Dear Bhuban da Thank you for sharing your personal experiences mainly in Shillong. Let us not take up the reservation issue. Statistics will show that the reservations have almost failed to improve the conditions of the SCs and STs. The benefits of the reservation are cornered by creamy section among the SCs and STs, barring probably a few exceptions. My view is very clear on that. Now, let us go back to the original issue.
I want to give you a more recent example of Assamese arrogance to the Bodos. The year was possibly 1989. I was a student of Cotton College and the movement demanding a separate state for the Bodos was in full swing. I remember late Upen Brahma suspended the agitation for a few months waiting for a response from State govt under PK Mahanta. But after waiting in vain for few months, the leaders got so pissed of due to complete indifference shown by the state govt to their issues that, they decided to negotiate only with central govt from that time onwards. I know many Khasis felt threatened at the kind of nomenclature the then Govt was imposing in Shillong viz, Bishnupur, Matinagar. Any minority (whether religious, linguistic, communal) in any country feels slightly higher degree of insecurity compared to the majority. It is a natural human reaction to the social milieu he resides. There is nothing wrong in it. I feel it is the duty of the majority to give the minority a sense of security and solidarity in the larger interest of the society. But with the passage of time, it is becoming very rare. I don't want to make a sweeping generalisation. But even then, you go to many villages inhabited by Assamese speakers and tribals side by side and the treatment given to the tribals. In the interest of not causing embarrassment to many people, I consciously refrain from giving further details. The rest I leave to the collective memory of those netters who had seen village life in Assam earlier. Of course the silver lining is that things are slowly getting better. As regards caste in Assamese society, I can not agree with you more, thanks to the fantastic socio religious teachings of Sankaradeva. Bye for now. Take care. Mayur Chandigarh --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Mayur > You have very carefully chiselled and honed his > defence against a veteran. > No doubt like the rest of net-colleagues, I do > appreciate the niceties of > the repartees exchanged while Iâve a feeling we > are getting distanced from the > points raised for discussion, one of which is: > Alienation of tribal people from the mainstream due > to the cavalier attitude shown by caste Hindu > Assamese. This has resulted in disunity and a sense > of > mutual mistrust among different tribes. (I am a > caste > Hindu myself) > I had been a Government servant half of my life > working at Shillong mostly > and had the good fortune of knowing at close hand > hundreds of legislators and > administrators of the State for two decades as an > official reporter although > in 1973 I left the job. > What I want to assert is that the so-called caste > Hindu Assamese had never > alienated the tribal people though it appears the > so-called caste Hindus take > the blame upon themselves for doing so. First of > all Assamese society is not > a very caste-bound one. Please donât go back to > the hoary past. I am > considering the post-Independence period only when > a few politicians belonging to the > Assamese community got a chance to govern > themselves like the rest of > India. The representatives of the tribal and > scheduled caste people participated > in the process fully and I believe got a very fair > deal from the nation, > particularly the people of the Hills. If there was > a graduate among the Khasi > people, he or she had every chance of joining the > civil services unlike a Plains > graduate because of the reservation. In those days > it was difficult for a > Matriculate Assamese typist to get a job either in > the plains district or at > Shillong but it was not a problem for a > non-Matriculate Khasi girl to get the > job of a typist. They did have grievances but these > were rather exaggerated > and not genuine. For example, they blamed the > Government for allotting > housing land to Government servants within and > around the town so that the > employees could attend their offices on time. > These were never permanently settled; > initially leased for ten years or so although the > tenure was extended from > time to time. A local Khasi did not have this > problem; in fact he or a she > exploited the situation to their advantage. In > those days there were not many > houses available to let; so it was a step the > government of the time thought as > essential. Besides, the Khasi Hills were then a > part of Assam. Even today > only a small area is free from the tribal belt, that > is the Shillong > Municipality area. The Khasi people greatly > benefited economically because of the > capital of the State being at Shillong while the > Plains including the rest of the > hill districts including Arunachal suffered in many > ways. > The Khasis were mostly Christians and they were > pampered. More or less > that applies in case of the tribal and scheduled > caste people of the rest of the > State. The tribal people considered their fellow > citizens from the Plains as > inferior to the White Sahibs, and Western religion > and culture superior to > those of the plains people. They had no occasion to > be socially ostracised. > Relations with the Nagas and Lushais were also by > and large similar. I remember > one Plains tribal friend of mine telling me on an > occasion: Baruah, you have > to have the Bible and come from the Hills if you > want anything from the > Government. > The âdisunity and a sense of mutual distrust > among different tribesâ does > exist. But I suppose you really mean âdisunity > and a sense of mutual distrustâ > between the tribal people and the Assameseâ. > Please clarify. > Best wishes > Bhuban > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
