Cauldron of Assam
If there is one "melting pot" in the Himalayan region, it is the north-eastern region of India, particularly the "mother state" of Assam. Here, six different demographic strands are identifiable. The indigenous tribes, whose origins are lost in time. The Ahom, who invaded the area from the southeast in 1228 and ruled for nearly 600 years. The caste Hindus who arrived two or three centuries later from today´s Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The remnants of Muslim contingents of Mughal power. East Bengalis, whose influx began with the British occupation of 1826 and continues to this day. The tea-garden tribal labour with origins In Bihar, Bengal, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. And lastly, migrant Nepalis and others from as far afield as Rajasthan, attracted by economic opportunities of the Indian Northeast.
About a million people inhabited the northeastern region as a whole when the British annexed Assam in 1826. At the turn of the century, the number was up to about 3.3 million and the region as a whole still sparsely populated. The last 90 years, however, has seen a phenomenal jump in population — to more than 31 million today.
Immigration has had a profound effect on the region—first and foremost on the psychology of the indigenous people and locals, as successive alien groups arrive to dispossess them of land and forests. The impact of immigration, is evident everywhere — in the culture, the economy, administration and politics of the region.
When long-mirsed grievances are not addressed by ruling majorities, these blossom into full-blown movements. The most potent fuels for such movements are the dispossession of land and forests, discrimination in education and employment, indifference and even contempt for cultural and linguistic aspirations, lack of respect for equality before law, and unfair administration. The right of indigenous people over common property resources—land, water, forests — based on the doctrine of historical prerogative have received scant respect. Unfair psycho-social treatment has caused anguish and deep discontent.
The clash of cultures led to the rise of political ethnicity in Assam. This powerful force sometimes manifests in movements for autonomy or separate statehood. Thus it is that today the Bodo, the largest tribe of Assam´s northern plain, is demanding a separate state of Bodo land. A smaller tribe of the eastern part of the northern plain, the Mishing, have also demanded an autonomous state under Article 244-A of the Indian Constitution. Similar demands are being made in Karbi Anglong and North Cachar, the two hill districts of Assam which already enjoy considerable self-management under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Scheduled tribes south of the river Brahmaputra, meanwhile, are demanding Sixth Schedule status for two proposed districts.
At the time of Indian Independence in 1947, with the exception of Manipur and Tripura, the northeastern region was one unit going by the name of Assam. Today, the Northeast comprises of seven states: a truncated Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, T´ripura and Mizoram. The hive-off in the post-independence era is comparable to departure of children from parents upon attaining maturity. The children may enjoy their new-found independence, but the parents may not relish the separation.
Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh acquired statehood during the course of the past three decades. Statehood appears to have- benefited the people — they derive satisfaction from their identity, dignity and status, and as equal partners in the Indian Union. Further, because these states are small both geographically and population-wise, the inhabitants feel much closer to the political, legislative, administrative and development apparatus than do the people of large states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Though there are some negative features also, this is no mean democratic achievement.
It is this perspective on the break-up of the former "Assam" that should inform and illumine the process of dealing with ethnic issues in the rest of the Himalaya. A just and equitable social order, built on the rigorous profession and practice of the rule of law, is the best guarantee of peace and progress in die region.