Dear Umesh,
Thank you very much!
The episode that I wrote was not intended to
be any humour --- it was a very serious matter for everybody involved. Do
you remember the subway scene in the original Crocodile Dundee
where the line "Tell him I love you" became a humour for the crowd of
commuters waiting for the train, whereas that was a very serious line to
stop Dundee from going away? Life is just like that!
The atmosphere in assam-net has become very tense. Is this is
a symptom of our internal despondency because we are in the verge of losing our
beloved land? Even during the darkest
period of the Second World War, when the Nazi planes were bombing night after
night and there was no hope anywhere, the British people did not lose their
sense of humor, which was a source of their mental strength. I request the
netters to dig up those jokes. If they dont, Ill dig up at least
one.
With the best wishes,
Himendra
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 12:29
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Letter to the
President of India - story completed
Himendra-da,
I must say it isnot only interesting but has an element of humor in it :)
Alls well that ends well.
what a beautiful (true) story, Himendra-da. It brightened my day.
thanks to all the netters who asked Himenda to complete the story here.
Thank you. - Alpana.
From: "Himendra Thakur" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To:
"Manoj Das" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Ankur
Bora" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Alpana
B. Sarangapani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Barua25"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Chan
Mahanta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> CC:
"J Kalita" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,<assam@assamnet.org> Subject:
Letter to the President of India - story completed Date: Sun,
5 Mar 2006 12:35:46 -0500 >Dear
Netters, > > > >I am now "under orders" (for which
I really thank everybody!) to complete >my story which I left
half-done day-before-yesterday! I am repeating the >beginning part
to give the link: > > > >When I was in Nagaland,
posted in Mokakchung, a young, educated, >"first-generation
Christian" Ao lady fell in love with an Assamese Hindu >young man.
They disclosed their quandary to my wife, Juthika, who told me >that
I must help them. The bride told me that she had a very powerful
aunt >in the underground, might be next to Phizo in the Ao
area. > > > >"What did your aunt say?" I asked the
bride. > >"My Aunt asked for two tablets of
Novalgin." > > > >Novalgin was a kind of a
powerful head-ache medicine in those days! If a >powerful
underground lady wanted two tablets of a very powerful
headache >medicine, the problem must be very hard for an "Asomiya
Naga" like me!! > > > >However, I did not give up.
"Did you tell your father?" was my
next >question. > >"Yes, I did." > >"What
did he say?" > >"He asked me "What will happen to your
religion?"" > > > >Now this was an interesting
turning point. Holding my breadth, I asked, >"What did you
say?" > >"I told him that I would go back to my grandfather's
religion", the
bride >replied. > > > >Sensing some danger,
I blurted out my next question: "What did he say?" > >"He did
not say anything. Instead, he gave me a such a slap that I fell
down >three feet away" was her sad
reply. > > > >I could now see the gravity of the
problem. It took me overnight thinking to >find the solution. Next
day, I called the groom privately to my room and >told him that we
would write a letter to the President of
India. > > > >"What ???" the groom almost jumped
off his chair. > > > >"Yes. The President of
India. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. I'll draft the >letter on your
behalf and get it typed. You just sign it and mail it to him. >It is
his job, not mine---" was my cool
answer. > > > >My draft of the letter from the
groom to the President of India ran like >something this: "Respected
Dr. Radhakrishnan, .. My mother passed away many >years ago, my
father died last year, I am an orphan now, and I don't have >anybody
to advice me what to do. You are the Father of the Nation, I beg
you >to show me the path ." so on. > > > >It
was just a one-page letter from the groom, wondering how he and his
bride >could get married, seeking the advice from Dr. Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan, >President of India from 1962 to 1967 ---- 40 odd
years ago!! > > > >We waited, waited and waited.
Reply did not come from the President. The >groom, who was skeptical
right from the beginning, started to lose faith in >this last straw
of hope. In the mean time, the bride had to leave Mokukchung >and go
back to her University in Guwahati where she was studying for her
MA >degree. > > > >At this time, a friend of
the groom, a young attorney from Sivasagar, came >to Mokukchung in
my jeep. [ That journey also was very critical. For the >first time,
I had to drive through bonjui (wild-fire) about which I wrote
an >article later. This article was never published. If I find it, I
plan to >send it to Jugal with a request to publish it in his
journal.] > > > >When his attorney friend came to
know about this letter (the groom told me >privately), he burst out
laughing! "Letter to the President? Letter to the >President?? Are
you crazy? Do you think the President of the country will >have time
for such a mundane matter??" > > > >I found the
groom very depressed. Inside, I was also losing the
confidence >slowly, but I did not show it to him. I'd find some
other way out, I told >him, but I just did not know what to
do. > > > >After a few days, his attorney friend
left. The groom had received very >abusive letters from his uncles
and brothers who were convinced that he was >deflating the entire
family by planning to marry a Naga girl. > > > >My
wife Juthika helped the situation in her own way: invite the groom
for >dinner daily so that we could take away his dejection and
encourage him. He >would come for dinner, play with our baby
daughter Upa and would try to >forget his
woes. > > > >One day, the entire picture turned
180 degrees opposite. He arrived at our >home with a full laughter
and joy with a letter in his hand: "President's >letter! President's
letter!" he was in a state of ecstasy --- and we all >zoomed down to
see what he had in his hand. > > > >Yes, it was a
letter from New Delhi --- in the gorgeous Raj Bhavan >Letterhead ---
from the desk of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, President of >India,
one of India's top philosopher, author of 45 books
--- > > > >Wedding of a couple in the distant
Nagaland was NOT a mundane matter for Dr. >Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
--- I don't remember the exact words, but the >letter was full of
blessing and love to the bride and the groom, I think >there was an
advice how they should be polite to their elders so as not to >hurt
their feelings too much, there was also a suggestion how their
elders >should reciprocate by understanding their feelings, and so
on. > > > >As for their marriage, his advice was
unambiguous (I remember this piece >clearly) --- contact the local
Arya Samaj and get married. > > > >"If you can't
talk to her by telephone (telephone trunk-calls were terrible >in
those days), go to Guwahati immediately and tell your bride to get
ready >for marriage," I told him. "Meet the Arya Samaj in Guwahati
and show them >the letter from the
President." > > > >"What about my uncles and my
brothers?" > > > >"First you organize the marriage
in Guwahati with the help from Arya Samaj," >I told him
emphatically, "then go to Tezpur to talk to your uncles
and >brothers. If they blame you, you put all the blame on
me." > > > >Telephone contact did not happen. I
told my driver to ready the jeep. My >wife Juthika hurriedly took
out the bridal dress of mekhela-riha-chadar that >she was saving as
a surprise and gave it to the groom. Next morning, my >driver took
him to Jorhat to catch the bus to
Guwahati. > > > >I could not go to the wedding
that took place in Guwahati after a few weeks, >but there were a
number of exchanges of telegraphs. Telephones still did not >work.
Young people today with cell phones & webcom cameras may find
it >difficult to believe! > > > >Afterwards,
I met them in Shillong and got a complete report. Arya Samaj
was >great. The wedding took place very smoothly. A few dignitaries,
who saw the >President's letter, attended their marriage and blessed
the couple. > > > >"You should have been there to
give the bride away," the bride told
me. > > > >"What about your uncles and your
brothers?" It was now my turn to ask the >groom with some
concern. > > > >"Oh, that was easy!" the groom
sailed through the narration like an evening >breeze, "You know my
uncle LC who was very tough! I first allowed him to >complete his
roaring speech, and then I showed him the President's
letter." > > > >"What
happened?" > > > >"He read the letter, and became
completely quiet. The same thing happened to >others. I cooled down
uncle after uncle, brother after brother, with this," >he jerked the
President's letter that he was holding in his
hand. > > > >Years ago, the then Chief Minister of
Nagaland, the late Shilu Ao, was >addressing a meeting of Executive
Engineers where I was present. "In India, >we have wonderful leaders
like Dr. Radhakrishnan, we have the memory of >Mahatma Gandhi, but
we the Nagas never get to see them. We only see Army >officers,
vicious bureaucrats, soldiers and police who are so cruel to
our >people. I hope you engineers will make a difference .." Shilu
Ao's voice >choked when he completed his
speech. > > > >In Nagaland, I met some Army
Officers who were wonderful. I remember >Brigadier Kane who was such
a pious man! We must not generalize just because >some army officers
were mean --- I had fights with many of them. Same thing >applies to
bureaucrats. We do not have to remember their names --- or
their >atrocities --- that's my advice to Ankur who asked a related
question. We >should go forward to the future, with love,
understanding, mutual respect, >honour, and build a wonderful
country. > > > >With love to
everybody, > >Himendra > > > >PS: By
the way, what happened to me in Mokokchung in the aftermath of
the >controversial marriage? Well, people are very forgiving by
nature, you >know! The sisters of the bride helped me to cool down
the >father-of-the-bride with whom I had a discussion in my home.
Pointing to a >picture of Jesus in my living room, I told him about
forgiveness for his >daughter and son-in-law, without telling him
that I was the prime candidate >for his forgiveness! Everything
ended well. The bride and the groom lived >happily ever after! I am
now trying to find out their telephone numbers so >that I may ask
their permission to divulge their
names!! > >
_______________________________________________ assam
mailing
list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Umesh
Sharma 5121 Lackawanna ST College Park, MD 20740
1-202-215-4328
[Cell Phone]
Ed.M. - International Education Policy Harvard Graduate
School of Education, Harvard University, Class of 2005
To help you stay safe and secure online, we've
developed the all new Yahoo!
Security Centre.
|