My mind towards Assamese Literature was literally like an Axanto Electron. (The electron is a subatomic particle carrying a negative electric charge. It has no known components or substructure. Therefore, the electron is generally thought to be an elementary particle.) Coming from an English medium school I hadn’t read anything Assamese apart from my course work all my life. SKC is responsible for turning it around. Quite late in life, I asked my friend Aporaj to suggest me an Assamese book to read. Prompt came the answer. Suran Medhi’s work. I was like... Who? And why would you suggest reading his books.
Now Aporaj being a calm and composed poet friend as well as an avid reader not to mention, a huge fan of SKC gave me a “prolonged summary” of his work and narrated some of SKC’s book scenes to me. I decided to give it a go. The first story I read was Gulam. My mum, my biggest critique and rock in life after Deuta, saw me reading SKC’s book. A sarcastic smile followed by her saying... Make sure you finish the book. Reading a signboard and completing a book are two different things. Yes it was hard in the beginning and it took me twice the time to read a page in Assamese but then... language is practice. The more you speak and read, the easier it becomes. Maa is also an avid reader of Assamese Literature and I often felt left out when she discussed about her books with her friends. I am still learning and enjoying the richness Assamese Literature has to offer.
I was hooked on SKC. I smuggled Aporaj to Panbazar and instructed him to get me the best SKC’s books and I dutifully carried them back home to London. Manoj Goswami once told me that he requested SKC to write a New Year peice for his then Axomia newspaper. SKC was reluctant and later Eta Bhaal Khobor was on the papers on one new year’s day. Altaf Da made a short film out of it , When I watched it, I was gobsmacked to see the impact, the subtleness and the beauty of narrating a story. A very well made film . I liked the angel Altafda chose for the film. I also liked the fact that SKC was subtle and was thrilled that he used a pseudo name. I write my blogs as Rukmini Boigari. Why? Well why not? It isn’t necessary for people to know you as long as they read what you wrote. A journalist once asked my=e why I chose the name. Rukmini gave from North East and I came from the same part of the world and Boiragi is a surname is secretly loved to have. It sounds like a song. Beautiful. In real life I cannot us it for that became my pseudo name. The fact that SKC writes under different name gave me a kick. Not that I am comparing him with me for that will be preposterous.
Every Time I visit Guwhaati, I am tempted to ask Altaf Da to introduce me to SKC but I shy off the idea and tell myself- Bublee Toi Jugyo Nohoi. You are not worth enough to meet such a persona. But deep in my mind I connected with him and had immense respect for his work. His passing away news came hit me like a bolt out of the blue through his Facebook SKC Fan Group. I was not prepared as I was not aware that he was ailing.
25th June is a very special and private day for me for its that day when my idol and The biggest inspiration in my life, Deuta passed away... four years ago. It is spooky that SKC passed away on the very day day. I felt as though somewhere in ether he connected with me and gave me his blessings which I couldn’t get in flesh and blood. People like him should not be mourned for he will live forever. Eti Londonor Duporiyat,bagisat rod loi moi Apunak shrodhanjali jonalu. Ehaat dobar khelor dore, hothaht apunar dehatu hera kintu apuniye hol Asomor Baputi Sahun.
Rural administrative service is coming up. Courtesy Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Saturday, Gogoi said that to service has been introduced for serving in the rural areas. He said that the new service will recruit candidates for serving in the rural areas to carry forward government schemes and plans specially for the rural areas. He said 30 per cent of the jobs so created will be reserved for rural based candidates who will have to serve in the backward areas for a time-bound period.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday admitted his utter helplessness to efficiently deal with corruption from government department. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Saturday, Gogoi said that corruptions was very much in almost all departments.
“We need to check the system to stop corruption," Gogoi said adding that his government is stressing e-governance, RTI Act, decentralization of power and peoples empowerment to check corruption. Gogoi said that he supports any movement against corruption but not the one being undertaken by the IAC.
In a bizarre incident that sends shockwave across the state, a couple committed suicide in a Guwahati based lodge. Identified as Bipin Saikia and Poppy Saikia were found hanging inside the Capital Lodge in Ganeshguri on Friday evening. The couple hailing from Golaghat had been lodging in the hotel for the last four days. Investigation is going on.
BJP infuses fresh hope in Assam even nearly two and a half years ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The party on Friday appointed Sarbananda Sonowal as the interim president of the state. According to BJP General Secretary attached to Assam Vijay Goel, Nitin Gadkari has appointed Sonowal as the Assam unit chief after Ranjit Dutta had citing poor health. Sonowal is a former MP from Dibrugarh and a former MLA from Moran seat of Assam. He won both these polls on an AGP ticket. He has also been head of All Assam Student Union.
The Planning Commission has cleared a huge Rs 14.49 crore flood control scheme for Kamrup Rural district. The project will involve the dyke of the river Brahmaputra river from Gumi to Kalatoli. The entire project would be completed by 2013-14 and Plan accounts will be closed by March 31, 2014. The project will have to be executed as per the approved outlays in the State Annual Plans. The Finance Department will restrict the expenditure to the approved cost and no additional expenditure beyond approved cost will be permitted unless the revised estimate is got approved following the prescribed procedure.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi stressed amicable solution of to the simmering border row with Nagaland. He said it to the Assam-Nagaland Goodwill Team when it it visited him on Friday in Guwahati. He told the delegation that both sides sit together and arrive at a mutual understanding. He said that the state has good relations with Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh despite border problems. An eight-member team of Assam-Nagaland Goodwill Team said the people of Nagaland want solution to the long festering Assam-Nagaland border amicably and peacefully outside the jurisdiction of the apex court.
The November 18 India-Yemen match in Guwahati was cancelled. According to All India Football Federation, they received an email from the Yemen Football Association that their players' tickets 'were cancelled due to some problems with the airlines.' AIFF vice-president Ankur Dutta and secretary of Assam Football Association, said apart from the national team, this was a big loss for the fans from north-east also. The issue has been reported to the Asian Football Confederation.
The much-awaited ASEAN car rally will be flagged off from Guwahati on December 17. Kamrup (metro) district administration, GMC, GDD and PWD departments have been asked to spruce up the entire city roads. The rally will kick off from Yogyakarta in Indonesia on November 25. But in the absence of a road link between Indonesia and Singapore, the rally will be given its ceremonial flag-off on November 28 from Singapore.
The rally, with 31 SUVs, will cover the ASEAN countries of Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and India. The rally will enter India through the border town of Moreh in Manipur. It will reach Guwahati thorugh Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland on December 17 from...
"Conflict in BTAD, Issue of Influx and Land Alienation in Assam: Problems and Perspectives"
Date: November 8, 2012Venue: Mavalanka Auditorium, Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi.
Where is the end of the conflict?
Conflict is ever unwanted but inevitable in the society and its civilization as I understand. Conflict emanates certain course of development and entire world has the more or less similar history. And yet conflicts of certain areas require special focus and understanding in order to reduce the same. Government agencies, NGOs, Civil Society organizations and all others also have achieved very little in conflict resolution despite their honest efforts...
Come Wednesday. Anna Hazare will address a national conclave in Guwahati on infiltration. Former army chief Gen VK Singh will also accompany the veteran social activist in the two-day event.
Organised by the KMSS, the conclave will chalk out a roadmap to resolve the problems of infiltration from across the Bangladesh border by bringing together various organisations, political parties, leaders, intellectuals and activists on a single platform.
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