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And such was also the life and
works of Sanjay Ghosh who died while doing selfless service in
Majuli.
At his death at least we don't have
to justify his death saying that
>*** There were a lot of very fine Britishers also
use to do social work in India while it was a
colony.
> And a number of them were killed by Indians.
As if it is a matter of fact
that some fine Indians may have the unfortunate fate of being killed
by Assamese Nationalists while doing welfare work in the Assam
colony.
(Sorry!That was a friendly
fire!)
RB
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 10:55
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Assam Trip-2
Addendum
I sincerely hope we can all get past this.
IMHO, it is imperative that we all understand that small groups like RVC
& Ashadeep are doing something that most of us can only hope of
doing someday.
These are the people who are actually serving the needs of the needy, and
the least we can do is to help their cause. Because their cause is our
cause, ultimately. They are the people at the grassroots and that itself is
important.
To me it really matter little if they are doing it for India, an
independent Assam or China for that matter. The fact that they are making a
big difference in the lives of so many poor people - that itself is
important to me.
--Ram
On 1/3/06, Chan
Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Oh, another thing. While you are at it, on the subject of asking him
what his motives are, also ask him about your HEROES like Sanjoy Hazarika
and Jayanta Madhav who gave you interviews like visiting royalty and what he
thinks about what they are promoting for Assam.
That would be fun to watch.
At 9:17 PM -0600 1/3/06, Chan Mahanta wrote:
>I can
see the connection you are trying to make.
*** *I* am attempting to make a connection
?
Either there is a serious ongoing reading
comprehension problem, or an eruption of unmitigated schutzpah.
>But I
donot think these good Indians are treating Assam as their
colony.
*** Good Britishers did not treat the Indians as
colonial vassals either - they treated them like humans.
>They
are doing the selfless work thinking they are doing it for their own
country, their Mother India.
*** That is What RAJEN Barua would like to connect
to. More than likely it is the HUMAN one, not the INDIAN NATIONALISTIC
one. Perhaps Rajen Barua would like to ask Ravindranath, instead of
speculating and ASSIGNING motives to him.
>Even
for a moment they donot think that Assam and the North East is not
India.
*** Go ahead and ASK Ravindranath, if you have the
intestinal fortitude to do so, WHY he does what he does. And I am certain
he would TELL you,and your kind, because I can tell he has what it
takes.
cm
At 6:11 PM -0600 1/3/06, Rajen Barua wrote:
>*** There were a lot of very fine Britishers
also use to do social work in India while it was a colony.
> And a number of them were killed by
Indians.
> Any connection here?
I can
see the connection you are trying to make.
But I
donot think these good Indians are treating Assam as their
colony.
They
are doing the selfless work thinking they are doing it for their own
country, their Mother India.
Even
for a moment they donot think that Assam and the North East is not
India.
Do
you?
RB
----- Original Message -----
From: Chan
Mahanta
To: Rajen
Barua
Cc: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 4:32
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Assam
Trip-2
*** There were a lot of very fine Britishers
also use to do social work in India while it was a colony.
And a number of them were killed by
Indians.
Any connection here?
----- Original Message -----
From: Rajen
Barua
To: [email protected]
; Chan
Mahanta
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 4:19 PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Assam Trip-2
>Ravindra Nath , son of UP and Bengali parents, studied
Appropriate Technology
>( and something else) at IIT-Delhi. He got involved
with NGO work under the noted social worker (?) Bunker Roy. He
started at the NE at Arunachal and later >moved down to
Akajan/Silapthar. That is all I know of Ravi. Ravi's wife, Sathyasree
is from Guwahati.
Great to know
such good Indians working selflessly working in NE. It looks like
he was also like Sanjay Ghosh doing NGO work in Majuli who was
reportedly been killed by ULFA.
RB
----- Original Message -----
From: Chan
Mahanta
To: [email protected]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Monday, January 02, 2006 9:52 AM
Subject: [Assam] Assam Trip-2
Dear Netters,
I spoke about the very fine things that the Rural
Volunteer Center ( RVC) is doing at Akajan. Ravindranath and
his wife Sathyasree Goswami, who live at Silapathar and lead their
many efforts are making a measurable difference for the many people
whose lives have been ravaged by repeated floods. Today I hope to
tell you a little more about them and RVC.
Ravindra Nath , son of UP and Bengali parents, studied
Appropriate Technology
( and something else) at IIT-Delhi. He got involved
with NGO work under the noted social worker (?) Bunker Roy. He
started at the NE at Arunachal and later moved down to
Akajan/Silapthar. That is all I know of Ravi. Ravi's wife,
Sathyasree is from Guwahati. The following about herself,is in her
own words:
"I am an Assamese born as the 6th daughter to Mr. P.N.
Goswami and Ms. Biva Goswami of Chenikuthi. educated partly in
Cotton College i have been working in Akajan from 1995 and took a
break for two years to work with drought affected people of
Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. Now I volunteer for RVC and I
have started a collective called shakti
([EMAIL PROTECTED]) to work
on holistic community health and right to health and health care,
where I work full time based in Akajan village."
I did not get to meet Sathyasree as she was with her
ailing mother at Guahati. But I had the privilege of staying
overnight at RVC's guest-house. Ravi and the other volunteers live
there as well. Their little campus was like an 'ashram', with all
kinds of undertakings going on. They even have a satellite dish
with a high-speed internet network, which they acquired
with some wiles, a necessity in today's world but a luxury beyond
imagination in Assam and particularly at a place like
Akajan.
Guile and wiles in addition to a dedicated sense of
service have been essential for RVC's continued existence and
success. What they face everyday is not something for the faint of
heart or for the occasional do-gooder like ourselves.
Ravi recounted a number of anecdotes while he and a
couple of his associates took me around to show some of the many
wonderful things they are doing all over. I was awed by the
obstacles they face and how they make little dents, one at a time,
to make a difference. They have spawned other volunteers like
themselves or have joined hands with others in different ways by
sharing their resources and experiences.
One such effort that I was highly impressed by was a
road building project organized by the Mising students'
association--the name of which eludes me --led by a young Mising,
Pegu, whose first name I forget, who also was a Cotton College Union
Secy.--a powerful position as we well know. He and John - another
Mising, trained at B'lore as an MBA I think, were leading over
a thousand young volunteers who were building a road -- a lifeline
for a series of villages which was washed away, but did not get
repaired/replaced by the Govt or the GOs entrusted with the
responsibility, with sheer hand power-with nothing but hoes. They
come from miles around and are required to sleep over at poly-tents
. They are fed by volunteers who prepare meals in the harvested rice
paddies, like the 'bhoj' prior to the 'meji' at Magh Bihu, except it
is not much of a feast. The logistics of feeding so many was
amazing. It was partially funded by a program called "Food for Work"
I believe. Ravi explained that the govt. did nothing for years.
Ultimately the people had to gear into action.
Attached herewith is one document describing RVC and its
many programs. I will send two more under separate mail.
I know I wrote a lot--and it always runs the risk of NOT
being read. But I hope some would take a little interest, and spread
the word, the good news. Because Assam can use many more of such
efforts as RVC's. And they are gearing up to train those leaders for
just that. Let us hope we too can do a little to give them the
support they so richly deserve.
Best to all.
cm
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_______________________________________________
assam
mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
_______________________________________________
assam
mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
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