Panei - Jonki

Panei - Jonki is the story of a girl named Panei and a boy named Jonki. They hailed from Lakhimpur, Assam and belonged to the Mising tribe of Assamese community. Panei was born to Niroma (mother) and Tamod (father) who were farmers from a poor family. Jonki's parents had expured since he was kid and he grew up in the village amongst other village families. They were residents of the Subansiri Miri Gaon which was based besides the river Subansiri. 

The Mising tribe is tribe originating from the hills. However continuous warfare has bought them to the plains. They worship clouds, thunder, moon, sun, stars and land. They offer wine, pork and chicken as a offering to the nature. 

Panei, who was then about 8-9 years old was playing besides the river. Jonki, who was then 14-15 years old was also there. Suddenly a bear came out of the forest. The duo got afraid and ran away from there. Panei stumbled upon the rocks. Jonki came back and helped her get up and both of them fled together. 

After some years, when it was the seventh day of Kati Bihu and there was a feast at the village with pork and chicken. While taking the blessings from the priest, Panei-Jonki sat together. Even during the feast when the group got divided on the basis of gender, they sat in oppositie to each other. After the feast, the Priest was asked about the well being of the village and then there he gave an indication that something untoward might turn up for one of the village couple. The village youth danced Bihu till late evening, when Jonki called Panei near him and asked her to meet him as he had something to discuss with her. Panei agreed to  meet him besides the river Subansiri. Accordingly, they met by the banks of river Subansiri. 

Jonki was eager to know if Panei has any likeness for him. He was also confused whether she had anything for Komud (the village Headman's son). Panei confessed that she like Jonki and denied of any likeness towards Komud. Jonki wanted to know if Panei's parents would allow them to get married. Panei asked him to work hard and earn and some money and only then she would be able to convince her parents for Jonki. 

Panei's parents were also worried for her wedding as she was growing old. Niroma wanted her to get married to Jonki but Tomud didn't. Tomud wanted her to get married to Komud as her future would be secured and he would get handsome money as offering. Niroma insisted Tomud to take Panei's consent to which he disagreed. Instead he asked Niroma to speak about Komud to Panei as she would probably grow some affection towards him. Panei, who had gone to fetch water from the river heard her parents discussing about Komud as she returned.

Panei met Jonki and asked how much had he earned by then. Jonki could earn only twenty bucks and said it would take him another six months to earn twenty bucks more and only then he would be able to talk to her parents about their marriage. 

Niroma discussed with Panei regarding Komud. Panei disagreed to the marriage offer and insisted on remaining unmarried. 

Six-seven days later, Komud reached to ask for Panei's hand and offered some monetary offering and seeked blessing. 

Jonki had left the village and was staying at Ghunaxuti, at his maternal aunt's place. His proficiency with Bihu and musical instruments made him famous amoung the young folks of Ghunaxuti. Dalimi, was one of the best Bihu dancers of Ghunaxuti. They started dancing Bihu together. Whenever Jonki would go to the banks of Subansiri to know about the how-abouts of Panei, Dalimi would be sad. Although she knew nothing about Panei, yet Jonki's absence left her sad. Gradually Jonki said Dalimi about his stay at Subansiri Miri Gaon and Panei. Dalimi was heart broken as she had started developing liking towards Jonki. 

Niroma and Tomud often insisted Panei to get married to Komud. However, she always denied. They even left the young couple alone at times so that they could start a conversation but seeing Panei's anger Komud never dared to speak a word. On several attempts, finally Panei said about Jonki. Tomud got furious and he went to the extent of saying that he would disown her as his child if she ever spoke of getting married to Jonki. 

Dalimi's father had few boats. Jonki asked Dalimi to lend him a boat as he intended to elope with Panei. Jonki said about Panei's sufferings and that left Dalimi in tears. She arranged for the boat.

Panei-Jonki eloped. They stopped near a dense forest. They parked the boat by the bank and stayed in the forest for the night. The let the boat go and wandered by the forest. At evenings, they would take shelter in a forest near Ghunaxuti. The villagemen who were in search of Panei went to Ghunaxuti and found Jonki missing. They were sure that the duo had eloped together. Jonki would gather vegetables and eatables with the money that he saved from Ghunaxuti and they managed to stay in that manner for a month. 

One evening while they were sitting beside the bonfire, Komud along with fifteen other villagemen appeared and they caught the duo. Jonki was taken in to custody by Tomud. There was a tremendous fight between Jonki and Komud. However the tribesmen attacked Jonki and only then Jonki settled. Dalimi's father arrived there with other viillagemen and stopped the fight. Even after being surrounded by such a huge mob, Jonki warned Komud to stay away from Panei or else he would have to face dire consequences.

The matter reached  the court of Lakhimpur. Numerous charges of theft, robbery and kidnapping were levied upon Jonki by Komud, Tomud and other villagemen. The court took Panei's statement and could find out that all the charges were false. The court however asked Panei's parents to take her and added that during her stay with her parents, neither Komud nor Jonki could disturb her. Panei's parents assured that they would settle the matter amongst themselves.

Panei was taken by her parents. Jonki returned to Ghunaxuti. Panei was greeted by her friends on her return. Some villagemen also insulted her. Panei's parents again insisted her to get married to Komud. She said that either she would stay unmarried or would marry Jonki. If forced, she would die willingly.

Komud's father also decided that either he would take the offered money back or would get Komud married to Panei.

Dalimi said Jonki that she has seen his villagemmen go towards the jungle and then she sent her father with a few villagers of Ghunaxuti to save them. She did the best to save the couple. 

Panei eloped again. She learnt that her parents were planning to forcefully get her married to Komud.

The viillagemen again came to Ghunaxuti in search of Jonki at his maternal aunt's home. Jonki got angry and said that Panei had eloped only because of the forceful attempts made by her parents to get married. The villagemen left. Dalimi heard the news and bought whatever money she had saved to Jonki. Jonki also said that he would go in search of Panei. 

Panei's parents realised their mistake. Niroma would often blame Tomud. Tomud, who has hard-hearted all the while was now feeling sad for his daughter. Jonki reached their place asked for their blessings. Panei's parents requested him to bring her out if he had hid her anywhere. Jonki denied, took their blessings and left in search of Panei.

After two days of wandering Panei, reached a Hindu village nearby. They lived a young gentleman whom Panei approached for water. By evening he insisted her for some wine and taking advantage of her intoxication he tried to molest her. Panei was a strong Mising girl and she successfully resisted his attempt. She was about to leave when he got back to his senses. He apologised and asked her to stay overnight. She forgave him and stayed there. 

Jonki was was also searching Panei reached the same place two days later. By the time he reached there, Panei had already left. He again left in search of her. On the way, he was kidnapped and they took his money. After three days and three nights of walking they reached a village above a hill. They gave him dry meat to eat. He could understand that he was taken as a captive and that  he had to stay there as a servant. He stayed there for four months.

One day, while he was working he saw some men bring few women as captives. He could see Jonki in them. They met and decided to elope. They were caught by the villagemen. They were decorated to be thieves. A village court comprising of the village elderly prove them to be thieves. They were tied with a single rope. Jonki prayed that Panei should be spared as she was pregnant. The villagemen gave no ear. They were pulled to the river banks.

It was already six months since Panei had left. Niroma would often blame Tomud. One day, she saw Panei-Jonki in her dream who were in a mountain. They refused to come down. They said it was impossible. They were happy. After Niroma woke up she went to the bank to fetch water. She spotted two bodies grabbed in each other arms flowing with the river. As the villagemen pulled the bodies they could make out it was Panei-Jonki. They were stabbed by sharp bamboos. They left the world in each other's arms.

The eternal love  story of Panei-Jonki shall be forever remembered by the people of this part of the country.

Joymoti Konwori - The Unsung Lady

Between the years of 1671 to 1681, the state of Assam, then under the Ahom rulers was under the rule of many incompetent kings who were puppets at the hands of their Nobles and Prime Ministers. The Prime Minister to the Lora Raja or boy king Sulikhpaa, Laluksala Borpukan had ordered for all the princes of the Ahom dynasty to be mutilated, a period known as the Purge of the Princes of 1679 to 1681. The aim was to keep his puppet king on the throne, and so would his power over the ruling of the state. The soldiers were unable to find Prince Gadapani who had fled to the Naga hills. To find Gadapani’s whereabouts, his wife, Joymoti was arrested and brutally tortured. She was tortured for a period of fourteen days, in ‘Jerenga pathar’ in Sivasagar. She was tied to a thorny plant and inhuman physical afflictions were inflicted on her body. She never got weak and instead faced all tortures although she was pregnant then. Gadapani, on learning about the tortures about his wife, reached Jerenga Pathar incognito. He signalled her to speak out the truth. She didn’t and instead signalled back at him to escape. She wanted her husband to be the king and build an empire which would be free of all socio-economic problems. A mother of two, Lai and Lechai, aged 14 and 12. Later after 14 days of inhuman torture she died.  The tremendous sacrifice of Joymoti for her state brought about a ‘renaissance’ in the history of Assam. Given the title of “Sati” because of her valiant fight, Joymoti remains immortal. The first Assamese film, directed by Jyoti Prasad Agarwal, Joymoti, was a biopic of Joymoti Konwari released in March 1935. Her elder son, Sukhrungphaa, or Lai built the Joysagar tank, the largest of all tanks built by the Ahom Kings and also the largest man-made lake of India, stands on the very place in Sivsagar, where Joymoti was tortured three centuries ago. 

Joymoti died on the 13^th day of the Hindu month of Chaitra. 27^th March 2019 is celebrated  as Sati Joymoti Divas.

Joymoti is a perfect exemplar of feminism where she devoted her entire life for her dream of an empire which would be free from socio-economic problems. The kind of persecution she faced has no other parallel in the history ever.  

Few Traditions of Northeastern India

We have several traditions which we have been following since ages. However, traditions must be kept apart from superstitions. Superstitions are those activities which are related to happenings of unnatural or supernatural reactions after certain set of actions. Traditions are age old rituals that we have been following without any belief of action-reaction.

Pork with Mustard Greens

Most of our Northeastern India cuisines are coooked with herbs than spices. Most of our foods are boiled with herbs and thus giving our food disparate taste than spicy dishes. We even have our meat with herbs or even with sesame seeds. This keeps us safe from bowel disorders and also giving us the necessary food nutrients along with taste of meat. 

Betel Leaves and Areca Nut

Betel leaves and areca nut has always been our mouth refreshner. We have it after meals and it is also offered to guests as a token of respect. While it might seem strange to some people there is basic science hidden in there.  Betel leaves and areca nut are basic whereas most of our meals contains food that are acidic. If you remember the simple science equation -

Acid + Base = Salt + Water

We Northeasterns are always on the frontfoot while welcoming guests to look in to our culture and food habits. We strongly believe and propagate the tradiiton of 'Athithi Devo Bhava'. We also feel good if our guests share a bit of their traditions with us. This gives us a chance to experience the goodness of different cultures and communities. Our tradition of 'Athithi Devo Bhava' is well evident from the foreign tourists and delegates who visit us every year. We are simple but sensitive people and we only get agitated when our simplicity is taken for granted. 

We Northeasterns can proudly claim that unlike rest of the country, gender disparity doesn't exist here. We never had any tradition of dowry in history and even today we don't expect any gifts or lump sum in marriages. We believe in a grand feast and we strong believe in 'Eat, live and party'. Even if there are reported incidents of dowry ever because of influence from other communities we strongly discourage it. We believing in celebrating the union of two souls with food and wine rather than selling our daughters to a well educated employed eligible groom. In fact, in certain places you can see that men are the weaker gender and our markets and businesses are dominated by women. There are hardly any cases of female infanticide, female foeticide or post marriage women harrasments. Also, we never had any tradition to separate the women folk in to a corner of the house during menstruation. We respect our women folk. We are Northeasterns and its our tradition and we are proud of it.

We are proud of our traditional attires and which have also turned in to our fashion today. We don't hesitate to wear our tradtitional attire in any of our main events. We might attend classes wearing jeans or be present in mettings wearing formals, but when it comes to anything important we wear our taditional dress. Some of our traditional dresses are Sherdukpen shawls and Apatani jackets (Arunachal Pradesh), Mekhela and Chador (Assam), Phanek and Innaphi (Manipur), Eking and Jainkup (Meghalaya), Puan and Kawrchei (Mizoram), Ratapfe and Naga shawls (Nagaland), Thokro and Kho (Sikkim), Rignai and Rituku (Tripura). 

Submitted for Indispire

Deodhani Festival - Kamakhya Temple

Deodhani festival is a three day long festival which is celebrated at the intersection of 'Sawan' and 'Bhado' month as per the Assamese calendar. Situated atop the Nilachal Hills, the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati is dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya, a consort of Lord Shiva. The temple is considered to be the principle seat of the Hindu cult of Shakti. The temple comes alive with the celebration of the Deodhani Festival which forms the core of rituals related to worship of Ma Manasha (Serpentine Goddess). During the festival the temple is full of drum beats and priests chanting prayers.

Two Deodhas dancing at the Deodhani Festival

The Deodha of Lord Shiva

The temple dancers or 'Deodhas' get possessed by spirits of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The Deodhas dance to drum beats which are continuously played by drum groups. There is no uniform dance form, but each Deodha dances as per the dance form of the God or Goddess who has possessed him. The male temple dancers are smeared with colour and sacrificial blood. The Deodhas also carry the swords of the corresponding God and Goddess. The preparations of the festival starts a month back, when the Deodhas leave their home and start sleeping nearby the temple of the corresponding God or Goddess who is going to possess him. The Deodhas consume boiled rice and vegetables and no form of non veg is allowed. A slightest mistake in following the rituals would lead to the God or Goddess being angry on him and not getting possessed to him and which is believed to be inauspicious for the particular Deodha. One of highlighted moment of the entire festival is when the Deodhas get up on the sharp end of 'Dao' (a form of Assamese sword) and dances above it without hurting himself. Three or more Deodhas get up on the Dao and whose number and person is selected by the mutual agreement of all the Deodhas. The Deodhas defy their age and health during the course of the festival. There are several Deodhas who are senior citizens and they too get up on the Dao bearing all risks, only for the devotion to Goddess Kamakhya. Before getting up on the Dao, they take the blessings from Goddess Kamakhya and also young girls (Kumari's). They believe the Goddess Kamakhya resides in the heart of the young girls and so seeking their blessings is significant. During the course of the festival, offerings of goats and pigeons are made, which is because of the belief that they get supernatural powers from the Goddess. They also drink the blood of the offerings they make. After the death or default of any old Deodha, a new person gets possessed by the God or Goddess. While he can be recognized by the sudden movements that are caused by the possession, still he is being questioned with certain questions about the Goddess to establish his authenticity of the purpose.

Another Deodha

A Deodha dancing to the drum beats

The Deodhas roaming around the Kamakhya Temple with the Kumaris leading their way.

After the dance they take three rounds around the temple and take some rest. Visitors meet the Deodhas and seek their blessings during this time. On the last day, the festival continues till dawn. The Deodas have to get their possessed God and Goddess leave their body. It is painful to watch the session and it continues for hours. The family members of the Deodhas go in to tears seeing their near and dear one in such pain. The Deodhas leave their temple and start staying at their home after few days of the end of Deodhani festival.  

A Deodha standing on the sharp dend of Dao.

Another Deodha

It is believed that seeking blessings from the Deodhas can get your long dreamt wishes fulfilled and so visitors visit the temple and wait for the Deodhas to take rest and seek their blessings.

Two Deodhas dancing

A Deodha with his sword

My maternal Grandfathers elder brother Late Shiva Das, was the Deodha of Goddess Dakshina Kali for nearly 50 years and till his death until 2 years back, he was performing all the rituals without any dint. Just before the last Deodhani festival, he had a small accident and couldn't walk properly. On the day of Deodhani, he danced with the sword on one hand and a stick to support his broken leg on the other.

Another Deodha with his sword

My mother's Grandfather, Late Faguna Das was the Deodha of Goddess Chalanta. While he was on his early forties, on the first day of Deodhani he expired. When he was laid for his cremation the Deodhani drums started to beat. To everyone's amaze, he stood up from the pyre and ran to the temple where his sword was kept. He danced till the end. After the festival was over he returned home. My grandmother who was the youngest daughter says she was very delighted to see him back. I know most of you shall find it hard to believe, but I myself have spoken to a few of the funeral visitors and everyone has said the same story. While most of the funeral visitors are themselves dead, the ones who are alive are very old and they still get amazed when they recall the incident. He lived for near about thirty years after the incident and was the Deodha of Goddess Chalanta till his death.


Kamakhya resides in the heart of Guwahati city and it is well connected by public and as well as rented cabs. Two new hotels have also come up for accommodation. Kamakhya is well known for the homestay facility provided by the locals where they welcome every guest with their heart. The kitchens of Kamakhya are famous for the delicacies that are cooked in them.

Retro Town

Retro Town is city located restaurant which is newly opened at Sixmile, Guwahati. The restaurant is a must for food lovers in the city. It is also the right hunt for party animals.

The theme of the restaurant alluringly draws the traces of the glorious gone-by era that has been shrouded in people’s memories. The entrance itself has beautifully decorated old jeep steering wheel, a saxophone, cassette player, a typewriter and a telephone. These things which have been replaced by modern gizmos take you back to antiquity. The restaurant is a paradise for indoor game lovers featuring a pool table and a carom table. The ambience is often thrilled by live bands playing classic rock and pop. The dais of the restaurant is open for young and blooming bands of the city giving the crowd a chance to hear to the upcoming bands live. There is also a dance floor for people who love to shake themselves a bit to the live music. There are lots of places around to go for a click or a selfie.

The entrance to  the restaurant

As the door opens

As you walk ahead from the dance floor, the door opens to an open roof top restaurant and thus giving you an experience to dine in the city’s biggest roof top space restaurant. This gives you an option, or rather puts you in a dilemma whether to dine in solitude with some open air breeze or to enjoy the food with some classic rock.

The owners of this place are two young boys who firmly believe that a restaurant is not just about good food. They have designed this place keeping in mind the need for a perfect ambience and satisfying service. They have belief that food isn’t about a meal, it is rather a culture. They have designed their Carte de Jour from various kitchens across the globe. They have Indian breads and dishes, Mughlai, Chinese, Italian, American and French. The Chef also has specially designed menus for every weekday dinner. Sizzlers and Sea Food also form a part of the kitchen for the lovers of it. The helping staffs of the restaurant are well experienced to achieve customer satisfaction.

The menu

I have travelled across several cities and gobbled up at several restaurants, and I haven’t found so many which gives you such a wide space and a choice to choose upon among two contrasting ambiences. Also the wide recourse in the menu gives a chance to taste wide range of dishes. The availability of parking space is also a major reason for thumbs up to this great place.

5 places I wish to visit

I don't want to settle in any narrow corner of the world and get confined to any territory. I want to travel the entire world.

Before I step ahead and travel the entire world, I am much eager to explore the place from where I belong - North-East India.

I am born in midst of extreme natural beauty. Greenery, Wildlife, Snow and overflowing rivers are the sites that I have always wanted to dwell across ever since a child. Five places I would like to explore as an amateur traveler are -

1. Sivasagar

Sivasagar is town located in Upper Assam, 360 Kilometers from Guwahati. Sivasagar was previously the capital of Ahom Kingdom. It is the home to many ancient heritages.

Devidol is the temple of Hindu Goddess Durga that has been standing tall for three centuries. The architecture speaks all about the Golden days of Assam History.

Sivadol is one of the tallest Shiva temple of the world. It was built about three centuries back. The center of attraction there mainly is the gigantic architecture and religious values. It has three temples built on the bank of Sivasagar Tank. All the three were built by Queen Ambika, wife of King Shiva Singha.

Kareng Ghar is a four storied building and arranged in gradually receding towers of which only two can be seen.The top floor has a dome like roof with a chamber. The groud floor has three west facing halls with a front and rear chamber. The palace is well secured by digging canals around the place and then building fort like walls around it.

Ranghar is a double storied royal pavilion of Ahom Kings with unique architectural features. It ias an unique amphitheater built by the Ahom Kings, which symbolizes the pride of Ahom Kingdom. It resembles the Roman Colosseum in the fact that Ahom Kings used this as a platform of enjoying sports.  

2. Teesta & Rangit River

The nearest town to access there two rivers is Kalimpong. White Water rafting has been one of my childhood wishes. Rivers for ages have been the arteries of communication and culture, today can be explored for sports and recreation. The spells of swift, intense encounters with foaming, roaring waters are punctuated by many more longer periods of gentle floating with opportunities to observe natural wonders along continuously varying canvas of the river banks. 

3. Manas Wildlife Sanctuary

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam is one of the biodiversity hot spot. The scenic beauty includes a range of forested hills, alluvial grasslands and tropical evergreen forests. The site provides critical and viable habitat for rare and endangered species including tiger, greater one-horned rhino, swamp deer, pygmy hog, and Bengal florican. Manas has exceptional importance with the Indian sub-continents protected areas, as one of the most significant remaining natural areas in the region, where size able populations of large number of threatened species continue to survive.

4. Hornbill Festival

Hornbill festival is celebrated every year in between 1st to 10th December in Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is around 12 Kms from Kohima. The festival shows a melange of cultural display under one roof. All the tribes of Nagaland take part in this festival. The festival aims to protect the rich and varied culture of the state. The week long festival unites one and all in Nagaland and people enjoy the colorful performances, crafts, sports, food, games and ceremonies. Traditional arts include paintings, wood carvings and sculptures. Festival highlights include traditional Naga Morungs Exhibition and sale of arts and crafts, food stalls, Herbal Medicine stalls, flower shows and sales, Cultural Medley - songs and dances, fashion shows, Beauty Contest, Traditional Archery, Naga Wrestling, Indigenous games and musical concert.  

5. Mawlynnong Village

Mawlynnong Village in East Khasi Hills, also referred to as 'Gods Own Garden' , has won the acclaim of being the cleanest village in Asia in 2003. Mawlynnong is located 90 Kms from Shillong and 92 Kms from Cherapunjee. The onus to keep the village clean lies with every person residing in the village. Local cleaning the roads, picking up leaves and throwing garbage in the bin is a common sight. Bamboo garbage bins adorn every nook and corner of the village highlight the consciousness of cleanliness among the villagers. Cleanliness is an old tradition and a way of life for all villagers. The village gives an experience of walking on a live root bridge, 85 feet tall sky walk and a breath taking view of Bangladesh Border. Suprisingly the village has 100 percent literacy rate.

This is a post for Indispire Edition - 8 of Indiblogger. 

I submit this post today on the day of Assamese New Year.