Magh Bihu celebration is one event looked forward by everyone for that much-awaited annual get together and stock taking. This is the day for playing together, feasting together. For the past many years Central Secretariat Sports Ground has become the regular venue for this event.

The festivity kicks off on the eve of the succeeding Saturday of the actual Magh Bihu day, this year on the 15th January. By 1 PM the water tanker arrives, tent house items are dropped. In charge of the kitchen for 1000 odd guests has to work passionately to shop for groceries, rohu fish, mutton and sundry other items. By 2 PM cleaners start the job and the chefs arrive and get on with their activities, which would continue overnight. One cannot take chances, for anything, if goes wrong will be quite serious.

Interesting part of the eve is the uruka, celebrated among a select group of sponsors and workers. There is the fire place, khichri, mutton curry, and etc. They plan for the next day’s schedule. There are arrangements to be made for fund collection, sports, entertainment, decoration, stalls etc. This year’s participants numbered about 100- ladies, kids and grand oldies included.

Whole night chefs and assistants prepare the food. If the weather god plays truant, turnout of people would be downsized and food would be surplus. That’s a risk organizers bear every year. It’s quite unpredictable, this year about 300 more people turned up over the estimates. However none went empty stomach.

The function began in the morning with the hoisting of the Association’s flag by the President Mr. Bikash Chandra Bora in the presence of Dr. Kamal Taori, Secretary, NEC and Mr. P P Srivastava, veteran bureaucrat and social worker. O Aponar desh was sung and members remembered the tsunami victims. The lighting of the meji, that heralds the onset of the spring in northern plains followed. Mah-Prasad and light breakfast was served concurrently. Dr Taori inaugurated the periodical bulletin of the Association “Samayik”. Association also published a fresh edition of the Directory of Members, which was inaugurated by Mr. B K Handique, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Defence.

There were programmes for all. Painting competition and races for kids. Walking competition for senior citizens, musical chair for ladies, football for young men etc. After the gourmet feast the members tried their luck in tambola. The day ended in the late evening after an eventful day.