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The city which is one of the first to see the sunrise in India. The city that is cut by the mighty Brahmaputra. The city that lies on the foothills of a plateau and is surrounded by hills. The city that is home to around 2 million people. The city that is popularly called the Gateway to the North East.

I have spent the initial 18 years of my life in Guwahati. My house, an ancestral one, is a two storeyed building in the heart of the city, Fancy Bazar. Contrary to what one would assume, the area derives its name from the word faansi, as the central jail was earlier located here and has only moved to the outskirts around eight years back. The area comprises of retail and wholesale shops run mostly by the Marwari community who are believed to have migrated there around the second half of the 19th century. These shops, some of which are decades old, cater to all that one may require in their day to day lives. The area is also a one stop destination for street food lovers.

The city boasts as one of the oldest known in Asia, for one can find references to it in the Mahabharata and other Puranas. Earlier known as Pragjyotishpur, the city was the capital of the Kamrupa Kingdom until around 12th century. Ruled by the Ahoms for six hundred years thereafter, the region resisted Mughal invasion 17 times. The city was then under the Burmese rule for a short span of around a decade before it was receded to the British East India Company's rule in the late 1820s.

Although the Brahmaputra, in its long course, is the narrowest in Guwahati, it still separates the two banks by more than a kilometre. The Saraighat Bridge, a 1.5 kilometre long rail-cum-road bridge, allows transfer of motor vehicles thereby connecting the northern bank with the rest of the city. Peacock Island, which lies within the city boundaries and is locally known as the Umananda Island, is the smallest inhabited riverine island in the world. A recent project to connect the two banks with ropeway is in progress and is expected to open to public sometime this year.

Being the largest city in the region, Guwahati has developed as an education hub. The Cotton College and the Guwahati University are two prominent universities along with IIT Guwahati and NLUJA, which are located on the northern bank. The city is also home to many modern day schools and education centres which provide coaching for various entrance examinations.

Guwahati hosted the 33rd National Games in 2007, which led to the construction of several multi-facility sports complex around the city. While Nehru Stadium has been host to multiple international cricket matches until 2010, the recently inaugurated Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Cricket Stadium now hosts international cricket and is set to host the first ever IPL match in the northeast. The city is home to the North East United FC which represents the northeastern states in the ISL. However, the event that stole the show for Guwahati was India's FIFA World Cup qualifier against Oman in September last year.

Kamakhya temple, one of the oldest known Shakti Piths, resides on the Nilachal Hill in the western part of the city. Umananda Temple, a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, is situated on the Peacock Island. It is very common to see religious processions in the older part of the city. While Bihu is the most important festival celebrated by the local Assamese community, one can see the city decorated with Puja Pandals during the three days of Durga Puja. The city is densely populated with other places of worship and religion is no boundary; it is interesting to note how my home at Fancy Bazar, even though surrounded by multiple temples, has a Mosque, a Gurudwara and a century old Church, all in a proximity of 100 metres.

Guwahati is well connected by train routes to the rest of the country and has significant road and air connectivity with the rest of the northeastern states. The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, situated around 25 kms from the city, is the largest one in the region with an annual footfall of 6 million.

I have stayed at Indore, Kharagpur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Bangalore for the maximum part of last eight years. However, one place that has remained constant is my hometown. It is the one place I have longed to be at irrespective of where I was among the listed places. Right from my birth, I have made plenty of memories around the city; be it crossing the river everyday for school or travelling around for entertainment. The positive vibe that the city carries and the inclusive culture where no one discriminates you on the basis of colour, caste or language is a testament of its beauty. While these attributes bring glory to the city, the city brings warmth to my heart like none other; for it is the city that has my beautiful home and my lovely family, and that's where my heart is.