JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 13, 2020 ‘TOLANI BIA’ IN ASSAMESE SOCIETY, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO KAMRUP DISTRICT Nabanita Dutta Research Scholar (Assamese Department),Gauhati University, Assam, India. Received: 22.04.2020 Revised: 24.05.2020 Accepted: 19.06.2020 Abstract : It is a natural fact that a girl child attains her ‘menstruation/puberty growth period’ while her childhood stage gets transformed into the storm and stress period of adolescence. During this stage, one feels the changes that take place not only in her physical structure but also with her emotions. Some people view these changes normally and explain them well to the girl at the onset of her menstruation. At the same time , a few people prefer to prepare the girl child for the upcoming stage through some rituals. Such rituals are also performed in our Assamese society, traditionally. In our discussion, the very process of getting a girl child ready for this ‘puberty period’ shall be discussed taking the Kamrup district into special consideration. The first four days of menstruation as well as the traditional rituals and customs in which the ‘second marriage’ is performed will be a part of this discussion. Keyword: Tolani bia, Assamese society,Kamrup district Cite: The present study was carried out in 5 villages of Kamrup(Rural) district. They are – Nizborigog, Toroni, Kendukona, Dimu, Balisatra. The Kamrup district covers the area of 4345 sq. km. It is situated between 25.46 and 26.49 North Latitude and between 90.48 and 91.50 east Longitude. Rangia is one of the two subdivisions of Kamrup district. Methodology : Out of 33 districts of Assam,Kamrup stands out as the chief one. The curious amalgam of diversed folk cultures of its distinct castes and communities is a matter of appreciation. These significant folk cultures have their own specific rites and rituals also. During the research the enlarged Rangia area of the said district has also been taken into consideration. Data and facts have been collected through personal interviews with the residents of its locality and from our personal experience of the discussed event. Being a women’s health topic, the interviews have been restricted to women only, of varied age groups. To make the report more genuine, information of rituals of contemporary time has been collected from a menarche girl undergoing the phase, during the research period, and her family members. From the Rangia population ,five to six girls have been specially grouped for further collection of data. Although the topic is as much related to science as to our tradition, the scientific point of view has not been made a part of this discussion. The survey and explanation have been bounded to only , regional rituals and practices,that vary from place to place. In the whole world, these folk cultures get diversified regionally as well as geographically. Here, the study has focused on the Kamrup district’s ‘tolani biya’ event ,only. Results and Discussion: From both social and medical perspective , it is often considered the central event of female puberty, as it signals the possibility of fertility- ‘sacred fig tree has changed its leaf Our mighty lady’s colour got changed As she put on red attire.’ Experiencing menarche is a common process of every famine gender. It is a natural fact that a girl attains this menstrual cycle following her childhood period. During this stage she embraces a completely new life with her emotional development . Rapid change in her physical as well as emotional states in the form of development becomes natural. It is a very obvious fact that she experiences menarche , yet some accept it as a drastic change and step into the stage through varied social rites and rituals. 1634 JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 13, 2020 In Assam, it is a custom to teach the girl child, about this stage , through some cultural norms and specific rituals. This custom is prevalent in the entire state irrespective of caste and creed. Only the name of this very custom varies regionally like “TULONI BIA” or “NUAI TULONI BIA” is named in Assam. In our following discussion , this very “TULONI BIA” or small wedding of a girl and it’s ritualistic steps will be the subject matter with special reference to the district of Kamrup. Quote from DR. Hemanta Kumar Sarma ‘s “ Collection of Assamese folksongs”- “Tuloni bia or small wedding refers to the wedding which a girl child practices following her experiences of menarche.” Just like other districts of Assam in Kamrup disrtrict also, there was a tradition of practicing pre and post menarchal marriages of the girl child. It was a ritual that the marriage custom practiced twice in a girl’s life – one in the pre-menarchal period , another in the post. The latter marriage was celebrated in a grand way than the former one. Now a days people perform only one marriage for the girl naming it “Tuloni Biya” or pubertal marriage. The moment a young girl discover her first menses ,either her aunt or mother , or any other female takes her to a confined room. Earlier, the very bed for the girl was prepared of hay on the floor, as a ritual. Now major section prefers the isolated normal bed to that ritualistic hay bed. But the ritual of keeping some mango leaves in a small pot of water, a few handful of rice grains in a basket, a little earthen lamp, incense sticks , a pair of betel nut and leaf , and a bunch of raw bananas on the top of the grains on the floor in the head direction of the girl’s bed gets still practiced. The earthen lamp is supposed to remain litted continuously for three days. Three young girls sprinkle some grains from the basket , and drops of water from the pot with the mango leaves on the menarche girl’s body three times each, both in the morning and evening. This ritual of sprinkling by girls is called “Aag dia” in assamese . The mother and other ladies perform it. Rituals have always been specific with respect to religion or caste or place or community. The Assamese community is mainly known for its staple food, rice. The community not only cultivates it but also considers it sacred. So , in this specific ritual of menarchal marriage ,the girl is not offered of rice on the first and following day of her menstruation and is asked to keep fast. A male member of the family goes to a an astrologer , the very next morning of her second menarchal day,to inform him the exact time of her first menstruation. It is an age old custom to visit an astrologer during such time and seek his blessing for the particular girl. The astrologer predicts her future and suggests certain rituals for her secured and safe future. The proper time of her first menstruation is necessary because , it is believed that that, this very hour decides whether the girl would be lucky or a widow or a spinster in future and for how long she would have to fast in her post menarcheal marriage period . The astrologer also informs in what type of material she has to take vegetarian food during her confined period as for example the ‘Padmini’ girl can have food in lotus leaf while the unlucky one is supposed to have on utensil of stone. So, as the astrologer suggests, the family does from the third day of her menstrual cycle. This particular task of practicing the suggestions is known as “jopa thua” in lower Assam and “Konai” in upper part. The very activity called “jopa thua” is related to one’s age old generation’s replica. In a bamboo “jopa” they keep a piece of cloth called ‘anakata gamosa’ and in that gamusa a household cutting instrument called ‘kotari, specially designed deer handle,a golden ring, a special seed bead called “ domboru guti’, a pair of pomegranate seeds and pair of betel nut and leaf are also kept to the ‘jopa’ tightly . The ‘Pohunaal kotari’ gets specially washed with a gram and turmeric pack before keeping in the jopa. Then a young girl with particular jopa on her head, followed by other ladies, who sing their traditional marriages songs, goes to a nearby relatives house to keep the jopa there. The house is assumed to the be the groom’s place. The young girl gets a heart felt welcome by the particular relatives house’s housemaker. The latter washes the girl’s feet with banana and cur4d and carefully keeps the jopa aside in the house after doing a special “arati’. On the fourth day of the menstrual cycle, three young girls accompanied by few ladies visits that assumed groom’s place in the morning. They get warm welcome there and the groom’s house bid them farewell with the earlier jopa along with two new jopas . One of these two new jopas contains ‘aakhoi” and other contains a parted betel nut wrapped in a jackfruit leaf. The wrap is called as “beera”. This particular “beera” is an unlucky symbol which gets thrown away right after the completion of bride’s bath. The groom’s relatives carry a “sorai” of gram and nut and a small portion of ‘kheedha”, prepared of joha rice , mug daal, potato and ghee for the bride. 1635 JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 13, 2020 As the astrologer suggests ,the bride(girl child) takes only fruits and milk form the second day to fourth day of the menstrual cycle.