Howly: Town of My Teens

Howly is a small town. In fact it is much smaller than what ‘small towns’ suggest. It is situated exactly in the middle of Barpeta town and Barpeta Road (that’s name of a town as well). The former is the administrative centre while the latter is the business centre of the district. Perhaps that’s why Howly doesn’t have the trappings of a busy urban life. It doesn’t have any congested alleys, no unwanted shops; everything is more or less planned, may be by default. The national highway which connects the Northeast to the rest of the country passes by the outskirt of the town, which makes it a strategically good place. One can easily go in any direction he/she wants to. May be the presence of two battalion of paramilitary forces (BSF and Assam Rifles) will validate that.

Howly means ‘Palace’ in Assamese. I’m ignorant about the finer history of Assam due to my CBSE course which doesn’t give any emphasis on regional history. Perhaps one small time king had a palace here which has no remains, for the town to be named Howly. This was the place I spent my teenage years as my boarding school was situated here. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya opened in my district in 1995. An old government campus, used to train school teachers was converted to the school. The campus was relatively bigger than other ‘temporary’ JNVs. I joined my school in 1996. Initially we lived comfortably but as newer batches started coming in, space became an issue. Rooms were full with 12 students per room with double bed not a single piece of furniture in place. But this was made up by the amazing life we had in school.  

Assam in general is very beautiful with a lot of greenery around and Howly is even better. Every road has well planted trees. Every house is beautifully made. Nothing in that place would qualify to be an eyesore. There is lot of space available, everywhere- be it housing colonies or bazaars. As kids we used to go to market in groups to shop for groceries. It was an activity everyone looked forward to as it was the only opportunity to go out of the campus. We liked it not just because it was our moment of freedom but also because it was an extremely pleasant place to be in. 

                                  

But the most amazing thing about the place is its people. Bengali Muslims and Assamese Hindus are two dominant communities while Bengali Hindus are also a part of it. Language is very crucial to the general consciousness of Assam and there have been agitations in the past because of it. Even at peace, there is always certain sort of tension between two different linguistic groups (not religious though). But Howly is a place where the rule doesn’t apply. Everyone lives so amicably and has accepted each other that there is not even a slightest undercurrent of any sort of tension or insecurity. One can roam anywhere in the town at any time. The place is completely safe. In my 7 year stay, I never heard of a fight breaking out or any untoward incident. The town retains its simplicity with a certain panache which makes it attractive to one and all.

Delhi was the final stage in forming my identity.  But Howly was the place where I started to become aware of it. I experienced the first change – physical, emotional, mental at this place. The first crush was so life defining. The things that I did then, is so embarrassing at the same time so beautiful to recall. Whatever I am now, the base was laid in my house and was strengthened in Howly. But the best thing I learned there is to have control on oneself. We were free to do things that we liked. Back then I was one of the bad boys, unofficial though (After going to Delhi ofcourse I realized that the outer world was much meaner). Unofficial in the sense that the teachers never thought I was one because I was never caught or maybe I was little better in studies than actual bad boys. But the fact remains that I was involved in the worst rule breaking game in school. Still I had certain control which remains with me and hopefully will continue to be so. I didn’t smoke, I didn’t drink, I didn’t eat Gutka. I didn’t do anything that I won’t be able to tell anyone. In fact we made smoking so uncool, that whoever smoked had to do it secretly. It may be because there was so much freedom that I didn’t need a cigarette to express it.

                                      

Howly hosts my most favorite festival – the Raas Mela. It’s a festival of Lord Krishna. Then we didn’t know what the festival was for but it was the biggest event not just in Howly, but in Western Assam. It happens in the month of November and lasts for two weeks. This was the only time we could go out at night, wear our best clothes and of course roam with the girl we liked. Since there was strict instruction to remain in groups, the dating happened in group as well. Although I was not that lucky since my story was a bit complicated. But the pursuit was no less interesting. Some of my best memories are attached to this festival. After leaving Howly in 2003, this is the festival I miss the most.

                                   

The year we passed out of the school, the campus shifted to its permanent building. Hence whenever I have gone to meet my teachers or my sibling who also studies in the same school, it’s in the new campus to which I have no memories attached. It’s the most magnificent building in the whole district still juniors who stayed in both the campuses say Howly was much better.

Nowadays whenever I pass through the town, I make it a point to drive slowly so that I can feel the vibe and it gives me tremendous satisfaction. The barrier of time ceases to exist and I see myself everywhere doings things that I did while in school – as a little kid as well as a grown up boy. The place hasn’t changed a bit. The trees, the shops all are in the same place. The only change is that the VCD stores are closed down. The building is again changed to training centre which is hardly used since there are no new recruits in teaching sector in the state. The mango trees we had planted have grown, but there is no one to eat the fruits. If I segregate my conscious life with different places that I have lived in, then Howly would top the list. Those seven years were crucial in every sense of way and played a vital role in shaping me up. May be next time I go home, I should go to my old campus, sit under the trees and relive.