Will you guys let Chandan Mahanta compose his thoughts and finish his write-up
before you start jumping all over him? If you don't, he will get sidetracked
and the discussion will end up as convoluted as it did in the past. Let Mr.
Mahanta give the signal when he is done writing and ready for comments. Is that
fair?
I have a valid reason for stepping in. I invited Chandan Mahanta to say his
piece as a starting point.
Dilip
================================================================
Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
That was a pretty good prologue.
At least one comment (for now)
>It will do the our netters good, if they can de-link the two issues. It will
help them look at it >objectively, as opposed to as knee-jerk reactions
triggered by ULFA antipathy.
Huh! The onus is on the supporters of "independence" not on others.
Why don't the supporters of "independence" de-link completely and absolutely
from what ULFA does. Why don't they publicly opposed their violence, oppose
their stance and ideas for independence. Why don't they stop tacit support for
ulfa.
Why don't they come up with their OWN ideas - which does not take the violent
path of ulfa. Basically, why don't they form their own opinions instead of
running their campaign on the coattails of ulfa.
And till such supporters do that - it is obvious that their motives would be
confused with those of the ulfa. (BTW - is that so bad?)
Just my thoughts:)
--Ram
On 2/18/07, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I have been long
gone from Assam when the people first took to the streets in the eighties; got
shot at, beaten up and imprisoned and then took to arms; in the quest for
Assam's independence. I was however aware of the first stirrings and the first
expressions of resentment against Indian rule as far back as 1962 or
thereabouts, when I completed my high school at Guahati. I left Assam in 1963
to attend IIT-KGP and left India in 1970. For two decades thereafter I had
slowly become increasingly distanced from events and issues in Assam, primarily
due to the difficulty of communication and the rigors of making a living and
helping raise a family, like most others in my shoes; almost to the point that
Assam was beginning to become a distant memory.
Then came Assam net. Instantly I became re-connected to my roots . That was
1992 I think. And forgive the levity, the rest is history :-).
I heard about ULFA, even before Assamnet. I remember the almost euphoric
exuberance amongst our fellow Probaxi Oxomiyas, including those who today are
some of its most strident and vocal opponents and how they applauded ULFA's
activities in the pursuit of Assam's political self-assertion and even on such
acts as summary justice meted out to corrupt officials and so forth. At no time
before or since had I seen such Assamese nationalist aspirations vented. At
times it was almost scary, because otherwise knowledgeable and thoughtful
people were applauding acts of vengeance and obvious acts of ethnic/linguistic
animosity. It signaled a desperate yearning for effective and responsive
governance and yet displayed a gaping void in the understanding of the
fundamentals of the governance of a society with a rule of law. What is however
incongruous is that waving of the flag of democracy that my compatriots so
love to do, no doubt from that desire to be associated with and noticed
by that other great exponent of democracy, our very own United States.
This discourse is NOT about ULFA. It is about the WHYs of independence. But
ULFA being the most or only vocal of its proponents, the issue immediately gets
lumped with ULFA. It will do the our netters good, if they can de-link the two
issues. It will help them look at it objectively, as opposed to as knee-jerk
reactions triggered by ULFA antipathy.
Next: My Take on Why Independence-!
cm
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