Sanjoy Ghose lives on in Majuli memory
A STAFF REPORTER TELEGRAPHINDIA Guwahati, July 4: He is, in all
probability, a mere footnote in government records. But residents of Majuli
still remember Sanjoy Ghose, his work and how he was snatched from them a
decade ago.
Today, on the 10th anniversary of the social workers abduction from the
island, hundreds gathered at Kamalabari Girls ME School to pay tribute to the
man who showed them the way to self-dependence.
Educated in Oxford, Ghose was the general secretary of AVARD-NE, an
organisation that had entered Majuli for an anti-erosion project but went on to
become a friend, philosopher and guide for the islanders. Ulfa militants
abducted Ghose on this day in 1997 and killed him that very night, though it
was not until months of drama that the outfit admitted it.
Ghoses body was, however, never found. The CBI concluded that his body, cut
into pieces and stashed in a gunnybag, was dumped into the Brahmaputra. Ulfas
explanation for targeting Ghose was that he allegedly worked for the Research
and Analysis Wing.
Although residents of Majuli still remember the good work done by Ghose and
his colleagues, the movement spearheaded by him has long died. The Sanjay Ghose
Memorial Trust Society was formed in 2000 to continue the work left unfinished
by the social worker but funds never came. Even the bronze statue of Ghose that
the trust had planned to erect at Kamalabari has yet to see the light of day.
We are unable to go ahead with our plans for want of funds and lack of
connections with the outside world. We have to remain satisfied with a memorial
meeting on this day every year, the general secretary of the trust, Kishor
Mohon Pal, told The Telegraph from Majuli.
Todays function was again a simple affair with Ghoses admirers paying
floral tributes and speakers recalling his contributions to the island.
Without Sanjoy Ghose around and with no help coming from the government, we
are helpless, another member of the trust said.
Apart from a statue, the trust had planned to build an auditorium in
Kamalabari in Ghoses name and resume the rural development and erosion-control
projects of AVARD-NE.
Under Ghoses supervision, the NGO had planted trees along the banks of the
Brahmaputra in Majuli to stop the river from eroding more land. Pal said he and
his colleagues would contact Ghoses wife Sumita to help the trust through her
connections.
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