Aayudh Borooah: A Tribute to Our Cousin

Growing up through the 80’s and 90’s was a magical time. We had minimal entertainment available on screen (unless, of course, India was playing one of its neighbours on the pitch!). This meant that a lot of time was spent playing outdoors, running races, inventing games, climbing up trees, waging war on kids that were yet to become friends, and the list continues. What this also meant was that you needed a group of close companions who would be an equal party to every plan that was made and be your support group, no matter how ridiculous and questionable your methods were. These staunch friends were your cousins. Your first group of friends, your inner circle—your first cohort group.

My cousin Obhick and his younger brother Aayudh were my first friends. Aayudh being one of the youngest amongst us meant that we were to be responsible for him, and at the same time, he would be at the receiving end of our dom-diya. And the beauty of growing up in an almost joint family in Borooah Nilay was that our cousin’s group was a large one. Our evenings were spent running around the massive compound that was our playground, and as we grew up, our territory expanded into the by-lanes of Uzan Bazar. He may have been the youngest, but Aayudh was perhaps the boldest amongst us all. He just wouldn’t let you dismiss him from any plan. And that, I think, is what endeared him to all of us. Those joyful seasons spent in gleeful abandon gave us some of our most precious memories. Holi was a time when we, the cousins, would terrorize the neighbourhood quite literally, painting the para in all possible colours. Diwali meant that we would pool in our pocket money to buy jugmug crackers and then plant them across the neighbourhood, setting them to go off at midnight. And who do you think was the planter-in-chief in this case? Aayudh, of course!

Aayudh’s love for cricket was evident in the many broken windowpanes across JN Borooah Lane, much to the disdain of homeowners. He went onto train at the Guwahati Cricket Coaching Centre under Nabab Ali and played a few matches representing the club at a district level at the U-16 level. Professionally, Aayudh pursued a career in hospitality, working in Chennai, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Dubai for the better part of a decade before returning to Guwahati and continued his career here. And this was when he met his future wife, Pungja. Her warm disposition and kind persona captured his heart instantly. And with the birth of their son, Ekavir, they became proud parents at the center of their world, and Mahi and Mama became grandparents to a splitting image of Aayudh.

His love for adventure was well documented through his many biking expeditions across the Northeast. A core member of the “Black Hawk Rovers” motorcycle group, Aayudh is fondly remembered as Baagh by his fellow riders. It is with them that he undertook many expeditions across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram, where he and his fellow bikers were a part of the “Road Safety Week” organized at the Sainik School in Chhingchhip last summer.

As we grew older, we pursued our own interests. But never once did that bond of friendship between us cousins break. And for that, I am eternally grateful. Aayudh’s sudden departure has left us with a deep sense of anguish and grief that reminds us of all that lay ahead of him—a world full of opportunities. For Mahi and Mama, the loss of a son; for Obhick, his mischievous but cherished younger brother; for Pungja, a loving husband; for Ekavir, a doting father; for his friends, a pillar of strength; and for us cousins, a companion who was integral to our very being.

A cousin is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. – Marion C. Garretty.

Go in peace, our brother.

– Rohan Jelkie

Also read: Former Indian Army Chief General Sundararajan Padmanabhan Passes Away at 83 (sentinelassam.com)

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