C'da,
Saleh sahib makes a very good case for keeping the name Assam. He gives us the historical perspective, and good logical reasoning.
--Ram
On 9/16/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Very fine,well researched informative article by
Saleh Saheb at
http://nenews.info/index.php?id=844. One of the
best!
cm
By Wahid Saleh
In February, the Assam Cabinet adopted a
resolution to change the official name of the
state from Assam to Asom. The reason given is
that the name Assam is not an indigenous one and
was coined by the British. Are there any
historical documents to prove that the name Assam
was given by the British?
The Dutch are famous for keeping records. A quick
search of the word Assam in the Dutch archives
gave the following results:
A map of the Kingdom of Bengale was published
around 1662. The map was drawn by a Dutchman, Joh
van Leenen, who was in "Bengale" in 1661. This
map was ordered by Mattheus van den Broucke
(1620-1685) and was inserted in the collection of
François Valentijn's Oud en nieuw Oost-Indien
(Dordrecht, 1724). The name Assam appears on the
map.
A letter sent by Joan Maertsuyker,
Governor-General of the Dutch Batavia,
congratulated Mirjumala on 29 August, 1663
addressing him as "Š.Grooten Mogol in Assam".
Another Dutch publication Vervarelyke Schip-breuk
van 't Oost-Indisch jacht Ter Schelling, based on
a diary kept by a Dutchman who in 1662 was forced
to fight with the army of Mirjumla published in
1675, mentions the names Assam and Assamer, as
the names of the region and its inhabitants,
respectively.
The story of Travelling with Clara mentions that
a rhino calf was captured in 1738 in Assam in the
kingdom of the Great Mogol. The rhino named Clara
arrived in Rotterdam on 22-07-1741 and was
exhibited all over Europe. Even today, different
paintings and statues of Clara can be found in
different museums of the world.
Moreover, before the British arrived in Assam
different Mughal historians used the names Assam,
Asham, Ascham, Acham and Ásám in their writings."
Asom" with an "o" in between was unknown to them.
In particular, the word Assam is mentioned in the
following publications: Abul Fazal Allámi in his
compilation of Akbarnama, a biographical account
of Akbar (1542 -1605) mentioned "Rajah of Asham"
Abd al-Hamid Lahuri is known solely for his
official history of the reign of Mughal Emperor
Sahjahan, entitled Padshah-namah(1627-1647). He
wrote about the rebellion in Kúch-Hájú, which
lies on the banks of the Brahmaputra, a large
river, two kos in width, which flows from the
country of Áshám into Bengal.
Alamgir-Namah, The Book of Aurangzeb by Muhammad
Kazim ibn Muhammad Amin (1657-1667), Aurangzeb's
secretary mentions Asham. Assam is also mentioned
in Shahábuddin Tálásh's work, Tarikh-i Mulk-i
Áshám . This is an account of the expedition to
Assam undertaken in the fourth year of the reign
of Aurangzeb Adab-i`Alamgiri, written by Sayhkh
Abu al-Fath Qabil Han (1662), compiled by Sayh
Muhammad Sadiq of Ambala (1703 ) which is a
collection of letters, state papers and documents
written in the name of Aurangzeb, also mentions
Assam.
"Assam" is mentioned in the book
Baharistan-i-Ghaibi written by Alauddin Isfahan
alias Mirza Nathan, a history of the Mughal wars
in Assam, Cooch Behar, Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
during the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan,
translated from the original Persian by MI Borah,
Gauhati, 1936.
Jean Baptiste Tavernier (1605 - 89), a French
jeweller and traveller in his work Travels in
India, published in 1676 uses the spelling
"Assen" for Assam in the French original.
Impero Del Gran Mogol (India) by Giovanni
Albrizzi published in Venice in 1740 mentions
"Acham" in this map of India from Atlante
Novissimo Che Contiene Tutte Le Parti Del Mondo
... This atlas was published in Venice and based
mainly on the work of Isaak Tirion.
Acham is mentioned in French cartographer
Rigobert Bonne's Carte de la Partie Superieure de
l' Inde en deça du Gange, published around 1770.
The British arrived in Assam well after the
Mughals went into decline and the reign of the
Ahoms also had been weakened. The Treaty of
Yandaboo was signed in 1826, under which Burma
ceded all claims to Assam and other parts of what
is the North-east today, and Assam came under
British administration.
The British changed the original names of places
in India only when they had a problem pronouncing
the indigenous names properly. Assam was not that
kind of word.From the above, it can be concluded
that the British did not coin the name Assam; it
existed well before the British! India has not
changed its name from India to Bharat, at least
in English. If India can live with the name of
India, why can't the Assamese live with the name
Assam? Do they have any valid reason to change
the name from Assam to Asom?
Moreover, Assam is a "brand name". Assam is known
all over the world for its finest tea besides
having 820 species of birds (highest for any
Indian state). Assam is an established name
amongst the ornithologists. Changing the name of
Assam may only marginalise whatever little name
recognition the Assamese have in the world today.
According to Raijor Batori published by the Assam
government, the change of name from Assam to Asom
is still in a resolution form and is not yet
official. It still has to get the Central
government's approval. Respected and prestigious
English language newspapers like The Assam
Tribune, instead of conducting a debate to decide
if the right spelling of the word Asom or Assam
have simply started using the name Asom. It seems
by this blind adoption, the print media is trying
to make it a fait accompli.
India prides itself as a democratic country and
plays a role model. In a democracy, there is no
room for a hasty decision on an important
non-crisis issue such as this without any public
debate and to pass a hasty resolution for the use
of the spelling Asom, for political purposes.
It would be appreciated by all concerned if the
Assam government states openly the arguments in
support of their proposal to change the name of
the state. It seems in Assam at least on this
issue those who speak don't know, and those who
know, don't speak.
For an important issue like changing the
historical identity of a region and its people,
sufficient time and scope should be given for
discussion and debate. Based on the historical
evidence produced above, the author feels that
this evidence should be brought to the notice of
all concerned and the proposal to change the name
of Assam to Asom should be withdrawn.
(The writer, an Assamese from Jorhat, lives in the Netherlands.)
Courtesy : The statesman
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