And I know exactly how a BROAD LITTLE Assamese mind can get a good chuckle over a subtle but meaningful starting line. It was like a long awaited opportunity, can't be an instant comment to entertain Others jokingly. That's how a silent politician mind works.
I wouldn't waste my energy on anything like it. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T -----Original Message----- From: Ram Sarangapani <[email protected]> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:44:20 To: <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Assam] Fw: Bangladeshis -the flip side of the story >**** There is no zealot like a new convert, is there :-)? You mean the new kharkhowa (zealot) who just realizes his/her roots, and suddenly starts thinking Assam If I am a zealot, I would be termed as an old one. For me, being born and brought up at Guwahati brings with the closeness for my identification & basically does the trick. I could have actually ignored all this (like some Kharkhowas), and continued my life in the US. I think, that is why these ties and bonds makes many of us discuss & argue about Assam. --Ram On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 9:38 PM, Chan Mahanta <[email protected]> wrote: > >Ram Sarangapani gets his rights by assimilation later. :-) > > > > > > > **** There is no zealot like a new convert, is there :-)? > > > > > > On Aug 18, 2010, at 9:28 PM, Dilip Deka wrote: > > > Also remember, the people who migrated to Assam many centuries ago and > their > > descendants have as much right to remain in Assam, as any of the tribes, > > hills or plain. That includes Kamal Deka, Chandan Mahanta, me and many > others. > > Ram Sarangapani gets his rights by assimilation later. :-) > > > > > > > > ----- Forwarded Message ---- > > From: Dilip Deka <[email protected]> > > To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world > > <[email protected]> > > Sent: Wed, August 18, 2010 9:20:22 PM > > Subject: Re: [Assam] Bangladeshis -the flip side of the story > > > > I have just one comment - we cannot live in the past, we need to live n > the > > present and prepare for the future. > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: Ram Sarangapani <[email protected]> > > To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world > > <[email protected]> > > Sent: Wed, August 18, 2010 7:45:26 PM > > Subject: Re: [Assam] Bangladeshis -the flip side of the story > > > > Very well put KJD. > > > > Many of the discussions like this involve a number of dichothomies. > > > > Quite often, we find some groups of people demanding a unique identity > for > > Assam (or Kashmir as the case may be). The central theme is such cases is > > Assam is so different from the rest of India, shares little with it, that > it > > needs to be separate from India. > > > > Then the same groups have absolutely no qualms of B'deshis illegally > > entering Assam, or Pakistanis encroaching into Kashmir - whereby changing > > the entire political landscape of these regions. Now, suddenly these > same > > folks are willing to embrace the B'deshis with open arms. And everyone is > > required to show empathy to the illegal immigrants. There are suggestions > to > > erase borders and think of the world with no borders. > > > > The political aims of these groups are probably hidden somewhere between > > these two juxtaposing sets of ideas. In many a case I suspect, the aim is > > cherry picking at will, and at the opportune times, and what suits them > > best. > > > > btw: Uttam - thanks for forwarding this. It is an important topic to be > > discussing, and hopefully discussions are taken in that spirit. -- Ram da > > > > Just my 2 cents. > > > > --Ram > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 7:17 PM, kamal deka <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >>>>>> When did this > >> word come about and when did the Assamese language originate is > confusing, > >> but > >> it is well established that his word and this language is not from the > days > >> of > >> Mahabharat.If that is so, what happened to the original people of > >> those Mahabharat times <<< > >> > >> If we take the legitimacy of current nation-states on the basis of > >> centuries of common continuous political rule over the same > >> geographical boundary and inhabited by the same people, then > >> practically no country on the planet meets this criteria. Simply put, > >> shifting nature of political kingdoms and their boundaries over the > >> centuries legitimize virtually no country in its present form. > >> KJD > >> > >> On Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 10:30 PM, uttam borthakur > >> <[email protected]> wrote: > >>> The following is surely not my view, as it comes from a tormentor, but > as > >> this issue appears in this forum as well, I am quoting this person > >> ad-verbatim, as he has been busy doing some research on this subject and > >> engaged in Immigration Law related activities in Australia, as I am made > to > >> understand. Please read on:- > >>> "Hi All, > >>> > >>> Reading ...... after a long time and lo .. my name seems to have > cropped > >> up here > >>> and there. Good .. it keeps me in circulation lest people forget me. I > >> would > >>> like to clarify for ......... sake that my question of who is an > Assamese > >> is > >>> something which each of us need to ask. We are all bloody immigrants > >> ourselves > >>> (a term used now in the Australian election campaign) or atleast most > of > >> us are > >>> and we came as poor people or as religious preachers or as conquerors. > >> But we > >>> have taken over the land and now call ourselves Assamese, because > >> someone, not > >>> too long ago, decided to call this part of the world as Assam. When did > >> this > >>> word come about and when did the Assamese language originate is > >> confusing, but > >>> it is well established that his word and this language is not from the > >> days of > >>> Mahabharat. > >>> > >>> If that is so, what happened to the original people of those Mahabharat > >> times ? > >>> Well, we relegated them to the backgroud, so much so that they are now > >> classed > >>> as ST and are fighting for survival, not from onslaught of > bangladeshis, > >> as > >>> .............. suggests, but from us !!!. We never ever referred to > them > >> as Assamese, > >>> but would call them as Naga or Khasi or Bodo or Lalung etc. So much so > >> that even > >>> the people who were here before us, like the original Assamese Hindu > >> people of > >>> upper Assam and Golaghat (referring to Jabeen and her folks) who later > >>> converted to Islam after coming into contact wth Azan Peer, are now no > >> longer > >>> referred to Assamese by us, the bloody immigrants, but only as Asomiya > >> Musalman. > >>> Did anyone ever refer to any of us as Assamese Hindu ? But we, the > bloody > >>> immigrants, always prefix or suffix such terms with others.. Bongali > >> Hindu is > >>> another example. > >>> > >>> No wonder, many of these people have now left us, others are trying to > >> get away > >>> from us and while still others are in the process. It is therefore no > >> wonder, > >>> that the only community that wants to get close to us as > Assamese(others > >> want to > >>> leave us anyway) i.e. the immigrants from present Bangladesh, are > >> shunned. And > >>> this in spite of the fact that there is no data on when they came as > >> immigrants, > >>> many had in fact come well before independence (as reported by the > >> Governor > >>> hujur in his report to the President.. see www.satp.org > >>> <http://www.satp.org> for the full > >> report). > >>> > >>> The question of immigration is an age old one and there are thousands > of > >> books > >>> and theories all around. The problem is not of immigrant, Chiranjit, > but > >> of > >>> perception towards immigrants. It is also a question related to > electoral > >>> politics worldwide. You may like to refer to Samuel Huntington's theory > >> of Clash > >>> of Civilization. Why for example is Assam, the only state in India to > be > >>> subdivided so many times ? Why is Assam the only state in India where > our > >> own > >>> "boys" are killing our own people ? And why is Assam, in spite of being > a > >> small > >>> state, the only one which still wants more division, not only of the > >> tribal > >>> areas or the much feared greater Bangladesh, but of the such demands as > >> Upor > >>> Axom and Namoni Axom ? > >>> > >>> Most importantly, ........., you seems to be confused of what > constitutes > >> as an > >>> Assamese, as you said it is what one feels deep down...that is a > >> subjective > >>> decision. Are you an Assamese, I ask ?Trace your family history and you > >> may find > >>> startling truths. Just because the British drew a line across Goalpara > in > >> 1947, > >>> cutting the Koch areas in half, does not necessarily make the residents > >> on the > >>> other side as Bengalis, I think. > >> ............../.......................... and others > >>> from that belt, may even have some close relatives in West Bengal > today.. > >> so > >>> were they Assamese till 15th August 1947 and became Bengalis after that > >> !!! huh > >>> !!! > >>> > >>> The issue is too large and complex. But we, the people of Assam, need > to > >> ask > >>> ourselves some basic question, and not go about opening lungis of other > >> people > >>> and getting a ........................ pleasure of seeing the > >> ..................... of a so called > >>> immigrant. After all, we referred to some at one time as "lengta Noga" > >> without > >>> realising that we have always been quite naked ourselves ..... > >>> > >>> I would agree with ............ (for a change) that we have survived > >> since the time of > >>> Mahabharat, survived greater onslaughts of Mughals and Maan and a few > >> people > >>> from Bangladesh cannot overrun us. > >>> > >>> More on the "great" saviour Gopinath Bordoloi later ...!!! > >>> > >>> Sanjiv Goswami > >>> (............) > >>> P.S. It became too long but I could write a thesis on this topic." > >>> > >>> Uttam Kumar Borthakur > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> assam mailing list > >>> [email protected] > >>> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org > >>> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> assam mailing list > >> [email protected] > >> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org > >> > > _______________________________________________ > > assam mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org > > _______________________________________________ > > assam mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org > > _______________________________________________ > > assam mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org > > > _______________________________________________ > assam mailing list > [email protected] > http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org > _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
