A storehouse of wisdom, folk stories, riddles and traditional songs, my Aita Mariam Begum was the centre of attraction for over two dozen grandchildren of my generation. Every year during the summer vacation, we would go to our ancestral home in Golaghat, about 350 km east of Guwahati, and stay with her. Visiting her during Eid was even more exciting, as she would prepare varieties of sweets.

An expert weaver, Aita would spend hours on her loom, weaving new motifs for mekhela-chador-riha sets with her nimble fingers. (The mekhela-chador is the traditional two-piece Assamese dress; the riha is a long, narrow piece of cloth worn around the upper body below the chador during ceremonies and rituals.) As children, touching those exquisite paat silks were special moments and we would try wrapping her chadors and riha around us.

One Eid, when I was in Class IX, she opened one of her steel trunks and gave me a riha she had woven in 1930. “This is for you,” she said. “Wear it when you grow up.” She chose me as I was the eldest of her three granddaughters. Aita left us in 1985 at the age of 78 but her wonderful gift remains, preserved with utmost care. And when I wear it—on very special occasions—the memories come flooding back.

—Nikumoni Hussain, 48, Guwahati

Photo: Dr Tapati Baruah Kashyap
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September 2017

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