A grand bihutoli was set up with elaborate tents and stage which could accomodate 1,000 large . The feast was prepared throughout the night with cooks toiling it out to churn out the tastiest tenga masor jol, murhi ghanto, mutton curry, etc. Teel pitha, kaji nemu and tamul-paan were flown in from Jorhat by a special messenger. A \\'designer\\' meji was erected with bamboo and firewood.

Early in the morning the Association\\'s flag was unfurled by Sri B C Bora, President and the Assamese patriotic song \\"O Mor Aponar desh\\", which makes the adrenalin flow through the veins of the probaxi kharkhowas, was sung by everyone present.

At 11:30, chief guest Shri Santosh Mohan Dev, Union Minister of
State (Ind Charge), Water Resources, Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, arrived. He lit the meji amid chanting of mantras. The minister also released \\"Samayik\\", the bi-annual news bulletin of the association. Samayik is the medium of communication among the members of the association and a means of cultivating the literary traditions of the members.

The day is also celebrated as annual sports and other activities day. At 10:30, a children\\'s painting competition was held. It was followed by a quiz competition among the school children about Assam. Games and sports followed these competitions. Various races for children were held, including a tug-of-war between the President\\'s eleven and the Vice-President\\'s eleven. A football match was held between General Secretary\\'s eleven and the President\\'s eleven. The ladies\\' musical chair was very keenly fought.

By 2:30, the games and sports were over. Food was laid out and people queued up in an orderly manner for their turn.

Who\\'s is who of Assamese society in Delhi turned up for the celebrations. Mrs. Subhalakshmi Khan came with her mother and sister. Lok Sabha MP Dr. Arun Kumar Sarma, IAS officers, students, govt. officials, entrepreneurs - all were there.

After lunch, a competition of traditional Assamese marriage songs and Aii Naam was held for the first time. Antakshari of Assamese songs was also organized. Dr. Deepali Hazarika gave away the prizes.

The celebration ended with a round ot tambola after the evening tea.It was another memorable year, and Association General Secretary thanked all the sponsors who made the event possible through their generous contributions.

The participation is increasing day-by-day in this festival of harvest that declares culmination of winter. More than that for the busy bees of Delhi, it\\'s the bi-annual opportunity - along with the Rongali Bihu celebrations in mid-April - to meet and exchange notes.

Delhi has an Assamese population of about 50,000, including
floating ones. They are making their mark in all fields. Delhi is the
favourite destination of the young Assamese seeking quality education and employment. The city\\'s heterogeneous natures makes one easily adaptable here.

Manoj Kumar Das
General Secretary

Assam Association, Delhi
Srimanta Sankaradeva Bhawan,
A 14 B Satsang Vihar Marg
Qutub Institutional Area
New Delhi 110067