Rajen:
Welcome back.
> She is doing it, as I
said before, for sake of peace and NOT because she
believe in ULFA's mssion >as some renonwn netter try to
claim.
*** You are right. I did not realize she was doing it for peace,
as opposed to war. Thanks for pointing me to the light.
But I pay attention, generally, to what netters, renowned or the
not so renowned alike, say on such matters. I don't recall
seeing or hearing anyone making a claim that MRG is attempting to get
talks going between GoI and ULFA because she 'believes in ULFA's
mission', whatever that might mean. That sounds like a rather weird
reason for negotiations between fighting adversaries for a peaceful
settlement.
Will you care to post that assertion wherever it might have come
from? Let us look at it and decide what the deal is.
>As I said before she is
doing because she is a writer.
*** You just read MRGs own words, but decided to rephrase it
again. Why? Do you think people can't understand what she meant? But I
will go along your need to rephrase others' statements, whether to
help the person communicate better, or
to spin it to reflect your own wishes.
But what does your statement above mean? That 'writers do
crazy things' like you explained once, and MRG being a writer she is
doing this?
Or is it that writers are synonymous with peacemakers? Therefore
what she, the writer, is doing is the 'writerly' thing to do-- making
peace?
*** My apologies for responding in spite your admonition not to.
But you raised some profound issues that need understanding.
c :-)
At 5:22 PM -0500 6/14/05, Rajen Barua wrote:
CORRECTION:
>TS : What prompted you to act as the mediator in the peace process?
>IG : The hard core militants of the United Liberation Front of Asom fought for 27 years for the liberation of Assam. It is said that more than >10,000 young boys have been killed and 30,000 of them were wounded. Thousands of civilians have also lost their lives. I have visited more than >a hundred families in South Kamrup, Nalbari, Darrang, and Tinsukia and was overwhelmed to see how violence has shattered the life of the >people. The Bible speaks of "the cry of the innocent blood"; I could hear the cry, especially in parts of South Kamrup.
>After the incident in Dhemaji on 15th August, 2004, I decided to appeal to the Honourable Prime Minister of India for restoration of peace in >Assam, and to invite the militants for peace talks. I knew that I was appealing as a writer and a common person. I considered it my democratic >right to raise the issue publicly. Democracy can have no prejudice; the colour of one�s skin, one�s special standing or one�s material wealth have >no meaning in democratic spirit. I believe in peace.
I am glad to hear it finally from her own mouth the truth about why she is doing it. She is doing it, as I said before, for sake of peace and NOT because she believe in ULFA's mssion as some renonwn netter try to claim. As I said before she is doing because she is a writer.
So shall we say, one down for Chandan.
No, you don't need to respond and try to spin.
Rajen Barua
----- Original Message -----From: Rajen BaruaTo: [email protected]Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 5:18 PMSubject: Re: [Assam] Correspondent, why avoid asking , No peace without Sovereigntyrestored?>TS : What prompted you to act as the mediator in the peace process?
>IG : The hard core militants of the United Liberation Front of Asom fought for 27 years for the liberation of Assam. It is said that more than >10,000 young boys have been killed and 30,000 of them were wounded. Thousands of civilians have also lost their lives. I have visited more than >a hundred families in South Kamrup, Nalbari, Darrang, and Tinsukia and was overwhelmed to see how violence has shattered the life of the >people. The Bible speaks of "the cry of the innocent blood"; I could hear the cry, especially in parts of South Kamrup.>After the incident in Dhemaji on 15th August, 2004, I decided to appeal to the Honourable Prime Minister of India for restoration of peace in >Assam, and to invite the militants for peace talks. I knew that I was appealing as a writer and a common person. I considered it my democratic >right to raise the issue publicly. Democracy can have no prejudice; the colour of one�s skin, one�s special standing or one�s material wealth have >no meaning in democratic spirit. I believe in peace.
I am glad to hear it finally from her own mouth the truth about why she is doing it. She is doing it, as I said before, for sake of peace and because she believe in ULFA's mssion as some renonwn netter try to claim. As I said before she is doing because she is a writer.
So shall we say, one down for Chandan.
No, you don't need to respond and try to spin.
Rajen Barua
----- Original Message -----From: Bartta BistarTo: [email protected]Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 4:15 PMSubject: [Assam] Correspondent, why avoid asking , No peace without Sovereigntyrestored?Jnanpith brought Paresh closer to Mamoni
�Path is set for the peace process�
http://www.sentinelassam.com/
14 June 2005
Jnanpith award winner Dr. Indira Goswami needs no introduction. She has been in the news due to her personal effort to persuade and bring the ULFA to the negotiation table with the Centre. The path is nearly cleared for the peace process to start.
Our Correspondent in New Delhi in a tete-a-tete with the renowned writer:
The Sentinel (TS) : How did you first come in contact with the ULFA?
Indira Goswami (IG) : It was about 12 years ago. I used to visit home during June-July. This is the vacation time here in Delhi University. On that visit, a group of boys came to me to borrow the book �Rusted Sword� (Mamore Dhora Torowal) which won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983. They said that the novel will act as an inspiration to their women cadres. I was taken aback. I wondered what they meant by �women cadre�. But, then I realized who they were. This book had nothing to do with or about their mission. It is one of a series of three novels in which I dealt with migratory labourers in the private companies in the early seventies. The entire novel revolves around a strike by workers. The failure of the strike could be attributed to the unwillingness of the labourers to compromise.
In 1993, I was invited by some students to address a meeting which they had organized in the memory of a great the icon, Bishnu Rabha, in Darrang. I accepted their invitation since I had great regard for Rabha. When I was a student of Cotton College, Rabha used to visit our house often. I had no idea that the meeting was arranged by the ULFA cadres. During the meeting, I could smell that there was something afoot. One of the boys came up to the stage and requested me: "Baideu, would you like to come to our base camp?" I readily agreed as I was curious to know more about them.
Thus began one of the most memorable rides of my life. Throughout the road I heard the sounds of army trucks. 1993 was the peak of the army operations against the outfit. The car took a strange, wild path. Its lights were switched off. When I enquired how they would drive without lights, they said that they knew the way even in the dark. The car halted in front of a house. A family came out and took me inside with great respect. They told me that they were doing welfare work � providing food to the poor, helping them claim many Government provisions, building roads, libraries, etc. I ate with them and tried to comprehend their mindset. I wanted to see the weapons which they were using. They obliged me. Finally, when they drove me back, it was nine in the night.
After a few years, I heard that almost all the boys of that camp had been shot dead. The sole survivor, who is now a top leader of the Surrendered ULFA (SULFA), wrote to me on April 8, 1997: "One of my colleagues was nabbed and he got killed in an �encounter� with the army on February 2, 1997. They tried to do the same to me, but the people of Darrang pressurized the Chief Minister against it. I am indebted to the people for this. I developed a soul-to-soul relationship with my fellow prisoners. Throughout the State today, there is the fear and the stench of death."When I received the Jnanpith Award, Paresh Baruah, the �commander-in-chief� of the ULFA, telephoned to congratulate me. More than that, he said that he felt happy that Assamese literature had become well-known outside Assam. He said that the people outside Assam should come to know more about Assamese culture and literature. I am in touch with him since then.
TS : What prompted you to act as the mediator in the peace process?
IG : The hard core militants of the United Liberation Front of Asom fought for 27 years for the liberation of Assam. It is said that more than 10,000 young boys have been killed and 30,000 of them were wounded. Thousands of civilians have also lost their lives. I have visited more than a hundred families in South Kamrup, Nalbari, Darrang, and Tinsukia and was overwhelmed to see how violence has shattered the life of the people. The Bible speaks of "the cry of the innocent blood"; I could hear the cry, especially in parts of South Kamrup.
After the incident in Dhemaji on 15th August, 2004, I decided to appeal to the Honourable Prime Minister of India for restoration of peace in Assam, and to invite the militants for peace talks. I knew that I was appealing as a writer and a common person. I considered it my democratic right to raise the issue publicly. Democracy can have no prejudice; the colour of one�s skin, one�s special standing or one�s material wealth have no meaning in democratic spirit. I believe in peace.
TS : Will ULFA accept the Government�s initiative for talks? What is your opinion on the outfit�s demand of releasing 10 top jailed leaders?
IG : I definitely think they (ULFA) will come to the negotiation table. Paresh is totally devoted to his mission. He, along with other top leaders, will definitely come for the discussion with the government. I totally agree that all the members of the executive council of the outfit should be present in the meeting. Then only the talks will be successful. So, I don�t think there is any harm in releasing the 10 top leaders who are languishing in different jails. This is the last chance to break the deadlock. If the government does not take the initiative all will be lost. The peace process could have started a long time back. But due to some wrong decisions of the Centre as well as the banned organization, the process has been delayed.
TS : You said that Paresh Baruah is totally devoted to his mission. Is the killing of innocent people by the outfit is justified?
IG : I myself have lost many of my kins in the gruesome killings by the outfit. Girish Goswami was shot dead in broad daylight in the premises of the State Bank, where he was the manager. He was my childhood friend and a grandson of my father�s eldest sister. Manabendra Sharma was killed in a busy bazaar in broad daylight. He was a family friend and a relation.
Several years ago, when the bridges on the river Chenab and Thandapani Tabi of Mushlai Suina in Khuni Nala Tabi of Jammu and Kashmir were being built to bring the war machinery, my husband was in charge of the super structure of these bridges. He was killed in an accident. I still do not know if it was a hand grenade that killed him or if it was an accident.
But the peace process has to be started. We cannot follow the violent path. Assamese civilization will be destroyed if these killings don�t come to an end. So, I request the outfit to shun violence and come to the discussion table. We have seen enough bloodshed. Hopefully, a new peaceful atmosphere will prevail in Assam as well as the whole of the North-east.
TS : There was some controversy regarding the phone tapping issue....
IG : Yes, the Delhi Police had tapped my phone on many occasions. I came to know about it when a person, probably from the Intelligence, called me up one fine day and told me that he was jobless and wanted to join the ULFA. He spoke to me in broken Assamese. When I rebuffed him saying "who do you think you are talking to," he hung up the phone. I was pretty sure that it was the work of the Intelligence with the help of Delhi Police. It was a long time back when a high official of the Eastern Command, Tezpur, became very friendly with me just to find out the whereabouts of ULFA cadres. He tried to persuade me in many a way. When he found out that I won�t oblige him, our friendship came to a halt from that moment itself.TS : Do you think there is any internal rift within the ULFA? There have been speculations regarding a rift between Paresh Baruah and Arabinda Rajkhowa.
IG : I don�t think there is any rift now between Paresh Baruah and Arabinda Rajkhowa. Both have high regards for each other. There may have been some internal rift sometime ago. That was the time when many innocent people like Sanjoy Ghosh were killed. This is my personal belief. I don�t know for sure if there was any (rift).
TS : What is the present position of the peace process? The Government has already sent the formal invitation to Arabinda Rajkhowa?
IG : The invitation had been dispatched from here (Delhi) on the June 1, 2005 and had reached Guwahati the next day. But due to some unavoidable circumstances the invitation was lying there in Dispur till June 8. At 9 p.m. on that day the invitation was dispatched from Dispur.
TS : When will the outfit reply? Will there be a positive outcome?
IG : I hope that a reply from Arabinda Rajkhowa will come to me within 4-5 days. Yes, I truly hope that there will be some positive outcome. There has been enough of bloodshed. The people of Assam want peace. The path is set for the peace process to start.
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