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.
Amarjyoti Kalita has been sent to jail after police produced the prime accused in the gory GS Road molestation incident before a lower court on Tuesday. Amarjyoti’s police custody ended on Monday. He was produced before the Kamrup CJM court on Tuesday where he was remanded to judicial custody. Notably, police got remand of Kalita after he was brought back to Guwahati from Vanarash where he surrendered.
Much to a major concern grew about the healthcare of the displaced people, there is report of death of three persons in relief camps in Dhubri. According to officials, a 32 year-old person died of fever at the Belapara school camp at Tamaharhat in the district. This was followed by the death of a 72-old-year women at the Kamadanga HS Madrassa relief camp. This is apart from the death of an infant died within minutes of its birth at Tilapara ME Madrassa at Suparighat. Inmates at the camp alleged that the trio were not provided any medical assistance.
Law and order seems to have improved in BTAD areas. Curfew was relaxed in Kokrajhar for two more. But night curfew continued in Chirang and Dhubri district. There was no fresh incidence of violence anywhere and curfew in Kokrajhar would be in force between 8 evening and 6 in the evening. Health and Education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also visited Kokrajhar and assured that adequate medical facilities for relief camps inmates would be ensured. He said free text books and other educational materials would be provided to students.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday faced slogan-shouting refugees at one of the three camps he visited this morning in Dhubri district, which had witnessed ethnic violence. Chidambaram, who left for Dhubri early in the morning from Guwahati in a special chopper and landed at the Panbari BSF camp, visited two other camps - Borkanda and Takimari. In Lakhiganj, the refugees shouted slogans against the administration and demanded that the government act fast to confiscate arms of the former Bodo Liberation Tiger militants. They also alleged that basic facilities like healthcare were inadequate in the camps. The Home Minister, who arrived in Guwahati, is on a two-day trip to the lower...
ULFA’s anti talk has claimed responsibility of the Goalpara the blast that killed an army jawan. In an email statement, assistant information and publicity secretary of the outfit said that the blast was carried out by its members. He also claimed that three Army personnel were killed and nine others injured in the attack.
An Army jawan was killed and six others were injured when a powerful IED exploded in Goalpara district on Tuesday. The blast took place near the Naranarayan Setu at Jugigupa at around 10.20 in the morning when an Army convoy was passing.
A vehicle in the convoy, which was on its way from Kokrajhar to Agia, was also blown off in the explosion. The injured jawans have been shifted to the Basistha Army Hospital in Guwahati.The blast exploded when Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and senior BJP leader L K Advani are on a stock taking visit to the BTAD areas.
Normal life in Assam remains heavily disrupted following large scale power cuts after the regional grid tripped because of heavy load. It took place following the collapse of Northern and Eastern grids.
According to sources, there was heavy load and power frequency came down from the normal 49.9 per cent to 38.34 per cent leading to the collapse of the grid.
The collapse led to power cuts throughout the state. But the situation is likely to improve with additional power inputs from Samaguri, Kathalguri and Namrup Thermal Power Plants which has so far been unaffected by the grid failure.
BJP veteran L.K. Advani on Tuesday said took on Delhi nd Dispur alleging inaction in dealing with the influx problem that has resulted in the on going ethnic clash in BTAD areas. During his visit to the refugee camps in Dhurbri on Tuesday, he said that the situation has arisen mainly because of criminal delay in dealing with the situation.
Advani hoped that no other community is made a refugee in their own country like Kashmiri Pandits.He urged Prime Minister, the Congress president and Assam Chief Minister to introspect on how this situation arose.
BJP veteran L K Advani on Monday blamed border influx for the on going ethnic clash in BTASD areas. Advani, who is here on a two-day visit, said that its not a group clash. According to him, the problem arose due to large scale infiltration of illegal immigrants. He called distressing that in 2012 these kinds of things are happening. He said that if the situation was not taken care of in time it could deteriorate. His visit follows a fact-finding tour by a BJP team led by party's national general secretary Vijay Goel.
The government has shunted out Kokrajhar and Chirang deputy commissioners just before Union home minister arrived in the violence hit BTAD areas. Kokrajhar DC D Gilfilon and Chirang DC U N Bora have been moved out in the name of administrative reshuffle following the violence in the Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts. Rastriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyan Mission director Jayanta Narlekar has been named as the new DC of Kokrajhar. Commissioner of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation Puru Gupta been named as the new DC of Chirang.
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