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.
A brainstorming consultation on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) was organised by Aaranyak, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Indian NGOs Forum Conservation of Biological Diversity (INFC) here on August 26 last in collaboration with National Biodiversity Authority (NBA).Aaranyak hosted the session at Indian Institute of Bank Management (IIBM), Guwahati. The timing of this meeting is consciously chosen prior to the international meetings of the CBD that are to be held in India through October 2012. The Government of India for the first time is hosting a Conference of the Parties (COP).In order to facilitate compliance to the Convention, a global forum where governments, non-...
Atleast 10 people sustained injury when Ulfa blew out an oil rig in Tinsukia on Saturday. Fire tenders took three hours to douse the fire. Meanwhile Ulfa has claimed the responsibility of the attack on OIL-owned rig. The explosion took place at the oil rig based at Chandmari near Makum in the wee hour where local residents came to hear a huge sound.
The United Liberation Front of Asom claimed to have blown off an oil well in Tinsukia district of Assam causing panic among the local residents on Saturday. The incident took place at Chandmari near Makum where the Oil India Limited-owned rig caught fire following a huge sound in the wee hours. No injury or casualty has been been reported so far. According to the OIL authorities, the fire was reported around 1 at midnight. Several fire tenders deployed there took nearly 5 hours to douse the blaze. Later the well was sealed. Initial investigation suggests it an attempt to steal oil from the well. The thieves made a hole in the oil well's high pressure `xmas tree' valve causing hydro carbon...
Money mattered in the murder of a 40 year old woman in Guwahati where a teenager boy killed his mother recently. Identified as Ankit Saikia the teenager boy and his friend Ranjit Gaur strangulated his mother Puja Saikia who was a caretaker at a Guwahati based building.
Tension erupted near Konadhara in Guwahati following the sudden death of a person at a n road accident on Friday. The incident took place in the evening when a person was crushed to death a person by a truck just near Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s official residence. Immediately after it, local residents in large number came out to the street and attacked the truck. Some others blocked the road. The situation was brought under control only after the arrival of police.
Sivasagar erupts in a massive move to flush out the Bangladeshi immigrants from the district when over ten thousand people took to the streets on Friday. Led by AASU leaders, cutting across party affiliations, thousands of people spilled to the streets demanding immediate steps to detect and deport the immigrants hiding in the district. Some others gave moral support by standing on the both sides of the road in the town from the Boarding field to AT Road through Hemchandra Baruah Road and Temple Road.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday expressed grave concern over the simmering communal tension in BTAD areas and called it is a major cause of worry for the entire country. Speaking to mediapersons on board to New Delhi from Tehran, he said that what worried him more was the ethnic clashes in Assam.
“When I look at the future of our country, the way things have gone in Assam, the ethnic tensions that have disturbed peace in Assam, that part of Assam which is in Bodoland territorial administration”, he said.
Sonitpur media fraternity on Friday demanded ban on the All Assam Minority Students Union along with 30 other organisations alleging attack during their statewide bandh on August 28. Led by a group of scribes, over 7000 people took out a procession in Tezpur and submitted a memorandum to Governor and Chief Minister through the district Deputy Commissioner raising the demand.
The media people further demanded immediate arrest of those responsible for the attack on the media persons.The journalist organisations included the Sonitpur Journalist Union, Journalist Federation of Assam, Sonitpur District Journalist Association and Sonitpur Press Club.
Former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on Friday said that the ethnic clash would not be totally over until and unless the Assam Accord is not implemented in letter and spirit. Talking to reporters during a party procession in Guwahati, Mahanta who leads the regional party said that after 27 years of it being signed on August 15, 1985, the agreement had not yet been implemented. The party leaders demanded immediate steps for detection and deportation of illegal foreigners in accordance with the Assam Accord.
The Asom Gana Prishad on Friday demanded Prime Minister's intervention to make an end to the bloodbath bath in BTAD areas and Dhubri. Party leader who took out a procession from Ambari on Friday, submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Kamrup (Metro) district Deputy Commissioner in Guwahati raising the demand.Talking to reporters party president and former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta blamed it all on the government of failing to efficiently deal with the situation in BTAD. They alleged that Dispur had no plan and strategy to counter the recent violence in the state known for unity in diversity.
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