Humans Of Tezpur, Tezpur (2026)

12/07/2021

"I have always been an utter practitioner of dance, music, and dramatics. Belonging from a classic cultural family, my father Lt. Pankaj Bordoloi was a renowned musical artist and mom, a reputed classical dancer. Throughout my journey, I have tried to acquire both, along with acting. I have always wanted to do everything, to try out everything that I saw within the circle of art and culture. Nevertheless, in addition to that, academics has always been my top priority.

To grow as an individual with that tag of "Bordoloi's daughter" has forever been a challenge for me. Sadly enough, people don't understand that the road to success is not easy and nepotism won't help you till the final step. I have seldom been appreciated for my relentless dedication and hard work. But the phrase "she is here because of her parents' popularity" followed everywhere.

I had dreamt of studying in Delhi University ever since my childhood and worked really hard to make that come true. Because of my good grades and extracurricular achievements, I made it to one of the top 10 colleges of Delhi university. During that time I got involved in many international dance companies like Natyadarpan, Oasis Saga, Unicorn dance group,etc and theatre groups like Bindu, Socialist, Bhasin etc which helped me grow as a follower of art and culture. After graduation, I chose a totally different line of M.A in performing arts.

It is not easy to achieve the fame that your parents had achieved.
I have thousands of responsibilities to look up to, every step that I take has to go parallelly with my parents’ expectations and the crowd's expectations to carry on my parents' legacy. I am a learner, I am still learning, my father always taught me to start from zero. He never taught me work for fame but for myself. He trained me to become a sharp observer, and a listener. My mom always focused on the concept of evolving and growing as a true follower of dance. And that way, I am still learning. My parents never believed in the concept of "instant popularity" and overnight success, they believed that these sorts of popularity are not permanent. "Learn first, work hard, and have faith in destiny" my father always used to say.

There are struggles in everyone's lives, be it a doctor, engineer or an artist. Everybody faces criticism every now and then, but criticism through cyber bullying is pure harassment. There was a time when people tried to belittle me with their negative comments, tried to torture me mentally but they had the least effect on me because these negativity are a part and parcel of life, and they push me further to prove my self worth more and more, everytime I fall back.”

Violeena Bordoloi

26/06/2021

I was a glaikit bird in the cage. Born in a conservative Bihari family, I was taught to follow strict commands and, being a girl there were other restrictions too. So, it was hard for me to fly out of the cage. In my school days, the universe gave me so many hints of who I really am and ignoring them was my mistake.

There comes a time when you have to leave your bed of roses, your comfort zone and understand life. We are an unlettered human being if we have not analyzed ourselves yet. In 2019, after my 12th boards, I left this place, memories and everything behind, and flew to Delhi. That’s where I found myself, I was out of my cage and I was independent.

My soul’s eyes were closed until my mind got filled up with the mystical knowledge of love and compassion. I remember, it was the may month of the year 2019, I felt light like a feather, all my worries, pain, and memories of vague impression were taken away by some force. This bird was free to fly.

There is this saying that goes like, “don’t let your MANN and CHITTA control you, you are in control of these two elements of the soul”. What happened with me was the opposite, I was the slave. With this, I found myself in confusing situations. Exploration started with me sensing odd and different about my bodily desires. It took me months and months to analyze what my body-soul needed.
Time and Space designed situations for me. I came in an interaction with a woman, this might sound romantically funny but we never talked. With her it was always a ‘Silent date’. Do you ever feel like caressing someone’s soul and not just body? I felt exactly this and it was different. Instincts have never gone wrong with me. Something was shouting inside me, “THIS IS IT”. It was the feeling I was searching for years and I had finally found it.

LOVE, as I understand now, isn’t just some s*xual sensation you feel towards someone. Love is more than this. Love is Gnostic, love is spiritual. Love is human, love is philosophy. Soul doesn’t have any color, and the day you will see inside every human body and realize that what is inside you is inside every other’s, is the day you will fall in love with yourself first, and then with every form on the earth regardless of gender or identity.

I love Men and Women. Maybe I don’t fit in the example of society’s paradigm of “ideal woman”. Maybe in some eyes I have broken rules, but people need to understand that with the changing times, codes and methods change, it has to. You cannot kill love which keeps people alive.
Love is love *xual

21/06/2021

“I have always been fascinated by yoga and its healing power. Since a very young age, I had started doing asanas and various other exercises to allay my body and mind. Somehow after ’95, I lost my touch with Yoga and my vigorous body.

My healthy go happy married life took an ugly turn when after ’95, I was diagnosed with severe arthritis. Starting from joint pains, my condition got worsened with time when the pain reached my spinal, and I became completely bedridden in 2013. In 2017, I travelled to Apollo, Chennai for treatment where the medicos told me that only yoga can cure me and bring me out of my misery. After returning from Chennai, I left no stone unturned in my quest for a yoga institute but everything went in vain. After a lot of restless research, I came across the Laxmi Bai National Institute of physical education of Guwahati, Sonarpur. Without wasting any time, I got myself enrolled in the institute. My main motive to get enrolled was to leave my arthritis behind and to feel lively again. But once I was there, I realised that along with yoga, they provide a certificate course as well. I took one of the courses without further delay, and to my great happiness, I was able to bid arthritis farewell completely and forever. I returned to my family once again, being the healthy woman that I had always been, and continued with my yoga, without a single dint of pain in my body.

Soon after, I resolved to the idea that if I can beat arthritis and be a healthy, happy woman once again, I can impart this medicine and help other women, girls, and children in need, along with those who have a passion for yoga. With this idea in mind, I started my own yoga center in Mazgaon known as “yoga home”, in the June of 2019. It is a fully functioning center as of now.
In addition to teaching offline, I am also imparting knowledge to the far-away students through an online mode. Many of my students have reached heights and secured positions in various yoga competitions.
Seeing them healthy and growing every single day, gives me immense harmony and happiness.
I have forever believed, and for that matter, experienced that Yoga is the gateway to physical, mental, and spiritual purity. It helps people, irrespective of age and s*x, to face the challenges that life throws at them with a smiling face, without losing their sanity and health. My painful journey with arthritis helped me to reconcile with my passion for yoga and I aim to stay connected with Yoga and Sports till my last breath.”

15/06/2021

One evening, we got a call from a lady, all distressed about her son who had recently been diagnosed with Covid-19. She had informed us that as they can’t get out of their houses, they had been facing difficulties in having a stock of groceries at their places. When we apprised her that we could do that for her, she asked twice to confirm. There were similar cases thereafter. People facing heaps of problems because of the quarantine issue and not having anyone to buy them the necessary items.

It’s been one year that Tezpur Online came into existence. We are a group of three people, all from different backgrounds and work experiences, who during the first wave of Covid-19, experienced similar situations as above, and decided to provide a solution to our people. While things like poultry, vegetables were allowed to be sold in small pockets of the outskirts and within wards, there was no provision of Grocery items coming any nearer to people's residences. That was when the idea came to us.

The biggest challenge in starting the operations of Tezpur Online was making people trust the idea of online shopping. Being a local start-up added to the countless inhibitions of customers which were mostly getting the right product at a fair price & in good condition.
Our small team is trying to make the maximum use of the limited time for shopping for 15-20 families everyday, packing them accordingly, and ensuring smooth deliveries alongwith trying to sort out the greivances from our customers everyday.
People have come to know about us more during the surge of Covid-19 second-wave & we are happy to be known as an “Online Dukan”.

In one year, we have delivered to over 2000 families & completed above 7000 orders. We have delivered groceries, medicines & pet supplies to families, who are in quarantine, families who are in containment zones, parents of frontline warriors who are now living alone, working from home professionals, and also to attendants in the hospitals waiting for the release of their wards.

Seeing delight and satisfaction in the eyes of our people, when they get their items delivered gives us immense pleasure and confidence. We have thoroughly enjoyed this ride so far, and we will continue with this little journey of ours, by serving as many people as possible.
Tezpur Online

05/06/2021

I have had a special affinity with plants and everything related to gardening, since a very young age. I remember those good old days when after coming back from school, I used to help my mom with her tiny vegetable garden in our backyard.
After my 12th, I was at my wit’s end regarding which career option I should choose and after giving a little thought, I opted to go for a regular B.Sc degree. I loved Botany and always wanted to study it, but I went for Chemistry out of impulse. This made me work on a subject I didn’t like much for three long years. During the last year, I realized that I wanted to be an entrepreneur, to start something on my own. In due course, I got attracted to photography and graphic designing as well. By then, I was well aware of the fact that my dreams have been changing every two months, and that I have not found my truest passion yet.
Being the eldest kid of the house, the family pressure on me was real, so not very surprisingly, I applied for a government job out of impulse again. Call it a stroke of fortune, I got selected. But the initial posting was in Arunachal Pradesh, which means if I join I’ll have to leave my passion and dreams behind. After a lot of thought, I decided not to join it and kept doing my freelancing work.

One fine day, as I was looking for some rare plants to add to my collection, I came across some Facebook groups, where people traded plants. This introduced me to the online plant market and I immediately got hooked on it. It was then that I decided to start my website (www.soiled.in) along with my friend Rahul. Initially, I started selling plants from my own collection but that wasn't enough to sustain the business. To meet the initial investments, I was also working as a contractual teacher in KV and whatever I was earning, I was investing into the business. Gradually, the soiled family grew wider, and now we have 8 sellers selling regularly with us. I realised that I have always been a plantsperson, always loved raising them, and this is what I loved doing the most.

With the pandemic outraging, the fact remains that only with healthy ecosystems can we enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change. Stop the collapse of biodiversity and help in restoration of our ecosystem.

26/05/2021

“To be into the field of modelling, has always been my topmost dream since I was a toddler. But life was not easy during those days and good communication was a luxury only a few could afford. As such the world was not a global village in the 80s and 90s. Living in a rural area, I never got the news of audition for the pageant shows during my teenage, but that didn’t make me lose hope.

As days passed, my father stopped my dancing and drama classes due to the extra pressure from my academics. I got my job before my higher secondary examinations. After I got married I continued with my job and further studies. Soon after, I gave birth to two beautiful daughters.

It was the year 2014 when I first joined a pageant show. After participating relentlessly in the northeastern pageant and state shows, I participated in the first national-level beauty competition “Mrs. India Black Carpet” in Guwahati, in the year 2018. Securing the first runners-up position and getting featured in the “Assam tribune, my confidence level intensified and I braced myself to be diligent and do all I can to achieve my dream. I tried again in 2019, and I remember the date and day vividly. It was 11th January when my greatest dream came true. I not only got the subtitle for best cat walk but was also crowned “Mrs. India 2019”, by D.S. Creation at the age of 45.

The journey was possible only for my husband, he would make me practice my ramp walk in high heels whenever I had any free time at home. He had taken all my responsibilities and took care of my home without a single complaint. I’m also very grateful to have such supportive and encouraging daughters with me, without whom this journey wouldn’t have been the same.
Presently I’m teaching yoga to around 125 students and alongside preparing for “Mrs universe”. I have four national projects lined up in my kitty as well and I am also the brand ambassador of “Mrs. India”. Always remember that you’re never too old or it’s never too late for you to fulfill your dreams.”

Story of : Mamu Bayan

18/05/2021

“I started my own tailoring business 10 years back, sitting outside of the famous Chowk bazar shop “Haque brothers” and sewed clothes for my colourful customers. Those vivid lanes of chowk bazar were musical for me. My patrons loved my work and they often complimented me on my dexterity. It was the only income source of my family but we were happy with it.

As the pandemic raged on, I started getting less orders and it affected my livelihood. But with the hope of everything getting back to normal, I used to proceed on with my work and be grateful for the little orders I would get. Albeit, it became troublesome for me to manage with the expenses, we always had food on our plates, and I think it’s enough to be grateful for.

But one day, one night, took so much from me that I felt like my soul was crying. The date 9th May, 2021, when the fire broke out and burnt the market into ashes, I ran away from my home at 1 am and prayed for my machine to be safe but to my little surprise, I could not only see the fire burning the market but the fire burning dreams, burning hard work, burning the livelihood of all the people who used to work there. I tried my best to get my hands on the machine but my machine was gone, all the clothes were gone, the place I used to sit outside of was gone. Everything was in a state of ruins and I fell into pieces.

They say that when you spend a lot of your time somewhere and find solace in it, it becomes your home. It was as if the fire took a part of everyone of us with it, who had made that place our home.

Apparently, Chowk bazar was my second home. The next morning it appeared as if it was a cemetery like that of our hopes, and all the colours faded away like that of our lives, all the jingles, noises turned silent like that of our shops.
Today, most of us are out of work, unable to provide for our family, unable to pay the fee of our children’s education. Even if I somehow manage to buy a machine, I don’t know where will I find a place to sit in and work.”

Story of ~ Badrul Haque Ansari.

05/05/2021

In school, I was always the kid whose notebooks’ last pages were filled with sketches, scribbles, hand lettering and different iterations of my signature. I loved art. I remember my mom used to get me those Ti**le comics and take me to all the drawing classes. I was blessed to have a great mentor, Nayan Goswami, who taught me how to express myself creatively; and my closest circle of friends who recognised my passion and always tried their best to encourage me to pursue it. I used to wonder if it was even possible to make a profession out of this and I really had no idea how to achieve it. Coming from a family with minimum income levels in Assam, and as the son of an highly intellectual person with an unfortunate career – I had pressure on me to start supporting my family as soon as possible.

Then one day I happened to borrow my friend's camera to click pictures - and got hooked. I started clicking photographs and covering music events here in the NE. My first big break came when I got the chance to do a shoot for Converse (India) and the photographs got published in a Rolling Stones print issue. Meanwhile, I discovered visual communication as a career in the 11th grade, and started to focus solely on making my career around creative arts. I spent a lot of time reading books on design and learning softwares - which ultimately affected my academic science career. But I remained head strong and managed to get into Srishti (BLR) to study Visual Communication and Strategic Branding.

Now, Srishti is an extremely expensive college for someone from my financial background. The pressure was on me again if I wanted to make it through all four years of college. So I started connecting with startups and studios and started freelancing as an Art Director for photography, graphic design and brand identity. In 2018, I was awarded the TATA Education and Development Trust scholarship which really helped me. That same year, I got an opportunity to go to the Royal Academy of Art, Netherlands to pursue Graphic Design. The day I found out that I’d qualified as one of the three people from India to study in the NL, I knew I did not have enough funds to get to Europe. But then next day, I got a call from a well-wisher I had never met, who heard about this opportunity, and decided to fund my entire course of study. Moments like these are magical and gratifying. I really feel that the more you surround yourself with people who believe in you, the more you start believing in yourself.

Over the last six years, I've worked with various brands like Adidas, Converse IN, OML, OYO, Dineout, Daily Objects, Builtech, Rhubarb, Startup India, Invest India etc. Currently I'm working at Tendermint based in California as a brand designer to empower people and create a more transparent and accountable world with blockchain technology. I also have my own design consultancy practice and I'm blessed to have an excellent team who collaborate with sheer passion to deliver the best. I feel incredibly fortunate to be where I'm today, work never feels like work and I can chose to be anywhere in the world doing what I love to do. Because of the pandemic, I also feel lucky to be close to my family and working from home although sometimes working in a different time zone gets a bit taxing but the joy you get doing what you had always wished to do is beyond anything else.

You have to stop worrying about others, stop doubting yourself and just focus on what you love. Be grateful for everything that you have and realise that everything happens for one's own good.

26/04/2021

Years back, I had a big cute family - Papa, mummy, grandma, me and my brother along with my uncle and aunty. My father was a choreographer so as soon I took my first step, he made me learn dance and participate in almost every other competition. He used to get dresses for me, do my make up, teach me steps and make sure that I win. My mother was merely 12 when she got married and 13 when I was born, due to which I happen to have certain complications, like my height remained too short . But overall we lived a happy and contented life.
When I turned 11, my father had an accident on the bridge. His bike collided with a pole and he was met with spot death. All of a sudden, our life just changed. Our uncle started looking after us for the next few months but aunty couldn’t surpass this and she left home. Soon after, our uncle also passed away.

In due course, my 10th boards approached and we got shifted to a small rented room, my grandma started working as a nanny and fed us. Meanwhile, my mother who was just 25 left us and had a love marriage, though she still called us and tried to keep in touch but what’s gone is gone! And solely our young eyes could see everything clear. Me and my brother agreed on having no parents and the importance of earning money and feeding ourselves just evolved within us. My grandma also turned old and now I knew that the workload of home was on my shoulders.
So I started working in a shop as a sales girl but I was not doing what I was meant for. My friends motivated me to wear the dancing shoes. I had that dancing flair in me but I didn’t have the money to learn the proper dance forms, so I was taught different variations by my friends who were skilled. I started with teaching kids and thereby my new journey began.
Gradually, I opened a dance class with my friend. Life was now taking a turn and I was the sole decision maker of it. People started knowing about me and giving me contracts for weddings . I could even look after my younger brother and grandma and it just went like this for 2 years until the pandemic happened!
Last year we had no students and had to shut down my dance classes. My friends assisted me and I tried to go home with my students and teach them. It's almost been a year now, I don't know how everything’s gonna make up but I believe it will.
From having a big family to just 3 members, from being daddy’s princess to a fallen down girl, from living like a kid to handling expenses, my life made me see much more than even the darkest dream could offer.
Story of Priya Das

17/04/2021

"I have always looked forward to grow in life, to do more and to give more. After 14 years of my marriage, I decided to continue with my studies and mastered in Hindi literature. With this, I was determined to not let my degree go waste, so I started my working life as a teacher. I used to be a school teacher and would also take tuitions, teaching free of cost to many who were not much privileged to pay the fee. I was also a part of the vocational training institute, where we used to teach various kinds of skills to the disadvantaged women, who had never had the boon to attend school. Along these lines, I had escaped the cage and I was learning to fly, but then on my way, my wings got broken. In 2017, all of a sudden I got sick, and doctor detected that it was cancer. All my dreams, aspirations seemed so far away now. Everything shattered in just a moment.
After many rounds of self-talk, I became aware of my strength and realised that I am not among those who will get crushed by life. I decided to fight and live like a normal person. My kids have never made me feel like I am any different than other moms and my husband has always done all he can, to keep me jolly. They have never cried or complained infront of me, never whined about anything. We all possess the same level of strength; talking about life, laughing and bolstering each other up. The support from many other individuals and clubs has also been massive, be it financial or emotional.
I didn’t quit any of my interests because of this illness. I had always been very fond of writing and continued to do so even after this illness caught me. My articles have also been published on various magazines and some of them were very much recognized and loved. I have been honoured with 32 awards so far for my write-ups, which includes “Rajiv Gandhi excellency award”, “Nari shakti purashkar” and so on. I have also written a book which is a collection of poems, but my treatment expenses are taking all we have, so I am not able to publish it. But I still have hopes. Someday, if life goes my way, I will publish it and see my dream come true. I am still fighting this illness, still trying to find meaning in my life, and I will ensure to make the most out of whatever I am left with."

Humans Of Tezpur

12/07/2021

26/06/2021

21/06/2021

15/06/2021

05/06/2021

26/05/2021

18/05/2021

05/05/2021

26/04/2021

17/04/2021

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