Restraint: The Need of the Hour

Assam – also known as Shankar-Azanor desh – is a place where people, irrespective of religion, caste or ethnicity, have lived together in harmony for centuries. Bound together, not because of their similarities, but rather for the diversity, this place has been home to several communities who have shared this land and its resources.

And, now this very land has become the cause for polarization. We are now witness to such a phase in contemporary Assam history, where the level of polarization can be said to be on a record high. The eviction carried out by the Assam Government in Darrang district few days ago increased this a few notches higher.

But, this very eviction also brought forward a plethora of questions; the most important being – which side is the one to blame? Is it the Government who carried out this eviction or is it the settlers who were residing on this land?

I would say that the blame lies on both sides.

Without being provided time and place to re-settle to the people residing in that area, going ahead with the eviction was surely not a well-conceived idea. Political calculations as well as compulsions were also behind this eviction, which ultimately led to a violent retaliation from the settlers.

But, one cannot blame only the Government for this. It was a known fact for many months that evictions would be carried out in these areas. Community leaders of these areas were informed beforehand about this. As such, the logical step for the settlers should have been to request for an alternate resettlement plan. Instead, no such steps were taken. On the contrary, some organizations collected money from the settlers on the pretext of filing court cases to stop the eviction.

Most of these settlers are not well educated. They blindly follow the advice of local community leaders as well as leaders of some organizations and political parties. These leaders should have come forward to explain them the situation and also should have discussed with the Government about the queries of the settlers. But, this hardly happened. These leaders, who claim to represent these settlers, did not do their part properly. They remained non-committed to the cause of these settlers and are now blaming the government for everything. It is an easy thing to blame the government for everything but they should have also shouldered their responsibility.

Here, I would also like to highlight another crucial issue which might become a cause of concern in the future. A few days ago, a book by an eminent sociologist from Assam, Dr. Abu Nasar Saied Ahmed, was published. He presented me a copy of the book, with a request to review it. The book, titled ‘In Pursuit of Puritan Islam Wahhabi Outreach in Assam’ is a pioneering work on the Wahhabi-Salafi outreach in Assam. The book makes a detailed assessment of the extent of penetration that the Wahhabi-Salafi ideology has made into Assam and whether its influence sways the Muslims of the State. 

(The book review I wrote, can be found here: 

https://www.librarything.com/work/27088568/reviews/206136244)

The book has delved deep into the activities and reach of Tablighi Jamaat in Assam. Through several trips across Assam and discussions with community leaders, Islamic scholars, Maulanas, Muftis and Kazis, academics, and others from the Muslim community, the author has presented a detailed analysis of the type of activities carried out by Tablighi Jamaat in Assam, its religious ideologies and its influence among the local Muslims. The activities of Popular Front of India (PFI) in Assam also find a mention in the book.

The book, which is the result of an extensive Study undertaken by the author, mentions that although the number of hardcore followers of Wahhabi-Salafi ideology is insignificant, the activities of the Tablighi Jamaat is a point of concern. The author states that although their numbers are not large, but the very fact that they have spread to most of the districts of Lower and Central Assam, as well as the Barak Valley, it may influence the mindset of a section of Bengali-speaking Muslim population of Assam. Same was found in case of PFI, which the author found to be active in lower Assam and Barak Valley.

So, if we consider the extent of polarization we are witnessing currently in Assam, and the extent of infiltration of organizations like Tablighi Jamaat and PFI in the State, it can be inferred that we may see some sort of communal tensions in Assam, something which has never been seen before in the State. The security agencies are already keeping an eye on this.

The time now is for restraint and not aggression. Provocative statements from people, especially from those in power, may lead to further deterioration of the situation. This needs to stop. Also, eviction of people in Government land has to be done as per as the directions of the High Court, but this should be done after extensive consultations with the settlers. The local community leaders need to carefully assess their situation and not get influenced by third parties. This will prevent untoward incidents in the future.

  

Srimanta Sankardeva and Assamese Culture

Culture is the mirror to Society and its people. What people think, how they live, what is their emotional quotient, etc, can be judged by its culture. Culture is not only the storehouse of knowledge, but also its application. The evolution of humans is also a mirror of its cultural transformation too. And every human generation has seen the rise of a special person who had enriched the cultural evolution with their contribution.

Neo-Vaishnavism sprouted in North India around fourteenth and fifteenth century, with Ramanand, Kabir, Ballavacharyya, some of the significant names associated with this. In Assam, Srimanta Sankardeva brought in a wave of Neo-Vaishnavism in the fifteenth and sixteenth century and changed the cultural landscape of the state. Through his contributions to religion, society, literature and arts, he ushered in a new era of cultural revolution in the state.

Assam was divided among various royal kingdoms at the time when Sankardeva was born. The Chutiyas ruled the east, Kacharis the south-east, Kochs on the west, Borbhuyans ruled areas towards the west of Chutiyas, and the Ahoms ruled the Brahmaputra valley. In that era of royal feuds, Sankardeva brought all of them together under a common religion and language and thus contributed in bringing in a unity in the Assamese society.

Sankardeva used the teachings from Bhagwat Purana, Bhagwat Geeta and Padma Purana and spread it across Assam, Kamrup and Cooch Behar. Till then the Assamese society was fragmented along the lines of separate religious practises, separate languages, various tribes and sub-tribes. Sankardeva through his teachings was able to unite all these under a single umbrella and thus unify and strengthen the Assamese social fabric.

In order to permanently codify his teachings, Sankardeva created a religious literature of his own. Apart from translating the first, second, tenth, eleventh and twelfth chapters of the Bhagwat, he also incorporated his own religious teachings into some stories from the Bhagwat and Purana. This led to the creation of the Kirtan Ghosa, which has a considerable influence on the Assamese cultural life. Almost all the religious teachings of Sankardeva – including borgeet – can be found in this Kirtan Ghosa.

Sankardeva created popular religious folk music, dipped in devotional purity, based on Shri Krishna’s life and activities. These borgeet are the cornerstone of our classical music. The depth of its subject, the beauty of its recital, and its tone and portrayal makes it different from other types of folk music. The language here is Brajawali. Though classical music was practised in Kamrup sicne ancient times, but it was the borgeets of Sankardeva that created a new era of classical music. There may be some influence of north Indian, kannaddi or south Indian music in the creations of Sankardeva because of the experience he had during his 12 years of religious pilgrimage. Recited with the use of musical instruments like khul, taal, mridang, etc, the borgeets have a fervent appeal among the people.

Another important contribution of Sankardeva is Ankiya Naat and Bhaona. Based on Sanskrit plays but created with his own style, these plays are a treasure trove of Assamese culture. He developed his first Bhaona just after returning from pilgrimage, which was a dialogue-less play, based on hand gestures. This was the beginning of an era. Soon he wrote many more plays whose creative skills were unique. These Ankiya Naats were different from other Sanskrit plays in various aspects, like the use of geet slokas, imagination of the sutradhars, lyrical dialogues and use of the Brajawali language.

Sankardeva created various plays, like Patniprasad, Kalia-daman, Keli-gopal, Parijat Haran, Rukmini Haran and Ram-bijay, based on the tastes of the people and local needs. The Vaishnavite literature in Assam is based on Shri Krishna and this same aspect can be seen in these plays too. Even in Ram-bijay, while speaking about Ram, Sankardeva has not entirely kept Shri Krishna out of the story. The stories of Patniprasad, Kalia-daman, Keli-gopal and Rukmini Haran have been taken from the tenth chapter of the Bhagawat; Parijat haran’s story from Bishnu Puran and Ram-bijay from Adi Kand of Ramayana.

The Bhaonas too have their own specific specialities. The Bhaonas of Assam have a similarity with South Indian plays, rather than North Indian plays. There are certain similarities with Kathakali of Kerela, Yakshagan of Karnataka and Tamil (Tanjore) Bhagwat Melnatak. For example, in Yakshagan, two persons work behind curtains during the entry of a character and help the audience focus on the character; in Tanjore bhagwat melnatak, the gayan sing entry song as the slokas are recited by the granthik and the actor enters dancing to the tunes of the song. The masks used in Kathakali have a similarity with masks used in Bhaona. Thus, it can be said that Sankardeva had used his experiences of his travels throughout the country to enrich and expand the bhaonas.

In the same way in which Sankardeva had created various plays with dance and music, he had also enriched the society with the establishment of the naamghars. These have played an important role in cultural development in the rural landscape of Assam. It has helped inspire artistic talent among the people. The village youths learn song, dance, and art in these naamghars and provide for pure entertainment for the people. Thus, Srimanta Sankardeva have enriched our Assamese society with his immense contribution in the fields of religion, literature, music, among others.