On the evening of May 23, Assam Governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi tweeted, “For a Hindu, cow is a sacred animal. It is a symbol of life and should be protected. Cow is a very generous animal and people consider that a cow gives more to the civilization that what she receives. We all revere and…
Read more
Elections are fascinating. The adrenaline rush of campaigning, countless debates, the anticipation of results, unpredictability, exit polls and final results. All of it. I participated directly in the last Assam Assembly elections as a part of Pranab Doley’s outreach team. Pranab contested from Bokakhat LAC, which is home to the famous Kaziranga National Park. Pranab…
Read more
In 2022, the Mising Agom Kebang (MAK), the highest literary body of the Mising community in Assam will turn 50. In preparation for its 50th Anniversary, the small Assam type building office in Karichuk, Dhemaji from where the Kebang has been operating, is finally getting a facelift. The organisation is now constructing a 3 storey…
Read more
Over 2,000 people, representing about 1,486 Mising families from two villages in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, have been demanding rehabilitation from the Assam government. Kusmita Morang and her husband Bishnu Morang were expecting their first child. The protest site, with makeshift camps in freezing cold, is not an ideal place for a seven-month pregnant woman. However,…
Read more
No, ‘tyranny of distance’ isn’t a valid excuse. The mainstream media has long been accused of not providing adequate coverage to problems of Northeast India. In response, seasoned journalists such as Rajdeep Sardesai have often used the phrase “tyranny of distance” as an explanation of sorts, albeit superficial. In 2015, floods ravaged Assam, inundating…
Read more
In a major blow to the linguistic minorities in Assam, the Gauhati University, through a notification issued on June 12, 2020, ‘discontinued’ the 6-month-long certificate/diploma courses on Mising and Rabha languages. The decision, taken during the 4th meeting of the Executive council and published as draft proceedings, highlights that the Centre for Languages and Cultural…
Read more
The State’s language law points to a homogenised nationalism overtaking minority linguistic and cultural aspirations The Assam government recently decided to promulgate a law to make the Assamese language compulsory in all schools, both public and private, including the Kendriya Vidyalayas, from Classes I to X. The State Governor has already given a formal assent to…
Read more
Much of Assam’s flood management approach is focused on building embankments which are often argued to have facilitated a process of ‘contractor raj’. A fair amount of literature and evidence over the years has highlighted that embankments often do not serve many purposes as they are often breached, either due to higher intensity of floods…
Read more
Bangalore is a major destination for migrant workers belonging to the Mising community. The Misings are the second largest tribe in Assam in northeast India. Today morning, I spoke to Ghanadhar Jimey, who is the vice president of the Mising society of Bangalore, who is actively engaged in distributing relief materials to the workers stranded…
Read moreIt was January 13. I had an important meeting lined up for the day. I called up my mother in the morning and told her that I would be busy during the day and won’t be taking calls. She informed over the phone that they were preparing for Magh Bihu, which was two days later….
Read more