Ahan's first Bihu

Spring is full on here. It's the first time since 1992 that I am home to usher in the Assamese New Year. We spent the first day of Bihu, April 15th, with Ahan's paternal grandpa and family, exchanging gifts and seeking the blessings of elders. In the afternoon, we traveled to my birthplace and ancestral home. The journey was a bit brutal, but Ahan was a trooper. I allowed him to travel more than half the way on my lap, instead of the car seat ( sorry, Saurav!). Ahan charmed my dad's eight siblings and their families. They gave him money, clothes and gold. It's a custom in many parts of India to welcome a new family member with such gifts. Sans the clothes, everything is going toward his college fund.