Discourses From the East
The phrase “BorAxom” is a concept that has emerged as a powerful political idea in context of the upcoming state elections. It is an aspirational idea- united Assam advancing towards sustainable prosperity while safeguarding its cultural heritage. Nonetheless Bor Axom to an ordinary citizen can be a blueprint for the future that challenges the status quo. Bor Axom can secure indigenous ownership of land and resources. It’s a fair deal for every citizen and not just for the rich and the corporations, ending massive monopolies. It’s a shared pursuit of justice, equality and unity- guiding Assam towards a resilient and secure future.
Assam is not just the Gateway to the northeast, but rather it is the Gateway to Southeast Asia. It is a civilizational heartland shaped by the majestic Brahmaputra. Blessed with fertile soil, powerful rivers and rich mineral deposits, it is India’s third largest crude oil producer. Assam’s rich biodiversity stems from its location at the meeting point of different bio-geographical regions namely Indian, Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese. But the real strength of Assam is its brilliant young people and its diverse cultures.
Swargadeo Chaolung Sukapha entered Assam on 2nd December 1228 and established the Ahom Kingdom by declaring capital at Che-rai-doi. The kingdom lasted for about 600 years till 1826, when the British East India Company annexed Assam following the Treaty of Yandabo. Sukapha is the architect of Bor Axom through reconciliation, cultural assimilation and integration of diverse communities into shared Assameseidentity. His policies turned diverse and disparate indigenous tribes like Moran, Barahi, Chutiya and Kachari into a collective Assamese society. After Independence, Assamese poets and cultural icons Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and Bishnu Prasad Rabha used the term to denote the culture and way of life of all the indigenous tribes and communities of Assam. Bor Axom is a project of establishing an inclusive Assam – a unified homeland and a cultural mosaic. In contrast to a melting pot, Bor Axom will overcome cultural silos through dignity to every citizen, encourage cooperation rather than competition and agreement on core policies – the rule of law, free speech, equal citizenship and equitable development. A thriving Assamese community is possible with people of different backgrounds sharing common universal values- respect, responsibility, freedom and equality.
Assam suffered serious legacy issues both pre and post-independence stemming from colonial policies and the turbulent partition. Guided by imperialistic attitude and with expansionist strategies, the British brought drastic changes to administrative and economic affairs of the State. Assam was incorporated into the Bengal Presidency and till 1873, the British designated Bengali as the official language and recruited Bengalis from Bengal to manage the administration. The self-sustaining agrarian economy was disrupted by economic ventures such as coal and oil extraction, tea plantation, growing of cash crops, timber extraction and railroad expansion. The British promoted large scale migration of workers from Orissa, Bengal, Jharkhand and central India to Assam. The Marwari traders along with the Assamese Mahajans of Barpeta financed the immigrants substantially and expanded the cultivation of jute, rice, pulses and vegetables. In 1874, Assam was made a Chief Commissioner’s Province with Shillong as its capital and included areas that would later become separate states like Meghalaya and Mizoram. It also incorporated muslim majority areas like Goalpara and Sylhet. The British encouraged landless peasants from East Bengal to settle on wastelands and riverine areas (chars) for cultivation. The immigrants mostly muslims led to tremendous increase of population of Assam in the first three decades of the twentieth century. Later Muslim League encouraged migration aiming to make Assam a part of Pakistan. Partition created an international boundary between Assam and East Bengal (East Pakistan) but along with Hindu refugees, Muslim infiltrators continued migrating into Assam for economic reasons. Ethnic, linguistic and religious commonality also enabled infiltrators to find shelter after crossing border.
Undocumented and large scale immigration becomes problematic as it causes drastic changes in the demographic balance with increased competition for land and resources, high unemployment rates and strain on education and healthcare in addition to ethnic conflicts. Tripura is an example of how indigenous populations can be displaced irrespective of the religious affinity of the migrants. Decades-long influx of refugees from East Pakistan (Bangladesh), largely Bengali Hindus fleeing religious turmoil directly contributed to the indigenous tribal population becoming a minority. The demographic shift replaced the widely spoken languages of the indigenous people by the dominant Bengali language.
Assam Accord signed on 15th August 1985 formally ended the 6 year long Assam Movement with the primary objective to detect and deport all migrants who entered the state after 24th March 1971, the eve of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 nullifies the Assam Accord as it takes 2014 as the cut off year for granting citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians, Buddhist and Jains from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Most parts of Northeast (Sixth schedule/ILP system), except for large areas of Assam and Tripura have been excluded from the CAA. The state may face a large influx of Bengali speaking Hindus potentially reducing the indigenous Assamese speaking population to a minority thereby altering the state’s cultural and linguistic identity. They may form a powerful voting bloc, potentially undermining the interests of the indigenous.
The Assam Accord remains the foundational document that links the protection of indigenous rights with the vision of a secured and unified state. Bor Axom needs responsible, culturally aware and ethical citizens and politicians. It needs holistic development –Economic growth, Social equity and Enviromental protection. Over one lakh mature trees felled since May 2016, wide prevalence of malnourished mothers and children, closure of around 6000 schools, state leading India in land erosion and ranking among bottom five states of the country in crucial development indicators, year round air pollution, decline in tea production by 7.8%, unemployment rate 3.9%(above national average) cannot be masked by infrastructure development alone. Vision Bor Axom should be inclusive development and social cohesion incorporating “Jati- Mati- Bheti”.
Joi Ai Axom
(The author is a Guwahati based Doctor and Writer)
