My mind towards Assamese Literature was literally like an Axanto Electron. (The electron is a subatomic particle carrying a negative electric charge. It has no known components or substructure. Therefore, the electron is generally thought to be an elementary particle.) Coming from an English medium school I hadn’t read anything Assamese apart from my course work all my life. SKC is responsible for turning it around. Quite late in life, I asked my friend Aporaj to suggest me an Assamese book to read. Prompt came the answer. Suran Medhi’s work. I was like... Who? And why would you suggest reading his books.
Now Aporaj being a calm and composed poet friend as well as an avid reader not to mention, a huge fan of SKC gave me a “prolonged summary” of his work and narrated some of SKC’s book scenes to me. I decided to give it a go. The first story I read was Gulam. My mum, my biggest critique and rock in life after Deuta, saw me reading SKC’s book. A sarcastic smile followed by her saying... Make sure you finish the book. Reading a signboard and completing a book are two different things. Yes it was hard in the beginning and it took me twice the time to read a page in Assamese but then... language is practice. The more you speak and read, the easier it becomes. Maa is also an avid reader of Assamese Literature and I often felt left out when she discussed about her books with her friends. I am still learning and enjoying the richness Assamese Literature has to offer.
I was hooked on SKC. I smuggled Aporaj to Panbazar and instructed him to get me the best SKC’s books and I dutifully carried them back home to London. Manoj Goswami once told me that he requested SKC to write a New Year peice for his then Axomia newspaper. SKC was reluctant and later Eta Bhaal Khobor was on the papers on one new year’s day. Altaf Da made a short film out of it , When I watched it, I was gobsmacked to see the impact, the subtleness and the beauty of narrating a story. A very well made film . I liked the angel Altafda chose for the film. I also liked the fact that SKC was subtle and was thrilled that he used a pseudo name. I write my blogs as Rukmini Boigari. Why? Well why not? It isn’t necessary for people to know you as long as they read what you wrote. A journalist once asked my=e why I chose the name. Rukmini gave from North East and I came from the same part of the world and Boiragi is a surname is secretly loved to have. It sounds like a song. Beautiful. In real life I cannot us it for that became my pseudo name. The fact that SKC writes under different name gave me a kick. Not that I am comparing him with me for that will be preposterous.
Every Time I visit Guwhaati, I am tempted to ask Altaf Da to introduce me to SKC but I shy off the idea and tell myself- Bublee Toi Jugyo Nohoi. You are not worth enough to meet such a persona. But deep in my mind I connected with him and had immense respect for his work. His passing away news came hit me like a bolt out of the blue through his Facebook SKC Fan Group. I was not prepared as I was not aware that he was ailing.
25th June is a very special and private day for me for its that day when my idol and The biggest inspiration in my life, Deuta passed away... four years ago. It is spooky that SKC passed away on the very day day. I felt as though somewhere in ether he connected with me and gave me his blessings which I couldn’t get in flesh and blood. People like him should not be mourned for he will live forever. Eti Londonor Duporiyat,bagisat rod loi moi Apunak shrodhanjali jonalu. Ehaat dobar khelor dore, hothaht apunar dehatu hera kintu apuniye hol Asomor Baputi Sahun.
One person was killed and two others were injured on Saturday in an accident in Rangia on Saturday.According to police, the incident took place in Rangia in Kamrup (Rural) district when Rajat Ali died on the spot after his motorcycle rammed into an electric post after hitting a pedestrian Mustafijur Rahman at Karara on Indo-Bhutan international road. Rajat Ali and his father Jalaluddin Ahmed were travelling on the motorcycle. Jalaluddinand Mistafijur were injured and were admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.
The overall flood situation improves further on Saturday. The water level of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries are receding gradually 100 hours after cessation of the rains. A section of the trapped people are preparing to leave the make shift camps. According to information, over 35 lakh people in 19 districts have been reeling under the floodwaves where the toll stands at 19.Over 3000 villages have been hit in latest wave of flood. The affected districts Barpeta, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Goalpara, Jorhat, Kamrup rural and metro, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sibsagar, Sonitpur, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Baksa and Udalguri.
Sivasagar police have achieved a major breakthrough in the recent of powerful blast that left a businessman killed and ten others injured. Police have arrested six youths in this connection and the initial confessional statements have suggested it a handiwork of ULFA. All the six have been arrested during a special operation led by additional SP in Sivasagar and Dibrugarh districts. They have been identified as Naba Gogoi, Narayan Gogoi, Papu Chetia, Nabajyoti Baruah and Upen Dihingia. According to inputs available with police, ULFA leader Bhaskar Nath alias Amlan Baruah planted the bomb near the Laxmi Talkies on Monday which exploded at 9 in the evening leaving Nirud Das dead.
A three-member central team has arrived in Kaziranga on Saturday to probe into the sudden rise in rhino poaching in the national park. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that that the CBI inquiry recommended by his government into rhino killings would be able to curb these incidents.
One more rhinoceros was found dead at the Kaziranga National Park on Saturday. The carcass of the mature female rhino was found floating in the flood waters at Gorakati under Bagori Range of the park on Saturday. But the its horn was found intact. The horn from the body of the rhino was handed over to the forest department.
CPM polit bureau member Brinda Karat came down heavily on Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for coming out in support of FDI in multi-brand retail.Talking to reporters on Friday in Guwahati, Karat said that the Assam government can’t help the farmers when they are affected by flood. “But how FDI in retail would help the farmers. What can be more bankrupt than such an understanding?", she said.
CPM on Friday on Friday said that Assam flood is a fit case of national disaster.Talking to reporters in Guwahati on Friday CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat said that at a time when lakhs of people are reeling under flood, displaced people are living without food, without clothes, the cente should declare it as national disaster.She alleged that the Centre and state have not done enough to mitigate the misery of the people in third wave of floods to hit the state. He has asked her party cadres to mobilise resources for helping the flood affected people.
The repeated incidents of rhino poaching seem to have triggered an acrimonious blamegame between ruling Congress and opposition parties.
A stunned forest minister Rockybul Hussain lashed out at AGP and BJP for blaming it all on him. Hussain has already alleged a smear campaign against him. AGP also blamed it all on the government’s failure. But Chief minister Tarun Gogoi flayed AGP and BJP alleging that more rhinos were killed in Kaziranga during the AGP and NDA regimes.
International animal body smugglers are involved in the Kaziranga rhino poaching. Four rhinos were shot dead in Karbi Anglong bordering Nagaland. The needle of suspicion points at KLNLF, KPLT and NSCN.According to initial inputs, rhino horns are routed through Dimapur to south-east Asian countries where a rhino horn is sold at Rs50 lakh to Rs1crore in the international market.
Army would counter rhino poachers in Kaziranga. Dispur has asked police to work jointly with army and para paramilitary forces to stop the repeated incidents of rhino poaching.
An anti-poaching squad would be set up in a day or two with focus on the 860 sq km Kaziranga National Park.
The move comes following the shooting of four rhinos within 48 hours. Two rhinos were hacked off. Forces would be allowed to take appropriate action against anyone involved in poaching.
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