STANDING ON YOUR MAMA'S PORCH

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Sutal/Sotal - Assamese for front porch. Strange how the term is almost non-existent in construction planning these days.


I spent a good time of my childhood in my granny's place. Although many households in Guwahati at that time had elaborate front porches with gardens or just vacant space to sit and pass the time, the sutal of my grandparents was rather limited in area. Despite that, I have had wonderful memories associated with it.



There were many a games and folk tales I learnt from my aunts sitting on that sutal. My grandfather would park his black Ambassador in the adjoining garage. Sitting on the stairs, my grandmother would often point out to the distant mountain and help me identify a familiar landscape.

 



Times changed. Road expansion and the trend of compact housing have eaten into the 'sutal' concept in Guwahati.


I was glad to see some elaborate and neatly maintained sutals in North Salmara, especially in the hinterlands. 

 




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