The Assamese Diaspora It is a painful experience to watch from a distance that the regional political party (AGP) is split due to the strident groupism and avarice for power by a gaggle of self-serving netas. The lack of unity is our community characteristic, which is confined not only to the State but has also survived in our transatlantic voyage. The Assamese diaspora of the USA is a glistening example. Although Indians, having metastasized to a whooping 1.7 million today, are the single largest community among the movers and shakers here in the US (to a large extent attributed to the Midas touch of the IIT graduates and physicians), the size of the Assamese community is really puny. Yet, this tiny community has garnered the pitiable distinction of having multitude of organizations, at least half a dozen, thanks to the presence of some lethally factious elements within the community. The hallmark of these organizations is their tendency to quibble about trifles. Last year, the two major organizations locked horns over the 'name' of the annual Assamese get-together. While one was bent on naming the event as "Assam 2004", the other insisted on styling the same as "Assam convention." Since they could not agree, the conundrum of moniker had refused to go away till the last moment. The fallout of this in-fighting was easy to visualize. The expectation of having a joint jamboree fell like a house of cards just over such a petty issue. In my view, from the drawing rooms of the better neighbourhoods of Guwahati and the elite weekend retreats of America, all the way to the roadside stalls in suburban Assam, we have mastered the art of disunity.
Kamaljit Deka, (by e-mail) Sugarland, Texas, USA. _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list Assam@pikespeak.uccs.edu http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam Mailing list FAQ: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html To unsubscribe or change options: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam
