January 2025 Part 2

 

January 2025 Part 2

 

We travelled from Nazira to Bamunbarrie by car with Chinmoy. When we arrived at his home we were greeted  in the Assamese way with touching feet and being presented with a gamosa. It was the first time of meeting Chinmoys’ new wife and there was no time to get to know her before she caught a bus to take her to work. All the remaining family we had met on our last visit in 2019. The evening started with a beer and gathered around an open fire and as the evening progressed more people arrived to share our company. This was how every evening during our stay panned out. There didn’t seem to be any planning but it was incredibly social. 

Like last visit I had a choice of bikes, a 250cc Suzuki trail bike that I sat on and found the seat too high then I tried the 250cc Husky, a Husqvarna Svartpilen. I think that is an unfortunate choice of name and with twists of a few syllables had me in fits of laughter for hours. Just one to give you a flavour, Svartschpatten is one of my favourites. It fit me well and felt very manageable. The treat for me was going to Arunachel on the bike. Events and beurocracy conspired against me. It was a Protected Area, Gita could go in but not me. I needed a permit and as much everyone tried online no permit was available. It was very disappointing as at the border more bikers had assembled to ride with me. They went on to ride the fabulous winding roads of rural India and I returned to Bamunbarrie with Chinmoy and Jobal who made a recording of the day. It is too long for this posting but will appear in a reel. I enjoyed the Schsplaatven when wound up it performed and handled well. I would have liked to test its potential on some hills and bends.

After biking we paid a visit to one of Chinmoys’s friends in Moranhat and enjoyed chai and some snacks in the Fast Food Cafe which was safe for me to eat at. On our return we stopped to buy fish for the evening meal then retired to the camp fire for another social evening including this time some Bihu dancing. More poor “dad” dancing from me but Gita as graceful as ever.

Another flight and back to Guwahati for a cultural event with Gita’s dance Guru’s Dipjyoti and Depankur. Gita was due to dance but her health and smog in Delhi and Guwahati prevented any practicing but we had booked a luxury hotel the Vivanta Taj close to the venue for convenience. In the evening we had a visit from Chinmoy’s sister, Lakhu and her friend and had a buffet meal.

The next day we went shopping, first to Uzan bazaar for a specific Indian shop then on to a trade faire to pick up Basa’s wife Deepa and with Majoni, Utpal’s wife to go to a book faire to find the company that published Bhonti’s first poetry book, Gita’s sister. Then back to the trade faire for Deepa to carry on selling her homemade products, pickles, preserves and parochial wines. A busy day.