>>>As to
whether F. A. Ahmed could be called Assamese remains an open
question<<<
I knew Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
personally for many years. He was an unusual man. He completely identified
himself as an Assamese. His mother tongue was Urdu and he had relatives in Old
Delhi. He was a Barrister and he belonged to a very well-to-do family. He
could have easily chosen a life of comfort, honour and riches either as a
lawyer or a politician in a city of India or abroad, anywhere outside backward Assam but he did not
do so; he joined the Congress Party, fought for the freedom of the
country and remained steadfastly
faithful to his party and its ideals.
He was a man of principles.
Once, after my graduation, I approached him for a certificate to apply for the
job of a junior executive in an English firm. He was a Rajya Sabha MP at the
time. He expressed great annoyance at my request; he said: I do not like young
people like you applying for jobs in foreign firms. He of course gave me a
certificate. He felt natural sympathy for the underprivileged of the society.
I speak it from my personal knowledge.
In very serious situations
involving communal disputes between Hindus and Muslims, between Assamese and
Bengalis etc his decisions were above board, wise and fair.
I believe if there was a man
eminently deserving to be the President of India, he was late Mr F A
Ahmed. And I can assure you he
was an Assamese.
Bhuban
