Mamoni Roisom Goswami is a celebrated name in the Assamese literary world. Goswami is known for her bold spirit. She is the second Assamese recipient of the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary award in India, in the year 2000.She has composed many short stories, novels, a biography and her works have been translated into many Indian languages as well as English. Mamoni Roisom Goswami has received many awards for her literary contributions. The setting of Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda is a satra (Vaishnavite Monastic institute of Assam)in the South Kamrup District of Assam. The plot revolves round the lives of three Brahmin windows in the family of the Satradhikar (Head of the Monastic institute). Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda vividly brings out the superstitions, the abuse of power and oppression that windows had to confront. The theme is the socio-economic decadence of the feudal institution lingering on till the modern times on the threshold of the independence of India and the repression of windows in the orthodox Brahmin society .The novel also depicts the lives of other common folk.
The locale of Chinnamastar Manuhto is Kamakhya temple; one of the famous pithasthans,situated on Nilachal Hill, at Guwahati, in Assam. The author holds up a picture of the Kamakhya temple in the novel and has depicted the beliefs, modes of worshipping, rites and rituals, fairs and festivals and the origin of Kamakhya temple.
The Assamese culture has depicted in great detail in Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda and Chinnamastar Manuhto.The author mentioned about the belief, customs and rituals of the Assamese people in these novels.
The widows, basically from the Assamese Brahmin community were regarded as inauspicious and had to suffer great disadvantages. They had to lead a hopeless and frustrated life. They had to observe many restrictions all through the rest of their lonely lives. A widow had to partake a bland vegetarian diet. She cannot take onions, garlic, fish, meat, etc. as mentioned in Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda: “She (Durga) will not be allowed to eat cooked food. Her daily share for three days will be raw vegetables and fruits”. (page-6)
It is mentioned that Assamese Brahmin widows cannot wear ornaments or flowers, perfumed oil or soap and cannot look at herself in the mirror. She has to wear white dresses and cannot put vermilion on her forehead. In the novel, Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda, Mark says “Do you know how beautiful you (Giribala) are? Have you ever seen your face in the mirror?” (page-96).
In Assamese Brahmin society, the widows were regarded as impure. It was believed that whatever the widows touched, it would become impure and nobody would use or touch those things again, as mentioned in Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Houda.The widows were not allowed to go to the kitchen where food was prepared for the family, as mentioned in Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda: “She took a step towards the kitchen. Durga, from the middle of the assembled women, cried out, “Don’t go there! The stove for cooking fish is kept there.” (page -15) The Assamese people believed that due to the presence of evil stars, many unusual things happened in life as mentioned in the novel, Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Houda, “Her mother-in-law suspected that Durga’s real horoscope had three papagrahas (evil stars). She was considered inauspicious because of the papagrahas...” (page-6).
The Assamese women believed that their husbands were an incarnation of God. They always prayed to their husbands. Even a widow offered prayers to her dead husband: “...You must offer flowers, Tulsi, and water daily to your dead husband’s wooden sandals. You know husband is the God for a woman.” (page-99).
Assamese people believed that a married woman should not touch a widow. If a married woman did so, then she too would get widowed early, as the novel Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Houda mentions:“Don’t touch her! You women with sindoor! She is a widow now.” (page-15) An Assamese Brahmin widow should not touch the shadow of other person. If they do so, then they have to take a bath to purify themselves: “...All of a sudden, there was an abrupt cry from Durga, she had found to her horror that Mark Sahab’s shadow had fallen on her body! A foreigner’s shadow on a Goswami widow. She fled immediately to the well and prepared for the second bath.” (page-36)
In the novel Chinnamastar Manuhto, the author also has depicted about the beliefs and customs of the Assamese people. It is mentioned in the novel that Mother Goddess Kamakhya can fulfill all the desired of human beings. Certain rituals are performed to propitiate Her. Animals such as goat, buffalo, pig, bulls and birds are sacrificed to propitiate Mother Goddess Kamakhya. “The buffalo, which was taken to sacrifice, did not want to go, he tried to come down” (page-10).It is believed that human sacrifice is of more avail than anything else. Blood drawn from one’s own body may be also offered “If devotee sacrifices their own blood, even if it is equal to a till then his all desires will be fulfilled within six months” (page-32).
It is believed, that if devotees enter to the Kamakhya temple through east direction, then they will gain money and through the North-South direction, they will attain salvation and Kingdom. And the path of South direction is the path of death, mentioned in Chinnamastar Manuhto: “Most of the devotees come through east door continuously... nobody comes through South direction....” (page-92).
One should not touch the residue of sacrificed animal or other things, which were offered to Mother Goddess Kamakhya, mentioned in Chinnamastar Manuhto. If anybody touches it, and then they have to undergo some rituals. “One devotee brings one bronze and one bowl which were offered to Mother Goddess Kamakhya, to me. Read the 16th chapter of Kalika Purana,then it will be pure.” (page-21)
The depiction of rituals is found in Mamoni Roisom Goswami’s fictional writings. In Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda, it is mentioned that the Assamese Brahmin widows are not allowed to take non-vegetarian food and if anybody does so, then it is regarded as a sin and they have to undergo some purification rituals, determined by the society. It is believed that if a widow or a Brahmachari partakes knowingly fish and meat, they will have to go through an eight dhanu prayaschita (purification rite for expiation in which eight quarters of a rupee and other gifts are paid to the officiating priests). If they eat masoordal, betel nut, white pumpkin, they will have to practice three dhanu prayschita (purification rite for expiation in which three quarters of a rupee and other gifts are paid to the officiating priests), as mentioned in Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda. In Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda, Giribala, who is a widow, takes non-vegetarian food at a social function and for this she undergoes some prayaschita.
“There are ways to purify her? Rituals for prayaschit!” (page-76). “She was pulled towards the well. The purohit dipped dubori grass in water and sprinkled it on Giribala at intervals, uttering a Sanskrit mantra at the same time with his peculiar faulty Sanskrit accent and full of grammatical errors”. (page-77) If an Assamese widow maintains a relation with another person, it is regarded as a sin by the society and for this they have to undergo some prayaschita, as mentioned in Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda. It is believed that a Brahmin widow has to undergo nineteen dhanu prayaschita for the sin of having sexual relationship with a low caste man. In the novel, Giribala develops a deep attachment for Mark Sahab, who is a Christian youth, and for this, she undergoes some purification ceremony. She was brought to a small hut, made of dry banana leaves and straw, which was meant for sacrificing a goat by burning it alive in a fire, according to the rituals done for Devi Basanti.
In Assamese Brahmin society, girls were regarded as pure till she attains puberty. After attaining puberty, the girls are regarded as impure by the Brahmin society. It was customary in the Brahmin society for the girls to marry before she attains puberty and also that Brahmin boys are not allowed to marry an adult girl. This is seen happening in the novel, Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda, in the case of Iliman and Indranath. After puberty, it becomes problematic for Iliman to marry Indranath. Being a Brahmin, Indranath could not marry Iliman though he is in love with her.
The Adhikar or the head of the Satra, occupies a respectable position in Assamese society. All the members of the society honour the Adhikar. It is mentioned in Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda that the Adhikar and rich merchants used to keep several elephants for their glory and pomp. These elephants did the work of timber pulling and catching other wild elephants in various mahals (depot) of South Kamrup. This was a respectable business, which the Adhikars used to run with great interest. In this process, sometimes they amassed great wealth.
The food habits of the Assamese people can be known from Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda. Rice is the staple food of the Assamese people. Milk, curd, chira (one kind of traditional Assamese dish, made of rice), mithei(one kind of ladhu), chonga pitha (a kind of cake, prepared in bamboo tubes)and various kinds of sweets are mentioned in the novel. It is also mentioned that Assamese Brahmin people take mutton, black dal, arhardal, ginger, pepper, potato, brinjal, sponge gourd, papaya, ashgourd, etc. It is mentioned in Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda that Assamese people take their food on banana leaves at social functions. The practice of having a raised bamboo structure for storing articles above the fireplace called dhowa chang has been mentioned in Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda. The dhowa chang is kept in the kitchen for keeping eatables or for drying things for future use. This is kept above the fireplace. The use of the pira (small stool, made of wood, used for sitting), dheki (one kind of instrument, made of wood, used for preparing various kind of eatable things), khundana (a wooden pestle for crushing betel nuts), sarai (traditional Assamese tray), barpira (one kind of wooden stool), by the Assamese people are also mentioned in the novel. In Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda the author also depicts about the traditional ornaments and the house pattern of the Assamese people.
Depiction of various festivals is found on Mamoni Roisom Goswami’s novels. Assamese people observe different festivals in different times for different purposes. Observing of Basanti Puja, Puhan Bia, Amati, by the Assamese people are mentioned in the novel, Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda. Ambubachi mela, Durga puja, Nawanna, Madan Chatuwali, Rajrajwari puja, Sathe brat, Devadhani, Kumari puja, Puhan Bia are observed at Kamakhya temple, mentioned in Chinnamastar Manuhto. ”Many festivals Durga puja,Nawanna,Madan Chatuwali,Rajrajwari puja,Sathe rat,Devadhani etc.had observed ,but Bidhibala did not come to attend these festival” (pages, 48-49). Depiction of Ambubachi fair is found in the novel, Chinnamastar Manuhto. The Ambubachi fair is organized every year during monsoon in the Kamakhya temple. The fair attracts thousands of devotees from all over the country and abroad .It is believed that, once in a year Mother Earth becomes “impure”, this impurity is the same as the impurity of women due to menses. It lasts as in the human world for three days, and the temple’s doors are closed from outside view during these days. ”For Ambubachi mela, the door of the temple has closed”. (page-92)
The temple doors are flung open on the fourth day, and the pilgrims, gathered for the occasion, are allowed a darshan. ”Tomorrow is the pure day, in Ambubachi lots of Sadhu, Sannyashi....” (page-91)
It is mentioned in Chinnamastar Manuhto that Devadhani festivel is observed at Kamakhya temple. In this festival, Mother Goddess Manasa is worshipped. Manasa is a Goddess of snake, depicted in Chinnamastar Manuhto.:”Two snakes are present on the shoulder of Goddress and other two are on the head of Goddress Mnasa.” (page-159.)Manasa Devi is worshipped with vermillion, turmeric, papal, bamboo, coconut etc., mentioned in the novel. Animals such as buffaloes, goats, pigs and birds are sacrificed to propitiate the goddess as mentioned in Chinnamastar Manuhto: ”The sacrified heads of goat make a hill on the feet of Goddess Manasa”(page-165).There are some special agents known as deodhas, to find out the spirit causing serious diseases and misfortunes. Every God and Goddess has his or her own deodha, as like deodha of Tara, deodha of Chinnamasta, deodha of Siva, deodha of Ganesh, deodha of Kuber etc. Accompanied by the rhythm of drum and music, each deodha performs dance with own style, as mentioned in the novel: ”Deodha of Goddess Kli start dancing by raising hand near the Ayati.” The deodha wears a garland of Tulshi and holds a sword while dancing. ”They come one by one with flower and Tushi garland in their head and neck and start dancing”(page-174).It is mentioned in Chinnamastar Manuhto, through worshipping of deodha, devotee can reach to God and Goddess and if deodha gets disturbance then the God and Goddess will be unsatisfied. Kumari puja (vergin worship) is observed at Kamakhya temple, mentioned in the novel Chinnamastar Manuhto. It is believed that at Kamakhya, the Goddess appears in the form of a virgin. So, some of the pilgrims worship the living virgins as Goddess in this temple.
A myth associated with the Kamakhya temple is depicted in Chinnamastar Manuhto, “The light comes from the east direction. The pieces of clouds gather on dhasmachal. These pieces are as if the body pieces of Sati on the shoulder of Siva, which were cut by a Bishnu Sani; yes, yes, these body pieces have fallen down in various places....” (page 147). The Kalika Purana, an ancient work in Sanskrit, describes Kamakhya as the yielder of all desires, the young bride of Shiva, and the giver of salvation. Myth has it that following the destruction of Daksha’s sacrifice and the Rudra Tandava of Shiva, parts of Sati’s body fell at several places throughout India, and these places are revered as Shakti Peethas. The reproductive organ of Sati (the yoni) is said to have fallen at Kamakhya. Myth also has it that Shakti, the Mother Goddess, challenged the supreme creative power of Brahma and that Brahma could thereafter create, only with the blessings of the yoni, as the soul creative principle. After mass penance, Brahma brought down a luminous body of light from space and placed it with in the yoni circle, which was created by the Goddess and placed at Kamarupa.
Mamoni Roisom Goswami has depicted Assamese culture in Datal Hatir Uwe Khuwa Hauda and Chinnamastar Manuhto. It is true that the soul aim of the writer is not to give a detailed description of various aspects of Assamese culture only. But it is also true that reference to the culture of a people is inevitable in narrative fictional writings like novels to bring life in to the story. Therefore, we get some informative references about the culture of a people in novels and short stories.
Ms. Dhanakshi Buragohain, M.A.(Cultural Studies, Tezpur University),NET (Folk Literature)
Indian writer Indira Goswami (1942, Guwahati, Assam) will be presented with this year’s Principal Prince Claus Award of €100,000 on Wednesday, 3 December 2008, in the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam.
