FESTIVAL IS OVER

AFTER a busy festive schedule of two days, finally the BHOGALI BIHU is over. There were lots of enjoyments during these two days. I could get to meet most of my family members and close relatives. There were lots of eatings of Pithas and Laddoos and other items which are specials of Bihu.

Today I had been to a village to witness the buffallo fight. There were nearly five thousands of audiences gathering in a circle to witness the fight. More than 100 buffaloes are lined up to take up a fight. All the horns of the buffaloes are colored in red, white and red & white. Some of the buffaloes are also been colored at there back and neck. The GUWALS were dressed in the traditional short cloth exposing their dark thighs and barefooted with a PHULAM GAMUSA tied around there head in typical Assamese style. With the inaugaural speech from the SARPANCH the fight began. Few of the first buffaloes did not took the fight and leave the fighting field by licking each others skins. The first pair to fight was a young buffaloe calf and a healthy matured buffaloe. They were fighting with spirit until the young calf punched his sharp horns into the eye of the matured buffaloe. At once there were bloods jetting out of the eye socket of the injured buffalo. The buffalo started running away from the fighting field chased by the calf and then by all the guwals. Finally the young buffalo calf was caught hold of by his owner and the injured one was guided to their grazing field which was nearby to the fighting field.

I know it is a cruelty to the animals allowing them to fight each other. But still this is the tradition over here. There are some places where birds are fought for entertaining a cheering crowd. There is a prize for the winner but the amount of prize money or the value of the prize given is too small compared to the amounts they spend treating their animals.

Animal activists are taking steps to ban these exhibitions but it will take much more time to reach the village level exhibitions like one I had witnessed today.

Anyway, the festive time is over. I shall be back to start a regular busy schedule from tomorrow.