1

Winter sunshine

There’s a sweet old song in my native Assamese that my mother likes to hum every winter and sometimes irrespective of the season and I like to hum it with her. It goes something like this:

সুমথিৰা ৰঙৰ, জাৰৰ কোমল ৰ’দ্ ~ sumthira rongor, jaror kumol rowd

(The tangerine-hued soft winter sunshine)

এবাৰ অত্, এবাৰ তত্ ~ ebar ott, ebar tott

(Here it falls, here it goes!)

পৰো-নপৰো কৈ উঠি গৈ পৰে ~ poru-noporu koi, uthi goi porey

(Hesitant, it dilly-dallies before it saunters)

জাৰণিৰ মাজত, জৰাৰ পাতত।। ~ jaronir majot, jorar patot.

(Off to the bushes; it rests upon the citron leaves)

2

Good-humoured elderly shop-owners

3

Tea

4

Old denims