Re: [Assam] My Take on 'your take ' on things

Alpana B. Sarangapani Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:35:00 -0800

Thanks C'da.

>as opposed to POSING >OBSTACLES, like Indian governance does. In the process American society reaps the

O' wait a minute. What obstacles did India pose for you, C'da? Made you sign a bond saying that you couldn't leave without working for them for a few rupees for 5 or 10 years? If they did not do all or any of these, we would have thought you were a 'khaai paat fola'. :)

From: Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Alpana B. Sarangapani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Assam] My Take on 'your take ' on things
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:03:36 -0600

Very well said Alpana :-).

c-da

At 2:28 PM -0600 2/28/07, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:

Hi C'da:

Just felt like jumping in again.

>*** Yes indeed. I agree with you that the 'basic unit-----individual'.

>And I agree that I left because I saw NO potential to advance my own career or potential in >the society I was in. And it is true that America provided me, an INDIVIDUAL, the >opportunities to advance my interests and realize my potentials, as opposed to POSING >OBSTACLES, like Indian governance does. In the process American society reaps the benefit of >the advancement of individuals like myself.

Not so easy, C'da. Even if you stayed in Assam without doing anything fot the Assamese or the state of Assam per se, would not make you a patriot or make you bigger than us (the rest of the NRAs :)). You (in general, not just 'you', C'da) will have to do what people like Ms. RoyChoudhury, Mr. Teron, Mr. Lucose (if not as big as Mother Teresa), and many others are doing for the people or the state.

Earning a living for oneself and his/her family and not doing things for others won't do the trick or won't give one the title who has special love for Assam, would it?

So, there goes my take on a subject very close to the hearts of many of the "Nibaxi"s and the "Probaxi"s of Assam.

Cheers!

From: Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Nayanjyoti Medhi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Assam] My Take on Independence - I-V COMBINED
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 13:34:12 -0600

blockquote, dl, ul, ol, li {padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;}

One thing at a time Nayan , be patient :-).

I will be pleased to reply to everything.

*** The cut and paste routine is IMPORTANT to keep the CONTEXT in front of us.

It is merely a FORMAT and does not effect the substance. So I am baffled by your or Chitta's allergy to the form, while you digress from the substantial issues or avoid them altogether.

>is that the main question that needs to be deabted now is not how to gain >independence and what will happen if Assam is ever made/gains independent >(independence).

*** I understand and agree. And I addressed it before, but you all either do not see or ignore it.

BEFORE we can examine how to END the conflict, one must examine the CONDITIONS that gave rise to it to begin with. Is that an irrational perception on my part Nayan?

I will accept that you know far more about the conditions prevalent in Assam today than I could, even though I like to think I am fairly well educated abut them. And in facxt I know a whole lot more about the conditions in the back-woods of Assam than even you might.

So, you tell us, IF the conditions that gave rise to the conflict have been eradicated, or ameliorated and point to a discernable trend for positive change for us to draw conclusions from.

*** And if it is not there to be found or seen, what would you recommend?

        Do something about the conditions?

        Expect ULFA to disappear, regardless?

        Implore Indian military to wipe them out?

        Sincerely enter into negotiations for a political solution,

        with gives and takes?

        Implore people like me not to foment trouble from abroad :-), like

        you have been doing?

        Something else?



>it would be further helpful if you can give some concrete facts about this >independence thing

**** Like WHAT? What 'concrete' fact do you want? The question is so vague, even a two bit desi-judge would overrule you if you asked a witness such a question in a court.

> yours too is made up that it is good

*** The difference is in JUSTIFICATION. My position is a result of analyzing and coming to a logical conclusion. It was NOT an idea pulled out from under my hat and put on a pedestal as an icon.

But those of you who are so mortified by independence have NOT been able to , not even attempted to that is, to articulate a sentence on WHY it is BAD.

Is that what, educated, rational people, able to reason, do?

Go ahead make your case why it is BAD. Try your persuasive skills. We are all ears here :-).

>"THE BASIC UNIT OF ANY SOCIETY IS ALWAYS AN INDIVIDUAL" and it come out from >your very own example. you decided to go to america for your own benefit, not >for assam. if you had any feelings for assam then you would have stayed back >and fought for the betterment of this society / system.

*** Yes indeed. I agree with you that the 'basic unit-----individual'.

And I agree that I left because I saw NO potential to advance my own career or potential in the society I was in. And it is true that America provided me, an INDIVIDUAL, the opportunities to advance my interests and realize my potentials, as opposed to POSING OBSTACLES, like Indian governance does. In the process American society reaps the benefit of the advancement of individuals like myself.

THAT is what Assam society needs to do to improve its own condition: By REWARDING the able, the producers, the risk-takers and the law-abiding, while

deterring the opposite.

That is why Assam needs to retool its governance.

But since I left, does not make MY views any less RELEVANT or my suggestions DETRIMENTAL or DESTRUCTIVE, provided they are substantial otherwise, like Dalit's in a casteist India might.

Wouldn't you agree?

>I think the answer is right in front of us. economic and social upliftment >of assam (assamese society).

*** You answered your own question to that. But there is MORE to it.

        Independence is not ALL about economic and social upliftment alone.

        That is why I said, it is bot a trophy and a tool. People do not

        live by bread alone. If they did, India would not have fought

        for its independence, and losing hundreds of thousands of lives of

        their own in the process.

For economic upliftment, the NUMBER ONE requirement is to EMPOWER the INDIVIDUALS by giving them the all TOOLS to help their own lots with: An education, basic healthcare, a society with rule of law, protect property rights, provide infrastructure, open up markets and so forth. That is the ONLY way. Not by giving them bribes, or handouts for no work. Assam cannot sustain itself by hoping to receive more handouts from India. Not sustainable!

Question is HOW will that happen under the system in place.

You tell us, and I will change views. Is that a deal :-)?

c-da

At 12:23 AM +0530 3/1/07, Nayanjyoti Medhi wrote:

C Da,

Please stop your cut and paste routine and reply to my views. i am sorry to see that you have altogether avoided the example (you) i have cited in my views. i have also included the possible solution (although its in one or two words only) which needs to be further deliberated upon so as to fine tune it, but i see that you have decided to remain silent on that front too. But yes, this confirms my views on what i have written earlier on turning your back on the situations. and it would be further helpful if you can give some concrete facts about this independence thing. just like Chittaranjan Pathak has made up his mind that independence is bad, yours too is made up that it is good. but he has been able to cite history and present supporting his views whereas you have been repeating the same thing (INDEPENDENCE) without giving any concreate supporting evidence for the same.

i would further invite you to give your views on "THE BASIC UNIT OF ANY SOCIETY IS ALWAYS AN INDIVIDUAL" in relation to your going to america and its implication on assam (assamese society).

On 2/28/07, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Hi Nayan:

I am very pleased to see this note from you. You are the FIRST and ONLY one to ACKNOWLEDGE :

" i only liked the one you wrote about "Assam's governmental system". i liked it because it is what is required.

*** That WAS the thrust of my entire effort.

*** Oh, I know there are others who know that too. Some don't express it, because they are with it; have been all along. There are others who DID NOT expect to see what I proposed. They thought I was about to hang myself and gave me all the rope to help me along :-). The deafening silence however is understandable:

        One can decry it, but at the cost of losing all credibility.

        Some truly don't know and yet others play 'no-comprendo' :-) and

        thus unable to decide if it is good, bad or no different.

        Some have long decided, out of their own lack of self-assurance

        and lack of faith in their own abilities that these are UTOPIAN

        ideas which others like them--(kharkhowas after all:-( --will never

        be able to attain. Governance to them is such a mysterious thing, thanks

        to the perception they grew up with: That once the polity elected

        their govt. 'democratically', that is the end of THEIR responsibilities.

        Thus talking about something unattainable only will only

        encourage and egg-on the disaffected, which will put at risk whatever

        they and their near and dear ones have eked out so far, either by

        their own efforts or thru the largesse of reverse Robinhoodism of

        Assam and Indian Govts.

>What you want for Assam is laudable but is it what the people want? I think Mr. >Chittaranjan Pathak has more or less placed the true state of affairs from past >to present.

*** I do not see Chitta's post in that light. His mind is made up on the fact that 'independence for Assam is BAD---so don't bother me with the facts of WHY it is even needed', just like all most others here.

*** What YOU write however requires further deliberation: "--but is it what the people want?"

That has to be looked at in view of WHAT they KNOW. Do the people KNOW what they want and WHY they want it?

That is why I posed the question about Independence: Is it a TROPHY or a TOOL?

*** This was NEVER explored and discussed by Assam intelligentsia--the people who lead, and educate their uninformed.

That is exactly why WE need to analyze it, discuss it, help people understand WHERE the root of their disaffections lie, what possible solutions may be and of course they could be attained. That independence is an essential TOOL and not merely a trophy or an end unto itself, like many of our friends have long accepted.

*** But without doing that, to assert that the PEOPLE don't WANT it, like Chitta does and many others past or present do, is not a RATIONALE stance. Should not be.

What do you think?

c-da

PS: Thanks for sharing your background. It is very impressive. I hope it will take you places :-).





At 11:09 PM +0530 2/28/07, Nayanjyoti Medhi wrote:

C Da,

Sorry for the slight delay but i wanted to go through what the consolidated reading of your whole series meant to me. When i congratulated you on your piece, i did not mean all the things you wrote. i only liked the one you wrote about "Assam's governmental system". i liked it because it is what is required. but that does not in any way mean that it is also attainable ans ofcourse sustainable once somehow its attained.

next, although i had made up my mind to share a few thoughts with assamnet about your whole series, but in light of what Mr. Chittaranjan Pathak has written all i wanted to share has become redundent. i could not possibly have said it better than him. What you want for Assam is laudable but is it what the people want? I think Mr. Chittaranjan Pathak has more or less placed the true state of affairs from past to present.

But from my limited intelligence and experience what i have been able to conclude is that the main question that needs to be deabted now is not how to gain independence and what will happen if Assam is ever made/gains independent (independence). Infact the main question is that why independence and what to do to stop this bloodshed in the name of independence.

I think the answer is right in front of us. economic and social upliftment of assam (assamese society). now you will say that everybody knows this. of course they do. but why nothing is happening?

let us take an example. say your example- why did you leave assam and go to america. because america could offer you more than what assam or for that reason, india could offer you (what more commonly is known as brain drain). i think that one of the main reasons of your going to america is the better living standards there (read with better economic conditions for you and your family/ better education for your children and so on). now the question arises as to how to retain persons like you in assam. the answer would be to offer you something more than what america is offering. if assam cannot retain its people then how can it prosper. and is it the duty of only the government to do the spoonfeeding for its intellects? the best brains of assam are either NRA's or DEAD (in jungles of BHUTAN, MYANMAR, ASSAM ARUNACHAL etc.,). so who's left in assam to manage its resources. inexperienced duds like us ofcourse.

so now another question arises as to who is to be blamed for this pathetic situation of assam. the people of assam / government of india / assam who are somehow keeping it all under control or the better capables with sufficient knowhow and intellect who could have contributed to the development of assam and the assamese society but instead chose to show their backs to the situation and are living happily as NRAs and like to debate on internet showing off their computer skills.

i'll let you and all others who crave independence for assam decide this. and another thing i'd like to bring to your notice "THE BASIC UNIT OF ANY SOCIETY IS ALWAYS AN INDIVIDUAL" and it come out from your very own example. you decided to go to america for your own benefit, not for assam. if you had any feelings for assam then you would have stayed back and fought for the betterment of this society / system.

And as for my inexperience:

I have a Degree in Political Science

and am a practising lawyer in Gauhati High Court having my very own Chamber

Was the Class Representative to the Students Union in J. B Law College

was awarded the Rashtrapati Scout award in 1996.

was the General Secretary of the B. Borooah College Mountaineering and Allied Sports Unit.

represented Assam in the East Zone Sport Climbing competition held in Kolkata in 1997 and 98

still hold the 2nd position among rock climbers in Assam (till the last competition which was held in 2003)

Am a member of the Explorers Mountaineering club

was member of the pioneer Rafting Expeditions in Beki and Namsang rivers

Was a News Stringer for DD NEWS (Guwahati) and also produced various documentaries on the socio economic problems and solutions for the PPC (NE)

and i do not live in a fools paradise.

--
Nayanjyoti Medhi
Advocate
Gauhati High Court

Chamber:
Satya Bora Lane, Dighalipukhuri East
Guwahati-781001, Assam

Residence:
8, Chandan Nagar Bye Lane-2
Basistha Road, Guwahati-28
Assam

Phone:
+91 361 2416960
+91 94350 43007
+91 99547 13443

Email:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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