Wow! I never thought I will live to see this from the AT :-)!
Great job TEAM! Yes, we should take this little success in humility, and keep that pressure up. c At 10:55 PM -0600 1/5/07, Rajen & Ajanta Barua wrote:
Editorial in Assam Tribune:We are really glad to see that Assam Tribune has now published this Edotorial. Although it is due to the influence of our petition, we don't have to take any credit for that. We sincerely wish that for the sake of Assam, the movement for the name of Assam will grow, and finally GOA will rescind the resolution and form an Advisory Committee to publicly discuss and debate the issue.Two related news items: One: there had been a dharna in Dibrugarh to retain the name of Assam. Two: Today, there is a conference in Guwahati titled 'Save the Name of Assam'.We request everybody to personal Letters to the Editor speacially to the Assam Tribune supporting our position to retain the name of Assam.Thanks Rajen Barua --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Past WeekPast MonthPast 3 MonthsPast 6 MonthsPast YearSince 2004 Guwahati, Saturday, January 06, 2007EDITORIAL MESSAGE FOR TODAY A name is a kind of face whereby one is known. FULLER Assam or Asom?That the Assembly decision changing the name of the State from Assam to Asom for all purposes has not gone down well with the public should be evident from the mounting opposition to the change. And the opposition is definitely not without merits. The State Government showed an undue haste in effecting the change, and more importantly, did not bother to invite public opinion on such an important issue. No doubt, names of many places have undergone changes in recent times, especially those involving distorted names given by the British, mostly out of ignorance. It is perfectly natural that the people of a particular geographical entity would always prefer to be identified with the original name of their land due to factors related to sentiment, culture and heritage. The sanctity associated with the original name of a place is undeniable, as names are invariably linked to our past civilizations and sometimes they even transcend history and date back to the days of myths and legends. In a way, names constitute our very identity. The present controversy over Assam, however, is different for several reasons. First, Assam was not a British-given name as sought to be established by the Government. The origin of the word Assam can be traced back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Historical documents of the Mughal period and Dutch chronicles of pre-British era corroborate this.History apart, we will only put ourselves in a disadvantageous position by effecting a change in the name Assam. The name Asom is unlikely to serve any purpose outside the State, where it has been known as Assam for centuries. Before effecting such a hasty change, we would do well to have a closer look at some important aspects that need careful consideration. The word Assam has gained global acceptance, given that whatever little international recognition the State has, it centres around the word Assam as in the case of Assam tea, Assam oil, Assam rhino, etc. Under the circumstances, the word Assam has become the brand name for various products of the State, and any change in the word Assam could have an adverse effect on our own interests. Moreover, the word Asom will always be there for local uses. Prudence, therefore, dictates that we should be extremely cautious before going ahead with a change in the name Assam. If at all there is any need for a change to Asom or Axom, a public debate must precede it. It is for us to ensure that in correcting a supposed historical wrong, we should not end up on the losing side. Imposing Asom in place of Assam might, instead of yielding the desired results, prove to be a step backwards and do more harm than good to our image or identity. In the past two hundred years or so, the word Assam gained some global currency and it may take a long time for the word Asom to achieve the same. In such a situation, the interests of the State and the people are bound to suffer. Another difficulty with changing the name of Assam to Asom is that many of the ethnic communities living in the State have already vented their strong opposition to Asom. The controversy over the word Assamese is still fresh, and changing the name of Assam to Asom is likely to be viewed by the ethnic groups as an attempt to impose the will of the majority Assamese because of the obvious link between the words Asom and Asomiya (Assamese). This will only create chaos, confusion, mistrust and division, which we can ill-afford. It is imperative that the overall interest of the State should get precedence over a change in name. Or else, the exercise is unlikely to serve the cause of the State and the people.
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