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Haate bajare is a Bengali name denoting the market place. Markets are vibrant hubs that pulsate with the energy of community life. They are landmarks and points of pride for residents, enhancing the sense of place and reinforcing community identity. They are an epitome of diverse cultures. This section will document markets around the country from the small and sprawling village markets to bigger mandis in the cities or one that is up a hill. The changes that they have undergone over time. Hear us out, as we speak to diverse people to understand what’s in season, what’s the food of festivals and traditions, the many shades of colour and scent that it exhibits.
Beltola Bazaar in Guwahati
The sprawling Beltola Bazaar nestled in the heart of the city of Guwahati that offers an abundant range of green vegetables, edible flowers like this one – a banana flower, the hottest chilli, locally known as the Bhut Jolokia, an assortment of leafy greens like this fiddlehead fern, assamese call it the dhekia xak, and this seasonal wild green that is conumsed during the spring season and their root enjoyed in the winters, the juicy assam lemons (kagzi nemu) and the elephant apple that used as a souring agent.
Not to miss the diverse range of dried fish, mollusks much relished by the Bodo tribe, the country eggs and Goi (betelnut) and patwi (leaves) that are ubiquitous to Assamese cuisine. A striking phenomena of this market is that most of the vendors are women who travel from nearby villages and as far away from the Garo and Khasi hills in Meghalaya bringing with them produce grown in their backyards or small farms. One can easily differentiate such vendors from others citing the quantity of the produce they get and their traditional attire. They bring with them the season’s abundance in the form of wild pepper, colocassia, wild brinjal enjoyed by the mishing tribe during the spring, leafy greens and a whole bunch of other indigenous produce that stands out from the other sellers. Assam is rich in sylvan resources and most of its forests are richly stocked with bamboo and canes of various species.
The people of the plains and hills districts of Assam have their own bamboo and cane products with distinctive features and typical designs. The products differ in use, shape and design. As we found this shop selling bamboo and cane baskets of various sizes and shapes, winnowing trays, sieves, japi or chatta and various types of fishing implements. As a part of bodo life Uaal is the base in which rice is pounded using the Gaihen. Songrai-sandri are the disc trays used to sieve the rice. This bazaar definitely smells of genuinity, of women’s representation and a convergence of multiple ethnic groups displaying food that represents the taste of their culture.
Bihun-we tell a food tale is committed to creating meaningful impact through food. We are on a mission to tell stories of our regional food and ecological diversity, our native wisdom and champion local produce by highlighting women and communities, their cultural practices and indigenous knowledge.