My lessons from Assam 2021- Tribals are not a uniform ‘vote bank’

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…

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An Agitation For Home And Hearth In Assam

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,…

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Why is the national media ignoring the Mising protest in Assam?

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…

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GU’s ‘discontinuation’ of Mising, Rabha courses: Blow to ‘inclusive education’

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…

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MISING MIGRANT WORKERS AND COVID19 PANDEMIC

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…

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THE AUTONOMY QUESTION

(ABSTRACT: The states in the North-eastern part of India are known for it’s anti Indian movements. Most of them are against the forced blanket concept of Indian Nationalism and are rising against the Pan-Indian state. And again there are smaller ethnic communities who are again fighting against their own states creating a multi-layered identity movements. Here,…

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The Tabooed Women: Understanding the role of women in Rituals among the Misings and the Deori communities of Assam

“Sure God created man before woman. But then you always make a rough draft Before the final masterpiece” –Anonymous Fact 1: There are a very few discussions on Gender. Most of the times people try to avoid it seeing it as a controversial topic. Fact 2: Most of the discussion becomes unfruitful as every participant…

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Marriage by order

My Sister did it, So did my elder brother. And the end result is that I can’t do it. What I am talking about is ‘eloping with the loved one’. My eldest sister eloped with her boyfriend with the pretext of going to the market for shopping. The guy (my brother-in-law) belongs to totally different…

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