>Besides he has written this line many times over for women of every other community in India :-)))
While, one can generally agree that the Assamese are quite friendly people, KS is often referred to as "Khusamat Singh". Not without reason, I guess :) On 9/17/07, SANDIP DUTTA <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > "Why? For me the average Assamese woman is better-looking than the > average-looking woman anywhere else" > > > > Heh Heh - now we know why he is interested. > > > > Besides he has written this line many times over for women of every other > community in India :-))) > > > > Rgds, > > Sandip > > > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: Manoj Das <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: ASSAMNET <assam@assamnet.org> > Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 9:25:21 PM > Subject: [Assam] Assamese are the friendliest Indians-Khushwant Singh > > > *Saturday, December 23, 2000* *T H I S A B O V E* * A L L* > > ** > > * > Assamese are the friendliest Indians > by Khushwant Singh* > ** > > *W*E got talking about the friendliest people in our country. We analysed > Panjus (Punjabis), Bhaiyas (Uttar Pradeshis and Biharis), Bongs (Bengalis), > Dakhanis (Telengas, Kannadas), Mallus (Malayalis), Madrasis (Tamilians), > Mian Bhais (Muslims), Makapaons (Christians) and Bawajis (Parsis). We went > down the list demolishing each group for one defect or the other. Panjus: > very forthcoming but uncouth and loud-mouthed, who wants to make friends > with them ? Bhaiyas: non-descript, neither as extrovert as Panjus nor as > introspective as Bongs. Bongs: think they are number one Indians and very > arty; when Bengal sneezes, the rest of India catches a cold etc. And > clannish. No cuisine culture, only *moshti doi* and *roshogulla. > *Maharashtrians, > Dakhanees, Madrasis and Mallus, all lumped together as Madrasis, are full of > caste prejudices and rarely invite people to their homes. Makapaons and > Bawajis are half-baked firengis: you don't feel relaxed in their company. > General conclusion: people who prefer their own kind — language-wise or > caste-wise — don't qualify to compete for the "friendship championship". Nor > do people who keep their women in *purdah* or in the kitchen. > *EARLIER COLUMNS* The Father Teresa of > Punjab<http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001216/windows/above.htm> > December 16, 2000 Metros bursting at the > seams<http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001209/windows/above.htm> > December 9, 2000 > Going for Ganga darshan > <http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001202/windows/above.htm>December 2, > 2000 > To be among > celebrities<http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001125/windows/above.htm> > November 25, 2000 > The dawn chorus at > Santiniketan<http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001118/windows/above.htm> > November 18, 2000 > A priceless Divali > gift<http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001111/windows/above.htm> > November 11, 2000 > > Making documentaries is her forte > <http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001104/windows/above.htm>November 4, > 2000 > The Indo-Malaysian > connection<http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001028/windows/above.htm> > October 28, 2000 > Lessons terrorism taught > us<http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001021/windows/above.htm> > October 21, 2000 > Blood-letting in > Punjab<http://www.tribuneindia.com/20001014/windows/above.htm> > October 14, 2000 Translating the *Japji Sahib > *<http://www.tribuneindia.com/20001007/windows/above.htm> > * > *October 7, 2000 Indian concept of > beauty<http://www.tribuneindia.com/20000930/windows/above.htm> > September 30, 2000 To forgive and > forget<http://www.tribuneindia.com/20000923/windows/above.htm> > September 23, 2000 Memoirs of Vijaya Lakshmi > Pandit<http://www.tribuneindia.com/20000909/windows/above.htm> > September 9, 2000 Times are out of joint > <http://www.tribuneindia.com/20000902/windows/above.htm>September 2, 2000 His > voice is immortal <http://www.tribuneindia.com/20000826/windows/above.htm> > August 26, 2000 No end to > hostility<http://www.tribuneindia.com/20000819/windows/above.htm> > August 19,2000 Visit to a once peaceful > metropolis<http://www.tribuneindia.com/20000812/windows/above.htm> > August 12, 2000 The most abominable > crime<http://www.tribuneindia.com/20000805/windows/above.htm> > * > *August 5, 2000 Unveiling Indian > women<http://www.tribuneindia.com/20000729/windows/above.htm> > July 29, 2000 A spiritually incorrect > mystic<http://www.tribuneindia.com/20000722/windows/above.htm> > * > *July 22, 2000 India without > Pilot<http://www.tribuneindia.com/20000715/windows/above.htm> > July 15, 2000 > > > So who are we left with ? I go over my encounter with my country men and > women. I have been just about everywhere in Bharat. I could not make up my > mind when I got a letter from Bobbeeta. I had all but forgotten her but for > her odd name Bobbeeta. I had met her briefly in Guwahati and Delhi. I went > over the names of other Assamese I knew: Baruas, Bezbaruas, Hazarikas, > Gogois, Bardolois Saikias, Phukans, Bor-Thakurs, Raj Khowas, Goswamis, > Chaudhrys, Sarmas, Acharyas. It is surprising that even though I have not > been to Assam more than four or five times and for that too three or four > days each time, I keep in touch with more Assamese than with any other > people. Why? For me the average Assamese woman is better-looking than the > average-looking woman anywhere else. For another they are more forthcoming > and more hospitable, with no hangups about caste or class. My vote for the > friendliest of Indians goes to the Assamese. > > Back to Bobbeeta. She was nurtured on films and electronic media. As a > child, she started playing roles in may films till she came to Doordarshan > in Guwahati as a news reader and also began acting in serials. While she > teaches history in Pandu College (Guwahati), she is a research fellow in the > Department of Film studies in Calcutta's Jadavpur University. Her crowning > achievement has been her being the anchor and co-producer of *Geetimalika, > *a song-based programme, which will telecast its 100th episode on Boxing > Day — December 26, a record for any programme telecast in Assamese. For the > centenary of *Geetimalika*, a bash is planned to honour Bobbeeta, her > husband and co-producer Chinmoy, director-editor Manas Adhikari and script > writer Jimoni Chaudhury. Bobbeeta has written to me about what they plan > doing for the big day but has not invited me to join them. This is a very > unfriendly act by people I vote as the friendliest of Indians. > * > > Poonch is dead > * > > My neighbour Reeta Devi Verma is passionately fond of dogs and cats, not > the pedigreed variety but strays, born in gutters or abandoned by their > masters. Her husband Bheem, a prince of Cooch Bihar, is even more dedicated > to them. Every evening he sets out in his ancient car with packets of food > to do the rounds of the locality where dogs await his arrival to be fed. He > occasionally takes a vet with him to inject dogs with anti-rabies vaccines > and treat them for mange and even gets them sterilised. Caring for abandoned > animals is more important to him than social norms. No matter who has > invited him at what time, he will not turn up before 8.30 p.m., till he > has fed hundreds of dogs who depend on him. He never goes away from Delhi. > > Reeta has taken on more. She is building a hospital for TB and AIDS > victims in her hometown Guwahati. She has a fully-equipped ambulance van > which goes round villages treating people no longer able to travel to the > city. She has also set up a laboratory. She has to spend many days in Assam > every month. > > Reeta found a mongrel abandoned in the Greater Kailash market. It was > scared of humans and as Reeta approached it, it ran away and hid under a > car. When she tried to get it out, it bit her. Nevertheless she managed to > get hold of it and bring it home. It had been traumatised. It took some time > for Reeta to win its affection. She fed it, nourished it to health and > virtually became its human mother. It was a hairy cuddly Apso kind of dog. > It developed a terrible mother fixation. It slept in Reeta's bed, growled at > anyone who came near its mother and followed her wherever she went like her > shadow. I named her Poonch (tail), Reeta's tail. > > Reeta and Poonch became inseparable. Whenever she came to see me, Poonch > followed. She felt unhappy till Reeta took her in her lap. It took me a long > time to win Poonch's confidence. Reeta would put her in my lap and let me > cuddle her. She returned my affection but as soon as Reeta stood up to > leave, she jumped off my lap to run after its mom, happily wagging her tail. > > When Reeta left for Guwahati, Poonch was desolate. Bheem brought her > morning and evening to let her sit in my lap for a few minutes. Poonch > became possessive about me. If anyone came near me, she growled at them. She > was not as eager to go back with Bheem as she was with Reeta. A bond of > affection grew between us. > > One morning last week, Bheem and Poonch did not show up. I wondered what > had happened. A couple of hours later, Reeta rang me up from Guwahati. > "Poonch is dead", she said in a choked voice. She could not speak any more. > A heavy gloom of depression came over me. I kept thinking of Poonch all day > and the time she spent in my lap, how she fell asleep as I stroked her fat > bottom and whispered into her ears, "You sensuous little bitch!" > > So passed the day. After dinner I was sitting by my fireside. I was lost > in my thoughts when Bheem walked in carrying Poonch's body wrapped in a > shawl in his arms with tears streaming down his eyes. I extended my arms. He > placed her body in my lap. I stroked her body. It was as cold as a slab of > ice. Her eyes and mouth were slightly open — just as they were when she was > alive and enjoying my stroking her. > * > > Star-struck > * > > Raghupati did nothing important without consulting his astrologer. Had it > been feasible, he would have checked with the stars even before buttoning up > his shirt or scratching his elbow or breaking wind. A family tradition. Over > the years, astrologers and palmists, *yogis and *fortune-tellers had > advised him on whom to marry, what new first name to give his wife, when to > copulate so as to beget only sons, when to officially drop his > caste-revealing surname, when to angle for a transfer, which posts were both > lucrative and safe, whom to be beware of, whom to trample on, whom to suck > up to, when to separate from his wife, which functions to attend, what > colours to wear on which occasions, what food to eat when, when to divorce — > in brief, how, when and where to place every step of life. > * > > (Upamanyu Chatterjee in The Mammaries of the Welfare State). > * > > Note: Khushwant Singh is away on holiday, there will no column next week. > * > * > <http://www.tribuneindia.com/> > <http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001223/windows/above.htm#top> * > > * > > > > ------------------------------ > Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers > <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=48255/*http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/_ylc=X3oDMTI5MGx2aThyBF9TAzIxMTU1MDAzNTIEX3MDMzk2NTQ1MTAzBHNlYwNCQUJwaWxsYXJfTklfMzYwBHNsawNQcm9kdWN0X3F1ZXN0aW9uX3BhZ2U-?link=list&sid=396545433>from > someone who knows. > Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. > > _______________________________________________ > assam mailing list > assam@assamnet.org > http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org > >
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