>I even talked to quite a few people, and NGOs in Guwahati,
some quite influential, about this. The usual response >was lukewarm.
They reminded me that Assam has far too many, more important problems to be
worried about >Assam or Asom, and this issue was way down the list.
>Moreover, they were least worried about the impending doom to
their identity as Assamese or even Sanskritization >of
Assamese.
Ram:
What you are saying is the symptom
of of bigger disease.
1) Assamese are not interested in
illegel immigration from Bangadesh. (Have you seen any protest during the last
10 years on this? Anybody doing a investigative writing on this?)
2) Assamese are not interested in
Brahmaputra Flood problem. These comes and goes, who cares. (Any writing or
reports or protests?)
3) Assam is lowest in the economic
ladder in the North East not to speak of India. (Have you seen any editorial on
this?)
4) Assam has the worst corruption
in India. (Anybody crying or trying to do anything?)
5) Assamese are not interested what
name its state have, Assam or Asom? May be it will go without a name.
(Have you seen a single Editorial on this?)Who cares?)
6) Assam Tea production is going
down (Anybody trying to offer any solution?)
7) Assam is suffereing fron
century's worst draught. (Any analysis by any paper. ) Who cares?
8) Who cares how one writes the
name of the Assamese cultural Guru's name: Sankaradeva or Xonglordew? (What is
your problem mister?)
These are the symptoms of a disease
of a nation. Do you know what is the disease? These are the symptoms of a dying
nation.
Next time if some NGO says it has
more important things to do than any of these, you should know that they are the
problem.
Rajen Barua
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 11:14
AM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Book on life,ideals
of Sankaradeva released(The Assam Tribune, 1...
Hi Manoj,
>Nonetheless we needn't have changed "Assam" to "Asom"- which >is a
very old brand.
I totally agree with you. However, you or I will find little or no
interest here or even in Assam. I even talked to quite a few people, and
NGOs in Guwahati, some quite influential, about this. The usual
response was lukewarm. They reminded me that Assam has far too many, more
important problems to be worried about Assam or Asom, and this issue was way
down the list.
Moreover, they were least worried about the impending doom to their
identity as Assamese or even Sanskritization of Assamese.
Someone like C'da or Barua could spearhead such an awareness at
least, I have had no luck even garnering tacit support.
--Ram da
On 9/13/06, Manoj
Das <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
Hello Ramda
Being from Upper Assam with a "daath jeeva"- it's really difficult for
me and likes of me to pronounce the xangskritised Axomiya language, as done
by say, Hironda (Hiron Dutta) of All India Radio. I personally would
have been more comfortable with something "bechi gaonlia' like "Okkhom".
Nonetheless we needn't have changed "Assam" to "Asom"- which is a very
old brand. The equity of that brand is as strong as "India". Some words get
evolved over time and are best left as it is. A change will simply create
confusion or erode the equity.
MKD
On 9/13/06, Ram
Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED] >
wrote:
C'da,
Bhuban da and Manoj do make some good points. Yes, you and Barua are
probably right about the 'subject mentality' and also how 'Assam' got
mis-transliterated.
Like it or not, OXX has been bestowed the 'literary
authority' as it consists of most of the famous literary figures in Assam.
Now, you can say -why should we listen to the dictates of OXX or the
GOA etc? Well, the question can be turned around and the common man on the
street can well ask why they should follow your or my path to spellings
and transliteration.
Now, (even if they are all wrong, and say you, Barua, and some others
are right), how would non-literary types like myself (or Monoj - sorry
Monoj) propose a drastically different spelling or go against the best
literary minds in Assam?
>the ignorant public takes it lying down,
Never thought, I would hear that from you? What then, do you
recommend that this public do?
>It is those who have no self esteem, continue to kow-tow to
>superior language gods, be it Xongskrit, be it English.
So, this is really NOT about transliteration at all, is it? It is
more about the Assamese identity. Why not sell that idea straight out
of the box, instead of mixing it up with transliteration - after all the
common man is ignorant :).
You know, some of us actually took out an online petition against
this name issue. Want to know the results?
Well, 5 voted for it, and no one else cared one way or the other.
There was absolutely NO interest - even from those
who were touting opposition to the GOA's changing the name to Asom, ga-ga
-ing all the way, and egging us to start the petition.
Well, I just reminded, once again, some of us were taken for another
ride. I am still sore from that rough ride :)
On 9/13/06, Chan
Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
Dear BK:
I can't see HOW the Oxom Xahityo Xobha could become the sole
custodian of the Assamese language or the Assamese identity.
It is typical of desi-demokrasy, where elections seem to bestow
dictatorial/monarchical powers to bureaucrats and elected reps., and the
ignorant public takes it lying down, while the intelligentsia, similarly
clueless remain invisible and silent.
>Rajen ought to get a
full hearing as anybody else.
*** It is NOT just Rajen's pet peeve. It is an issue for all
Assamese who care about its 'ostitwo', its claim to an identity all its
own, without apologies, without having to bow to ANYONE.
It is those who have no self esteem, continue to kow-tow to
superior language gods, be it Xongskrit, be it English.
*** About the 'Sankaradeva' spelling for example, could it have
been that when the first British colonial masters transliterated the
name, were also people who
were Xongskrit learners, and could not separate the Assamese
from its Sanskrit
connections? Thus they chose to Sanskritize an Assamese name, when
they transliterated them in English.
Once that happened, the subject people, and even their
intellectuals albeit similarly burdened by a subject mentality, could
not imagine transliterating Xongkordev. Instead they followed the steps
of their colonial masters.
And to this day, some, including for example the AT, cannot imagine
breaking from that tradition of colonial servitude, just like many of
Assam's intelligentsia.
But why should WE?
Best.
c
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="UTF-8"
Content-Language: en
Dear MKD/Mike et al
It
appears the State Government sought Asam Sahitya Sabha's views on the
matter of renaming Assam. It is possible without the benefit of wide
discussion and debate the Sahitya Sabha recommended the change to Asom
and the State Government accepted it.
Perhaps even now Asam Sahitya Sabha can take up the
matter again. It is not too late as the necessary Constitutional
amendments are yet to take place. Rajen ought to get a full hearing as
anybody else.
Regards
Bhuban
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Manoj Kumar Das
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Tel: 91 11
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Telefax: 91 11 26533829
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Be so unselfish that when God writes your destiny; he can be
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