2014 Rongali Bihu celebration in Washington DC

Washington D.C Assamese community of   has been proudly celebrating Rongali bihu for past several years. The community gathered in Sally Ride School Auditorium on April 12, 2014 to celebrate the Bohag Bihu events.  Weather was sunny, with an average temperature   and almost 100 people from New Jersey, Northern Virginia  and Marryland  gathered to celebrate the blissful event It was a fun filled get together of the Assamese diaspora  ,many extending their family ties to a broader and multicultural ethnicity. The day began with the traditional and some innovative snacks consisting of   Pitha, Laroo, sweets, samosa, jolpan  etc. Around 4:00 PM  a cultural program started to showcase talents of young and adults by dancing, singing  and playing musical instruments. Washington D.C Bihu committee has been releasing a Bihu Megazine ‘JAAPI’ since 2013. This was magazine was digitally printed and each copy was distributed per family. Mrs Dullali Permettuler was the Editor for the magazine. Sikha Sarmah and Anjana Bordoloi was the coordinator for Assamese translation.Minister for Community Affairs at the Embassy of India, Mr N.K Mishra was present in the Bihu and praised the community for doing such events in Washington D.C.

Cultural program then started witha Chorus Assamese song “Agni Tikhare…” (lyrics by Bhupen Hazarika). The chorus group was lead by internationally recognized Assamese singer Mr Rabain Goswami and Arundhoti Sarma. Rabin Goswami individual performance brought soul of Bhupen Hazarika in the crowd and the crowd was applauding his  voice by remembering Bhuenda. A fashion show was conducted by Fashion designer Lumbini Bora. 

A sumptuous Bihu dinner followed the cultural program. The dishes, cooked and contributed by every family, were primarily prepared to Assamese taste and included North Indian dishes that enriched the diversity of the menu and the celebration. There was a fund-raising conducted by Mr Krishna Hazarika   to support BPL students in Assam. The celebration was then culminated with Mukoli Bihu, which was a heart and soul of that evening and sparkled the atmosphere. Their energy and enthusiasm dissipated throughout the hall and the audience took part in dancing as individual, couple and in group. The cultural program was then ended with a thank you speech from Krishna Hazarika. Rongali bihu celebration was then concluded in the middle of the night with words of thanks and blessings to everyone for a successful new year.