Dear Ram-da: The causes of such conflicts are often complex - partly because they are intertwined in a historical process. I am not trying to be deliberately unintelligible here. If you want, think about a family with inner tensions & conflicts - a couple with marital problems. Often, if you want to find the causes that have led to the current situation you will find yourself unraveling a long story with a myriad of factors that have acted and reacted on each other in a chicken and egg fashion. So much so that at some point it may be wise to give up trying to get to the bottom of it. In fact getting to the bottom of it may not make us any wiser, just more tired. What the conflict is about right now is a somewhat different matter from the roots of the conflict (and you are probably more concerned about that). However, one has to be cautious here too. If you ask a fighting couple what their war is about, they might mention stuff that might make you laugh and realize that they really couldn't be fighting about such mundane matters (like who's gonna do the dishes). Indeed, with your wisdom, you would soon perceive that the these apparent points of conflict aren't really what its all about. There is something deeper, that even if all these external points were resolved, a deep chasm might remain. I think economic factors have played a very important role in the historical process that has led to the current situation in north east India. Economic factors have also been important in providing a real basis that fuels insurgency, mass movements etc. But these economic factors aren't mostly about lack of economic prosperity in an absolute sense. You are right that lot of the apparent areas of conflict are about economic resources. But I do believe that simply giving x dollars to every human being in the region or its equivalent in terms of real standard of living (directly or through gainful employment) is not going to redress the grievences. At the risk of irritating many on this net, let me suggest that in reality, over the last few decades, economic development has meant little more than pumping money in order to expand, pamper and fatten a sterile urban middle class. I have no way to prove that this has been done deliberately by policy makers to buy loyalty - I can't credit them with that much intelligence. But the end product is there for all of us to see. You may suggest that this is not the kind of development we should have in mind - no one should. But this takes us back to the question of what should development be like in order to counter alienation and a sense of injustice.... But let me stop here. Perhaps, we are all talking about the same thing in different languages. Alternatively, we are all blind men of Indostan trying to say what an elephant is really like. Indostan is, in any case, a fine name for a mythical nation that never came to be. Santanu.
-----Original Message----- From: ram Sarangapani [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thu 1/6/2005 9:21 AM To: Roy, Santanu; Chan Mahanta; [email protected] Subject: RE: [Assam] Re: Economic Development >It is more about factors that cause conflict of >interest - between demographic groups, between >regions and between a region and the center of a >political state. >Santanu. What are the causes for such conflicts. Are they for employment, water resources, industries, etc or are they for religion, ethinic domination/subjugation or for power? Ram --- "Roy, Santanu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Consider the following facts: > 1. Bihar's per capita income is almost half of that > of Assam. > 2. UP has lower per capita income > 2. MP has a comparable per capita income > 3. Orissa (yes, even orissa) has a lower per capita > income. > http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2002-03/chapt2003/tab18.pdf > 4. In terms of indices of human development that > include literacy, nutrition, quality of life etc., > Assam ranks above Bihar, Orisssa and in some > indices, above UP, MP etc. > http://hdrc.undp.org.in/hds/HDFct/India/HDI991States.htm > Question: Why do we not see separationist insurgency > in these states? > Economics is important in understanding centrifugal > forces but it is not simply about development or the > lack thereof. > It is more about factors that cause conflict of > interest - between demographic groups, between > regions and between a region and the center of a > political state. > Santanu. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf > Of Chan Mahanta > > Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 4:31 PM > > To: ram Sarangapani; umesh sharma; > [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [Assam] Re: Economic Development > > > > > > Hi Ram: > > > > > > You have made a bunch of comments that won't hold > up under scrutiny. > > But that is for later. Let me just ask you this: > > > > > > >Why don't we see insurgent groups in any of the > > >advanced countries? Do you believe, any any of > them > > >would want to break away from success? > > > > > > Are there no less developed states or groups in > the USA for example? > > > > There are aren't they? But they don't hold the > Federal Govt. > > responsible. They do not charge the Feds with > step-motherly > > treatment. They don't accuse them of ignoring them > or exploiting > > them. They hold the feds responsible for a lot of > things, but none > > whatsoever the Indian union's constituents do. > > > > > > Why do you think is the reason? > > > > > > c-da > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > At 1:54 PM -0800 1/5/05, ram Sarangapani wrote: > > >Hi Umesh, > > > > > >There are many reasons for any kind of unrest. > Many of > > >the root causes are because of economics. without > > >growth and development, there are fewer jobs, > > >businesses don't thrive well and so. Then there > arises > > >questions like 'have we been overlooked' or why > did > > >xyz area get these benefits (and not us). > > > > > >In fact if you look into the main reasons why a > number > > >of ethinic groups are demanding that they be > declared > > >as scheduled caste/tribe or OBC, you will find > > >economic factors again. These groups (right or > wrong) > > >want certain quotas to benefiit them for > > >jobs/education. And they may have a valid case as > many > > >such were marginalized at some point. > > > > > >My point simply is this. Unrests arise more often > than > > >not because of economic problems. Later on many > such > > >movements will try to rationalize this as being > > >patriotic, religious or even color. > > > > > >What galls me is that some are still trying to > justify > > >some of these by totally discounting economics > and > > >potraying it as something else. > > > > > >However, I do think other factors like > ethinicity, > > >religion, language etc all contribute to unrest. > But > > >if the economics were right, few groups would > want to > > >get off the gravy train. > > > > > >Why don't we see insurgent groups in any of the > > >advanced countries? Do you believe, any any of > them > > >would want to break away from success? There are > of > > >course cases like some groups in Texas who want > their > > >own homeland (Texas) - but most will agree they > are > > >off the deep end. > > > > > >--Ram da > > > > > >--- umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > >> To an extent I agree with Ram-da. > > >> > > >> But birds don't want to live in golden cages > either > > >> - if you make it too stifling for them. > > >> > > >> For example, this Earth is our cage but we > don't > > >> want to leave it, but if we are confined to > our room > > >> only -we would start jumping - even with all > the > > >> delicacies and sensual pleasures at our > disposal. > > >> > > >> I don't know where we all stand on this. > > >> > > >> Umesh > > >> > > >> Ram-da wrote: > > >> > > >> economic problems are the root cause of > > >> alienations, specially in the case of the NE. > > >> > > >> If Assam/NE was a well-developed area, there > would > > >> be > > >> far fewer young men/women wanting to join some > > >> insurgent group. > > >> > > >> ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >> C'da > > >> > > >> > > >> >Will featuring in the national anthem salve > > >> > those kharkhowa hurts, if not eradicate > them? > > >> > > >> Thats a big jumb to conclusions. Nobody has > said > > >> that. > > >> You are just putting words into my mouth. > > >> > > >> > Does not even rhyme. It would be a an anthem > > >> > singer's nightmare. > > >> > > >> Heh! heh! heh!. You seemed to have done a > pretty > > >> good > > >> job. I will buy your rendition any time -:) > > >> > > >> >Incidentally, one of the most glaring > omissions or > > >> >ignorances some of you demonstrated last week > about > > >> >Assam's alienations were your beliefs that it > was > > >> >all about economic development or lack of it. > > >> >Shows how much you guys are out of it. > > > > > === message truncated === __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? 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