prelude  The classic clown in Assamese drama, embellishing the performing tradition, is, of course, the Bahuwa. Formally termed as Basuwa, the Bahuwa is found in the Bhaona plays, Bahuwa means attendant. He is known to appear most favourably in the performances of Parijata-Harana Yatra – one of the great pieces of dramatic writing by Sankardeva. Some of the manuscript paintings of the Bhaona performances illustrated in 1835 AD show Narada’s arrival at the house of Krishna, accompanied by the Bahuwa (attendant). The Bahuwa is depicted here as dark skinned and short statured. He wears a loin cloth, with a rod on his shoulder. He wears a conical cap, small flaps upturned along the rim, and a knot on the top of the cap. He wears a long, beaded garland. But the most significant aspect of the painting is that the Bahuwa has large, long ears, with a thick piece of either ivory or wood inserted into the lobe. These paintings are done in a beautiful mixture of yellow ochre, blue and red, etc., fairly mixed, and possibly influenced by the Mughal Rajput styles of painting. The belief is that, though not found in the literary tradition, the Bahuwa simply appears in the performing tradition. He would however neither speak nor sing. He was simply an attendant, a mute onlooker. He has no connection whatsoever with the plot of the story, nor would he help in bringing forward the action of the play. (Next week: Bahuwas during the Ahom period). E-mail your questions with answers at: only4_pol@yahoo.co.uk or post at: THE COLOSSEUM, Mosaic, Friday Supplement, The Assam Tribune, Guwahati-781003 or SMS at: 9864102417. Send your name in each SMS.

side screen  1) Picture Clue: Identify this Austrian-born actor who became a household name by playing an android sent back from the future, in a 1984 film.

harmonisers  2) Which award winning author was once an advertising copywriter and counts amongst his work the slogan used in ads for fresh cream cakes ‘Naughty – but nice’? 3) In ancient times, which Greek mountain was held sacred to Apollo and the Muses? 4) The Titanic was a vessel belonging to which shipping line? 5) “Blood and Fire” is the motto of which institution?

unities  From Saroj K. Deka, Guwahati – 6) He was born in a Cleveland suburb on January 26, 1925 and was a navy radio man in the Pacific during WW II. Afterwards, he went to Kenyon College in Ohio on a football scholarship, but took up acting after being cut from the team due to a bar room brawl. Later on, he got nine Oscar nominations for acting in the movie The Colour of Money. Who is he? 7) On which famous dancer did Satyajit Ray make a documentary? 8) Which Ghazal singer made a cameo appearance in Satyajit Ray’s Jalsaghar?

do-re-me  9) This former Marathi news reader made her debute in the film Charandas Chor. Name the actress. (Biswajit Doley, DPGT College, Dhemaji) 10) In this film, Nicole Kidman’s character wore the costliest ever diamond necklace on screen, designed by Stefano Canturi and consisting of 1308 diamonds of 134 carats. Name the film. (Diksharani Baruah, Hengerabari, Guwahati) 11) Who is considered to be the father of modern detective story writing? (Saurav Sarkar, Darrang College, Tezpur) 12) What is Pnigophobia? (Smritirekha Sarma Haloi, Pathsala, Barpeta) 13) The name of which place in India is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning ‘cowherd country’? (Jahnabi Goswami, Guwahati) 14) Who wrote The Diary of a Young Girl, while hiding from the Nazis, published posthumously in 1946? (Prosenjit ‘Piklu’ Dutta, Tezpur)

crescendo  15) In the Ramayana, Laxmana was the brother of Rama, but in the Mahabharata who was Laxmana? (Abhra Das, Maligaon, Guwahati)

answers  1) The Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger 2) Salman Rushdie 3) Mount Parnassus 4) White Star 5) Salvation Army 6) Paul Newman 7) T. Balasaraswathi 8) Begum Akhtar 9) Smita Patil 10) Moulin Rouge 11) Edgar Allan Poe 12) It is the fear of choking on fish bones 13) Goa (Gowapura) 14) Anne Frank 15) Son of Duryudhona.