Bihus he celebrates. The answer would be three—spring, winter and autumn. And of course a fourth, springing from popular artistes gigging at shows held across Assam for a full month and which are coeval with the advent of 24x7 television. Rongali or Bohag Bihu, the happiest and biggest in the troika, is by tradition a week-long affair. Even that timeframe is a stretch, but the dance-and-music continues on the loop on TV and social media until it’s time for the next Bihu. That’s ‘TV Bihu’—much like Pluto the planet, debated whether it’s the real deal or a con.

The spring Bihu has always been an outdoorsy affair (And Oh, the lifelong affairs born out of the festival that brings people together, bonds them with music!). Even Assam’s cussed floods or those cholera outbreaks of yore haven’t been able to stop the spring-break ever. But then, these are unusual times—a virus threatens to infect people more than viral Bihu videos. Social distancing has taken over an event that brings people closer. Social gatherings are off limits, as are ‘Bihu functions’. Yet, the indomitable Bihu spirit continues to thrive. When lockdown restrictions were relaxed for the liquor shops to open, masked people queued up neatly keeping a safe distance for their quota. They went home with a bottle and a song. What that song would be? The current ‘chart-buster’ is from Assam Police (yes, you heard right!), an original score exhorting people to stay indoors and beat the CoronaV—unlike covers like ‘We Will Overcome’ by cops elsewhere.

Well, for all its folksy roots, Bihu songs have always held up a mirror, documenting current events. There’s a song dedicated to the advent of the first coal-powered train to Assam. This year, Bihu has mutated, taken different forms—livestream COVID Bihu, cohabiting with TikTok Balcony Bihus, YouTube Bihu, WhatsApp Bihu…

Phew! Like Pluto, hope they remain on the fringes.