I AND MY WORDS

Linguistic Map of Assam - courtesy Sagir Ahmed 2012 and 2014 were two years that brought bad memories about ethnic violence of the Bodoland regions of Assam. In both these cases, there was direct conflict between the Bodo tribal factions of the National Democratic Front for Bodoland and the Muslims in the region, leading to severe violence. Issues of victimization and the unfairness of the rehabilitation politics have plagued the discussion. However, for those who have followed Assam politics and culture, this was neither the first conflict, nor is it expected to be the last one. In 2007, there were raids made by Bodo guerilla groups on Adivasi populations of Assam, flaring up the Faultline further. In the first part of the series, there was discussion on the language-ethnicity faultlines that have caused much friction in Assam and had touched upon the various concerns on cultural concerns, with some socio-economic aspects causing the crisis. The piece was mostly centere

Srimanta Sankaradeva, a Beacon of Assamese Culture (Courtesy: Wikipedia) As the year 2020 starts, Assam continues to debate issues that have refused to die for decades now. This is not to undermine the seriousness of the issues – illegal immigration is certainly a big problem and a national security concern for us. However, the paradigm of the discussion often takes into itself the discussion of Assamese identity, the native vs outsider narrative, and the demographic sensitivities all wrapped in one. This has hampered a fair dialogue and introspection in general on the issues that Assam faces, and the state has certainly lost out in the face of fresh ideas, with a sense of stagnation setting in the state and its people’s discourse. Given this situation, perhaps it is important that one looks into the complex issues of identity, origin and clashes on the subject at large. One important reason for me writing this multi part piece is my belief that sometimes an outsider’s pe