লুইতত ভোটোঙাই ওলাল শিহু

After tumultuous elections, and the earthquake yesterday, along with occasional storms, the Bihu really arrives with the Bordoisila this year. Wishing you all a very happy New Year 1423. Stay safe, and please don’t kill each other. 


To go with the mood, here is a Bihu song from Bhupen Hazarika. It’s not a happy one, but a timely warning. 

For my friends who do not understand the language, following is a rather bad translation.
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Like the river seal, the Bihu arrives every year
The river seal appears in Luit again, on this day of Bihu, Rongali Bihu
Like bunches of Burmese grapes, everywhere crowds gather in a rush
Come enjoy the fun, the fun, come and see
In society’s field, which player has made whom the target
All these people from the community, everywhere crowds gather in a rush
Come enjoy the fun, the fun, come and see
On one side, they kick Rongmon-Bhadia, on the other they kick you
Najitora, they kick you; they turn the joyous Bihu joyless
Even hunger refuses to satiate, Najitora, even hunger refuses
Oh, singing Bihu for two days you cry for a year, swallowing spit of sadness
All these people from the community, everywhere crowds gather in a rush
Come enjoy the fun, the fun, come and see
…Searching for Bihu clothes I run everywhere, even the yarns are expensive
Govindai Ram…
Cleaning the courtyards of our great fathers, I broke my back
Govindai Ram…
Even I ended up pawning my pair of bulls during last Bihu
Govindai Ram…
Someone detonates some bomb in some ocean
The ashes fall elsewhere
Some warmonger will now scorch
The Earth with a dozen bombs
Don’t tell me, sister, don’t tell me about the bombs
Say, when there’s a war, what will we eat, what will we sing
Only the people will die; without peace, we are all baits in fishhooks
Even the tune of our dearest Bihu will disappear
All these people from the community, everywhere crowds gather in a rush
Come enjoy the fun, the fun, come and see
You cannot stop the ebbing tide, grandmother, the embankment breaks
Oh, grandmother, who can stop time when people take it forward..