GUWAHATI, Jan 20 � Magh Bihu was celebrated in the industrial city of Jubail, Saudi Arabia on January 13, an e-mail received here stated. Though there are not many expatriates from Assam in Saudi Arabia, yet the Assamese people living there made themselves proud by celebrating the Magh Bihu. A total of about 70 members participated in the festivities including about 15 guests from Riyadh who travelled 500 km to join the celebrations.
Varieties of mouth-watering pithas and laroos were prepared by the women. The men took charge of cooking other food items like rice, grilled-fish, barbecue chicken, mula pitika, alu pitika, bengena pitika, mutton curry, etc.
MR Chaudhry and Anwar Hussain were applauded for their culinary skills.
On the cultural front, the main attraction was the Bihu group dance by Farah Rahman, Sunayana Hazarika, Ify Hussain, Ruby Kalita, Manashi Saikia, Rajlakshmi Chetia, Gitika Baruah and Nishi Deka.
The organisers who included S Saleem, R Hussain, MR Chaudhry and Reep Hazarika and their wives expressed their appreciation to all the members for making the festivities a success. Gifts were distributed by the organisers to all the members and children. P Goswami and his wife, who have been living in Saudi Arabia for more than 20 years, expressed their happiness for witnessing such unity among the small Assamese community. Sharif and Zubair seconded the Goswamis.
All the members prayed for a good paddy harvest back in Assam by offering food to a symbolic Meji. Like last year, the venue for the Magh Bihu this time around was a beach resort on the coast of the Persian Gulf arranged by S Saleem, the e-mail added.
