Dear Shantikam, Happy New Year to you, your family and your friends !
I am glad you liked the true-story of the rhino-charge imagery in Calcutta Press in 1946. The rhino dominated some other areas of literature for some time. I remember just two more episodes which I'll write if everybody wants it. Until such time, Happy New Year to everybody ! With the best, Himendra ----- Original Message ----- From: "shantikam hazarika" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2006 3:19 AM Subject: Rhino Charge stories ! > > That was exciting. Can we have some enterprising Assamese who can retrieve > the cartoons? That may bolster Assamese morale and the journey back from the > prevalent despondency? > Bordoloi was really a lion, why could not the others be like him? > Shantikam > > > > >From: "Himendra Thakur" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: "Rajib Das" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >CC: "shantikam hazarika" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Manoj Das" > ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Ankur Bora" > ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,<[email protected]> > >Subject: Rhino Charge stories ! > >Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 10:38:49 -0800 > > > >Dear Rajib, > >Thank you for mentioning the "rhino charge" ! Let us break away from > >serious discussion for a while and get into experience sharing !! > > The first "rhino charge" cartoon that I saw as a schoolboy in Tezpur was > >in 1946 (long before you were born, maybe before your parents were born!) > >when Assam blasted the "Grouping Proposal" brought from London by a > >high-powered Cabinet Mission from the British Parliament. "Grouping" was > >supported by Nehru as a quick alternative to his power, who rebuked Assam > >with his infamous statement: "Assam must sacrifice for the greater cause of > >India." > > The Calcutta Press wholeheartedly supported Assam during our struggle > >for survival from the "Grouping" trap in May 1946. That was where I saw the > >cartoon of "rhino charge" for the first time --- a rhino (marked Assam) > >charging with its head down towards a bunch of British Parliamentarians > >who were running helter-skelter with "Grouping Proposal" papers flying all > >over --- will one of our young artists redraw that cartoon just for fun > >today? That will be very exciting ! > > Gaining international and national admiration for stubbornness, Assam > >was very soon promoted to the image of a lion: In the terrible "Direct > >Action" in Calcutta by Pakistan-supporters on August 16, 17 & 18, 1946, an > >Assamese student, Poet Amulya Barua was killed by the Muslim rioters. In a > >prompt telegraph to Surhawardy, the Pakistan-supporter Prime Minister of > >Bengal (a Chief Minister was called "Prime Minister" in those days), > >Gopinath Bardoloi, the Prime Minister of Assam asked whether he should > >dispatch a few battalions of Assam Rifles to Calcutta if Surhawardy did not > >have enough policemen to control the rioters. > > This was headlined in the Calcutta newspapers as "Assam Lion Roars ." > >We must revive our self-confidence that we inherited from the historical > >days of Chakradhwaj Singha, Atan Buragohain, Lachit Barphukan, to mention > >just a few. Your opinion "Does anyone on the ground really care ? " > >carries an undercurrent note of despondency. We must wake up from despair, > >stand on our own feet and claim our rights: Assam Assembly does not have > >the rights to change the name of the State without public endorsement ---- > >that is the crux of the "Petition" which should be rewritten in a brief > >format without the Dutch connection and without the controversial issues > >like X sound, etc. > >With love to everybody, > >Himendra > > _________________________________________________________________ > Spice up your IM conversations. New, colorful and animated emoticons. Get > chatting! http://server1.msn.co.in/SP05/emoticons/ > _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
