>If you want to go against the
GOA, AT, Sentinel for changing to Asom, THEN you cannot do it from here -
>however correct/scientific your rationale is. Manoj too hinted at this.
Ram:
I want to make the following
correction to your statement.
Assam Government has not changed
the name to Asom. They are still writing Assam in all their circulars. From
inside information, I was told they have no intention to change the name which
is a hot potato for them and which need Constitutional change.
So it is only AT and Sentinel and
individuals coppying these papers.
The people of Assam and the
Assamese diaspora do not have any interest to do anything for Assam is because
people are morally down. You can lift the moral of the people by exploring and
exposing the truth..
Assam - Asom issue has the
'truth'.
You cannot do any of the issues
unless the people of Assam are interested. Does it mean you sit tight and do
nothing? What you are suggesting, " "We could have solved the Brahmaputra flood
problem. Damn for the people of Assam. They are not interested."?
Rajen Barua
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 11:59
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Book on life,ideals
of Sankaradeva released(The Assam Tribune, 1...
Barua,
>These are the symptoms of a
disease of a nation. Do you know what is the >disease? These are the
symptoms of a dying nation.
>Next time if some NGO says it
has more important things to do than any of >these, you should know that
they are the problem
Your points are well taken, and
you are right about all of them I think.
But let us look at this from a
practical view point. And this is what I have been trying to hammer out in
these mails:
If you want to go against the
GOA, AT, Sentinel for changing to Asom, THEN you cannot do it from here
- however correct/scientific your rationale is. Manoj too hinted at this.
If you do NOT have an interest or
suport from Assam, then all this is just academic, amounts to nothing more
than spitting in the wind.
With all the problems that Assam
faces, you must show/convince them that this name change to Asom issue is
a crucial one, and possibily more important than floods, parched fields,
corruption etc. And that is the problem.
If you can, all power to you
.
Whether people in Assam are doing
somthing about any of the problems, or not is not the issue. Their undying
interest in your proposal is what is more important - Do you think you have
that from them?
--Ram
On 9/14/06, Barua25
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>I even talked to quite a few people, and
NGOs in Guwahati, some quite influential, about this. The usual
response >was lukewarm. They reminded me that Assam has far too many,
more important problems to be worried about >Assam or Asom, and this
issue was way down the list.
>Moreover, they were least worried about the impending doom to
their identity as Assamese or even Sanskritization >of
Assamese.
Ram:
What you are saying is the
symptom of of bigger disease.
1) Assamese are not interested
in illegel immigration from Bangadesh. (Have you seen any protest during the
last 10 years on this? Anybody doing a investigative writing on this?)
2) Assamese are not interested
in Brahmaputra Flood problem. These comes and goes, who cares. (Any writing
or reports or protests?)
3) Assam is lowest in the
economic ladder in the North East not to speak of India. (Have you seen any
editorial on this?)
4) Assam has the worst
corruption in India. (Anybody crying or trying to do anything?)
5) Assamese are not interested
what name its state have, Assam or Asom? May be it will go without a
name. (Have you seen a single Editorial on this?)Who
cares?)
6) Assam Tea production is
going down (Anybody trying to offer any solution?)
7) Assam is suffereing fron
century's worst draught. (Any analysis by any paper. ) Who
cares?
8) Who cares how one writes the
name of the Assamese cultural Guru's name: Sankaradeva or Xonglordew? (What
is your problem mister?)
These are the symptoms of a
disease of a nation. Do you know what is the disease? These are the symptoms
of a dying nation.
Next time if some NGO says it
has more important things to do than any of these, you should know that they
are the problem.
Rajen Barua
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006
11:14 AM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Book on
life,ideals of Sankaradeva released(The Assam Tribune, 1...
Hi Manoj,
>Nonetheless we needn't have changed "Assam" to "Asom"- which >is
a very old brand.
I totally agree with you. However, you or I will find little or no
interest here or even in Assam. I even talked to quite a few people, and
NGOs in Guwahati, some quite influential, about this. The usual
response was lukewarm. They reminded me that Assam has far too many, more
important problems to be worried about Assam or Asom, and this issue was way
down the list.
Moreover, they were least worried about the impending doom to
their identity as Assamese or even Sanskritization of
Assamese.
Someone like C'da or Barua could spearhead such an awareness at
least, I have had no luck even garnering tacit support.
--Ram da
On 9/13/06, Manoj
Das <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
Hello Ramda
Being from Upper Assam with a "daath jeeva"- it's really difficult
for me and likes of me to pronounce the xangskritised Axomiya language, as
done by say, Hironda (Hiron Dutta) of All India Radio. I
personally would have been more comfortable with something "bechi
gaonlia' like "Okkhom".
Nonetheless we needn't have changed "Assam" to "Asom"- which is a
very old brand. The equity of that brand is as strong as "India". Some
words get evolved over time and are best left as it is. A change will
simply create confusion or erode the equity.
MKD
On 9/13/06, Ram
Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED] >
wrote:
C'da,
Bhuban da and Manoj do make some good points. Yes, you and Barua
are probably right about the 'subject mentality' and also how 'Assam'
got mis-transliterated.
Like it or not, OXX has been bestowed the 'literary
authority' as it consists of most of the famous literary figures in
Assam.
Now, you can say -why should we listen to the dictates of OXX or
the GOA etc? Well, the question can be turned around and the common man
on the street can well ask why they should follow your or my path to
spellings and transliteration.
Now, (even if they are all wrong, and say you, Barua, and some
others are right), how would non-literary types like myself (or Monoj -
sorry Monoj) propose a drastically different spelling or go against the
best literary minds in Assam?
>the ignorant public takes it lying down,
Never thought, I would hear that from you? What then, do you
recommend that this public do?
>It is those who have no self esteem, continue to kow-tow to
>superior language gods, be it Xongskrit, be it English.
So, this is really NOT about transliteration at all, is it? It is
more about the Assamese identity. Why not sell that idea straight
out of the box, instead of mixing it up with transliteration - after all
the common man is ignorant :).
You know, some of us actually took out an online petition against
this name issue. Want to know the results?
Well, 5 voted for it, and no one else cared one way or the other.
There was absolutely NO interest - even from
those who were touting opposition to the GOA's changing the name to
Asom, ga-ga -ing all the way, and egging us to start the petition.
Well, I just reminded, once again, some of us were taken for
another ride. I am still sore from that rough ride :)
On 9/13/06, Chan
Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
Dear BK:
I can't see HOW the Oxom Xahityo Xobha could become the sole
custodian of the Assamese language or the Assamese identity.
It is typical of desi-demokrasy, where elections seem to bestow
dictatorial/monarchical powers to bureaucrats and elected reps., and
the ignorant public takes it lying down, while the intelligentsia,
similarly clueless remain invisible and silent.
>Rajen ought to get
a full hearing as anybody else.
*** It is NOT just Rajen's pet peeve. It is an issue for all
Assamese who care about its 'ostitwo', its claim to an identity all
its own, without apologies, without having to bow to ANYONE.
It is those who have no self esteem, continue to kow-tow to
superior language gods, be it Xongskrit, be it English.
*** About the 'Sankaradeva' spelling for example, could it have
been that when the first British colonial masters transliterated the
name, were also people who
were Xongskrit learners, and could not separate the
Assamese from its Sanskrit
connections? Thus they chose to Sanskritize an Assamese name,
when they transliterated them in English.
Once that happened, the subject people, and even their
intellectuals albeit similarly burdened by a subject mentality, could
not imagine transliterating Xongkordev. Instead they followed the
steps of their colonial masters.
And to this day, some, including for example the AT, cannot
imagine breaking from that tradition of colonial servitude, just like
many of Assam's intelligentsia.
But why should WE?
Best.
c
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="UTF-8"
Content-Language: en
Dear MKD/Mike et al
It appears the State Government sought Asam Sahitya
Sabha's views on the matter of renaming Assam. It is possible
without the benefit of wide discussion and debate the Sahitya Sabha
recommended the change to Asom and the State Government accepted it.
Perhaps even now Asam Sahitya Sabha can take up the
matter again. It is not too late as the necessary Constitutional
amendments are yet to take place. Rajen ought to get a full hearing
as anybody else.
Regards
Bhuban
_______________________________________________
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
--
Manoj Kumar Das
C 172 Gr Floor
Sarvodaya
Enclave
New Delhi 110017
Tel: 91 11 26533824
Telefax: 91 11
26533829
Hand Phone: 91 9312650558
Be so unselfish that
when God writes your destiny; he can be free to ask: What do you want?
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