It was early part of this year , when Rajen da introduced me to Association of India ( AID) . This was a follow up to some of the discussions that we had in Assam Net. Rajen da has a number of ideas on constructive works in Assam and this was one of them. He followed it up by interacting with AID volunteers at Austin , visting them as needed. I have also been continuing with my effort , letting AID volunteers know about the situation in Assam and also highlighting some of the good works going on Assam.
These initiatives have made a number of positive contributions so far.
AID Dallas recently organized a fundraising to help the families of students of a School named Parijat Academy located in outskirts of Guwahati. This school is mostly for daily wage earners who hardly can effort education for the kids. One of the childrean died of Jaundice. AID Dallas volunteers collected funds to help these poor families to buy filters
for clean drinking water , mosquito nets for malaria prevention , tube well within the school premise.
AID Dallas also issued letter of support to another school named Pragalaya located in a rural village in Titabor. Pragalaya has approached many in Assam but AID is the first organization to offer support. I was personally moved by supports from these volunteers having roots in different parts of India.
I feel that we Assamese living in different part of the worlds can contribute to Assam by spreading this and similar message of hope and good will. I am sure there are other individuals working in different areas , different fields. I wish that this ripple effect will cause a lasting peace and prosperity to our troubled state.
Sincerely,
Ankur
Austin , Texas
Barua25 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Barua25 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Dear Mohan:Thanks for your response. I am glad to know your background. Hopefully you have found some the answers already in my email to others lately regarding my views. Like you I am also a well wisher of Assam, and am trying to find out how best to serve Assam. In my opinion, for this we must know what is the ground level reality of things first. That is what I am exploring at present. You may say that I am going a little bit in depth in my exploration of things, and when I write something I try to write out of my strong conviction of things. I am however open for correction. For instance, when I say Assam does not have any intellectuals worth the name, I really mean it. I donot say it just to mean that we outside Assam are better than those in Assam. What I mean in the Assam Diaspora and Assam native combined, I don't see any intellectuals worth the name. You will also come to the same conclusion if you simply try to find. For a case in point, let us say we will call an guy intellectual in Assam, if he has published at least one book with in depth analysis and solutions on any burning social or political problems in Assam (such as Illegal Immigration from Bangladesh, Assam's Economic Problem, Political Problem, Flood Problem, Corruption, etc). I am not exaggerating, but you will not be able to name even five intellectuals on that basis out of our Assamese population to 20 million. Now when I say this, I would like to be challenged for discussion. (Recently Assam intellectuals have failed to show where the origin of the name Assam, and my article published in Assam on this is still unchallenegd.) This lack of Assamese intellectuals is a serious situation for Assam which we all need to know. Again I am just trying to gauge the ground level reality so that we know our problem.I hope you will keep on contributing to the net which at time might get excited on issues. But please don't be scared. We are a bunch guys with very divergent opinions and convictions who are trying to discuss Assam with the common motive that we all love Assam.ThanksRajen----- Original Message -----From: "Mohan R. Palleti" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>To: <[email protected]>Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2006 8:04 AMSubject: Re: [Assam] Poor, pathetic 'litikai' Assamese with their 'tilika' minds> RB:
> I do not live in Assam. I live in the US now. And much before that. I
> lived in Hyderabad. I grew up in Jorhat and am a half assamese from my
> mother's side.
>
> You will be right in saying that I do not know about Assam as much as you
> would do. Neither do I know of any state for that matter, because politics
> has never been my forte.
>
> When I was in India, working for ICRISAT, I was more into science and have
> worked without boarders to help poor farmers in the semi-arid tropics
> spanning, Asia, Africa and Latin America as a GIS (Geographic Information
> Systems) scientist. Now in the US I do habitat work for vertebrate species
> in the South-east US region.
>
> As a student of Engineering, during AASU andolan, I was responsible in
> pooling up resources in terms of money, medicines and clothes that the
> assamese group in Hyderabad colected for the flood affected people. Bhrigu
> Phukan at that time sent me a thank you letter thru Oykho Rajkhowa.
>
> My last name not being an Assamese last name, doesn't make me any less
> assamese than you are!
>
> regards
> Mohan
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Dear Mohan:
> > Thanks for your enlightened response. Before I respond intelleigently and
> > honestly, please let me know little bit about yourself since your last
> > name is not familiar to me. Do you live in Assam? How much you know about
> > Assam? It is imprtant for me to know these since what I wrote was based on
> > my strong convictions and years of study. However I am open for criticism
> > and correction. BTW I noticed that you have misinterpreted my writing at
> > some places which I would like to explain. Please respond.
> > Thanks
> > RB
> > Houston, Texas
> >
> > - Original Message -----
> > From: "Mohan R. Palleti" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: <[email protected]>
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 9:47 AM
> > Subject: [Assam] Poor, pathetic 'litikai' Assamese with their 'tilika'
> > minds
> >
> >
> >> RB:
> >> Your comments are very strong and objectionable. To say that there are
> >> no
> >> intellectuals left in Assam is a gross comment. And to say that every
> >> assamese outside Assam is more intelligent is I think is like blowing
> >> ones
> >> own trumpet.
> >>
> >> I agree with your comment that Assamese folks should stand up and voice
> >> their concerns in confidence. And the fact that Assam should not change
> >> to
> >> Asom. Assam should remain as Assam, if at all it should change for
> >> whatever reasons (??) It should be
> >> called Okhom, not Oxom either... because the sound of "x" is only known
> >> to
> >> us...The world does not know that assamese sound.
> >> they will misread it as OX (as in oxen) and Om as in (home). I am sure
> >> we
> >> don't want that!
> >>
> >> There are only a few people like yourself who are harping of separating
> >> from India. Majority understands why it is not the right thing to do.
> >> There are hundreds of youths who will read your message, get excited,
> >> and
> >> leave their mainstream lives to become extremists. They will
> >> probably be called heores by some, extremists by some, but in short, you
> >> will be responsible for destroying the life of a generation behind the
> >> youth. You will never be there in the middle of what they will be
> >> growing
> >> through. You will out leading a comfortable life outside the country.
> >>
> >> Intellectual minds should get their acts together to see in what way we
> >> can do or something better for the state. Every time a tree falls we
> >> don't
> >> blame
> >> GOI for that....
> >>
> >> We do need universities in Assam to come up with certification courses.
> >> I
> >> met some people in Upper Assam who is an electrician, but does not know
> >> how a switching system works.
> >>
> >> If we want our youth to be employed, we should first go to private
> >> companies like oil refineries in Numoligarh, Duliajan, other private
> >> companies, Governement offices etc. find out what skill sets they need
> >> for
> >> different jobs. Teach those skill sets in university extension centers.
> >> And make it mandatory for hiring with the necessary certifications. This
> >> is one way to keep the jobs for the youths and find them employments.
> >>
> >>
> >> Mohan R. Palleti
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> assam mailing list
> >> [email protected]
> >> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
> >>
>
>
>
>
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