A Vicarious Trip to Assam
In a small town called Barpeta in western Assam, 90km northwest of Guwahati every morning a 'Maasela' comes along on his bicycle shouting "Maas Laagbo naki SSS". He is wearing a blue and white checkered lungi around his waist. Mounted on his carrier is a metallic 'handi', a large pot, which contains freshly caught fish - alive and swimming in water. Maina's mother is waiting for the Maasela since morning and she runs out after the Maasela as soon as she hears him. She takes her pick from the fish in the pot and asks the fish seller to weigh it for her. The Maasela then picks the fish out of the water and weighs it on his weighing scale. The fish is still alive when it is weighed and sold. It is then cut alive in all Barpeta homes and cooked in various traditional recipes. Maina has also cut a live fish herself. It's a routine task for her back home! Sitting in our ornately furnished shared four bedroom apartment in Delhi, Maina recounts her normal ...