Fear and Loathing in New India: The Assam Lynching and Its Aftermath

(This article was co-authored with Sampurna Bordoloi and was first published in The Wire. please click on the link to find it) 

Observing the present scenario in India, one would be tempted to ask if the spectre of the ‘other’ is veritably created to lynch. The brutal mob lynching of two youths from Assam – Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath – on June 8 seems to indicate just that.

While on a visit to the Kanthilangsho waterfall in the Karbi Anglong district where they were attacked by a crowd on the suspicion of being ‘child lifters’. The killing is said to have been sparked by fake news circulated on WhatsApp about a group of child lifters entering Assam from Bihar. However, latest evidence suggests that it was an altercation between Alphajos Timung, the primary accused, and the victims that may just be the real cause.

Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath were lynched in Karbi Anglong. Credit: Justice for Nilotpal and Abhijeet Facebook Page

This incident perfectly captures several elements which characterise the new normal in India – video graphic evidence of mob killings, often taken by the perpetrators themselves; crowds who take “justice” into their own hands; the discourse of the “outsider” and the large-scale propagation of fake news via social media.

The outrage following the incident reveals a dangerous progression of mounting racist tensions and bigotry. The nature of the furore reveals an endemic problem in our society, which perhaps explains how lynchings have become commonplace. A video was widely circulated showing the last moments of the two deceased where Nilotpal Das is seen pleading for his life repeating, “Moi Axomiya” (I am Assamese).

A screenshot of a post calling for an economic blockade of the Karbi Anglong district.

Social media was soon flooded with angst ridden hate messages calling for counter-violence and revenge. A popular status called for an economic blockade of the Karbi Anglong district while others wanted to inflict counter revenge by capturing any random Karbi person and hacking them to death.

Egged on by others who ‘like’ and ‘share’ the same sentiment, it becomes perfectly normal to condemn a person simply because they are ‘Karbi’. These jingoistic aggressions have to seen in tandem to the socio-political conditions of the state and the Karbi Anglong district in particular.

Socio-political demography of Assam

The Assamese community is made up of various tribal and non-tribal groups such as the Karbis, Bodos, Mishings, Tiwas, Kalitas, and Brahmins, among others. Many groups in Assam have a tribal historical background and were later absorbed into the Brahmanical fold. Despite a significant numerical tribal populace, the ‘surplus producing’ non-tribal communities are culturally and economically dominant. They hegemonise the public discourse.

Karbi Anglong is an autonomous district and also one of the most backward in the country. The Karbis have historically been demanding autonomy from Assam. The isolation of this hill district is both cultural and geographic. The reactions of the people consequent to the incident revealed an ‘us versus them’, a tribal versus non-tribal dynamic.

The privilege of the dominant group to denounce an entire section of people as “uncivilised junglees” reflects that the “civilising” effect of Brahmanical notions still functions in 21st century Assam. A lot of the public outcry was generated over the fact that the mob had dared to kill two Assamese men in their own state as opposed to a more general condemnation of the deaths of two innocents.

This hate-fuelled atmosphere soon spilled over to the streets. Karbi students in several places were hounded by locals seeking revenge. Some paying guests were asked to vacate their accommodations, and immediately a red alert was announced in certain zones of Guwahati.

A predictable pattern of xenophobia

A well-known incident in Nagaon was widely circulated through a video which shows a group of boys trying to stop buses from going to Diphu, Karbi Anglong while asking for Ids to determine which passengers were Karbi. The video has since been deleted as the police have arrested such miscreants. The next few days remained tense as the police was on high alert at the possibility of communal riots.

It is clear that mob killings do not occur in a social vacuum. It is perhaps a violent, overt reaction of tensions in society.

As Abdul Kalam Azad wrote for The Wire: 

“For a human being, killing a fellow human is not easy….It requires a special environment to overcome the inhibitions to carry out horrific crimes like a public lynching….. The perpetrators ceased to recognise the victims as the member of their moral group or as a fellow human being, which legitimises their cruelty against the victims.”

Thus, mob violence becomes possible because conditions are created for the perpetrators to dehumanise a fellow human being. This dehumanisation is conditioned by the social, economic and political conditions of a society at a particular moment in time. The increasing cases of mob violence in India have to be analysed within these frameworks.

Mass access to visual violence and the psychological effect on society

The video recording of hate crimes to be circulated for the world to see with an almost gleeful anticipation is a cringing reality of our society now. The human fascination with witnessing barbaric violence inflicted on fellow men predates the invention of videography and social media. Be it the mesmerised crowds watching gladiators fight to death or the thrill-seeking audience who came to witness public executions; the idea of death as a spectacle is not new.

A participant shows a placard during the ‘Not in My Name’ protest held to highlight the pattern of attacks on minorities in the country, in Delhi. Credit: PTI

But, never before did we see a man hacking another man and then burning him alive on camera like the murder of a Bengali Muslim labourer, Afrazul, by 37-year-old Shambhulal Regar in the town of Rajsamand in Rajasthan..

In the context of the 21st century, this perverse instinct is exemplified by video recordings of horrific acts. Facebook has reported an increase of graphic violence posts in 2018. In the race for more likes and shares, more outrageous content garners more publicity.

The mob lynchings in India indicate a similar psychological mania: the killers are often the ones who show no remorse in recording and publicising their crime. In the lynching of June 8, a policeman was recording the crime (albeit with good intentions) instead of taking any concrete measures to save the two victims. This indicates a chillier dimension to the bystander effect.

These incidents can also be ascribed as a failure of the state machinery and the loss of faith in the judiciary by the public. The district administration’s inaction in addressing the tension created by the rumour of child-lifters indicates a serious lapse on their part.

It is time to question why people feel the need to take “justice” into their own hands instead of relying on the judiciary. Protests, observed in various places across the state as well as in Delhi and Russia, reveal a sense of despondency at receiving justice by legal means.

The Dainik Janambhoomi, on June 13, reported that 26 had been arrested in connection to the crime and more than 30 people have been arrested for spreading fake news on social media and making hateful comments that could further fuel unrest. Haren Saikia, the father of Jhankar Saikia, who was also lynched in 2013 in Karbi Anglong, took to Facebook to express how the government had failed to provide justice and how his son’s killers are still roaming free. Civil society and the family members of the victims are demanding absolute justice and no mercy for the killers.

A section of people, particularly from the opposition, were quick to blame the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for the role of the BJP IT cell in creating fake news and spreading superstition. Some, like Akhil Gogoi, are apprehensive that incidents such as this are manufactured by the BJP through communally tinted fake news to divert people’s attention from issues like the Citizen Amendment Bill, 2016.

The myriad cases of identitarian mob violence post 2014 does seem to indicate a normalisation of hatred towards minorities which could not have been sustained in an absence of political motivations.

Notwithstanding the merits of these accusations, one cannot discount the unique cultural politics of Assam which played a role in this instance. The chauvinistic nature of Assamese society, the Karbi resentment towards the Assamese, the tribal-non tribal binary; these divisive forces were existent much prior to the rise of the BJP.

The Sarbananda Sonawal government has announced an awareness programme ‘Sanskaar-Maanuhe Maanuhor Babe’ with an aim to root out superstitious beliefs in rural areas. The state is no stranger to horrific cases of mob violence fuelled by superstitions and rumours. As many as around 300 had been killed in Assam on the suspicion of being witches from 2001 to 2006. It is difficult to predict if ‘Sanskaar’ would be more successful in curbing superstitions where many have earlier failed. As the incident and aftermath reveals, the problem is not merely a lack of education. There is a need to introspect and address the noxious xenophobic prejudices which make it possible to ‘otherise’ and create dissensions.

Sampurna Bordoloi is a post-graduation scholar at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Pinak Pani Datta writes at www.urbangaonwala.com and can be contacted at editor@urbangaonwala.com

[SATIRE] JNU: An insider's POV from the outside.

(This is a guest post by an anonymous research scholar at JNU, it was written one year ago)

I am yet to find a suitable wiki article on JNU, so I wrote one. Yes, that is how I am spending time these days. Read at your own risk.
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JNU is a Soviet Autonomous Region within the Republic of India. During the Cold War, when India was growing weary of Amrika, JNU was established. The initiative was taken by scholars and intel-act-uals who could not get their Amrika visas and wanted a piece of their own Zamindari. The name JNU evolved from the Bengali (its former official language) word 'Jani', which means 'I know'. After all, JNU knows everything, every non-JNUite is a potential Jon Snow, or worst, a fascist.

Some argue that it means Jihadi Naxal University, which is an utter lie. According to UNESCO, 127% of JNU students cannot lift anything heavier than a fountain pen, much less become an armed radical.

However, after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, JNU remained a Soviet outpost in South Asia. The Indians tearfully bid adieu to the USSR, singing, "Judaa ho ke bhi tu mujhme kahi baaki hain, mujhe teri yaad JNU dekh ke aati hain". Since then, JNU has thrived on its own, and have maintained its Soviet style economy, including collective farming of bullshit and equal sharing of resources. The idea of sharing has induced many people in its hostels (i.e. Gulags) to steal each other's underwears from the drying ropes, "what is yours is mine".

JNU has a thriving economy, sustained by subsidies and consumption. Assam exports one-third of its tea to JNU, Darjeeling exports two-third, and Sri Lanka exports its entire production. Before the Chai Pe Charcha became mainstream, it was invented in JNU. Later it became JNU's annual and only sport event. You will have to gulp tea and churn out the most outrageous bullshit one ever heard, preferably at Dhabas where everyone can hear you.

JNU's main export is knowledge (which no one is sure what exactly is, apart from Foucault) and propaganda.Every year, the leading giants of the Indian activism sector organise campus recruitments, and hire the jewels of the university.

Within these years, the English language, like its American or Australian offshoots, has evolved differently in JNU. Known as a JNUmese, it is a compulsory language to learn for all the freshers. Somewhere in 2000s, it replaced Bengali as the official language. The language is sweet and very expressive.

An instance-
English: "I need coffee".
JNUmese: "I am sensing a sudden proliferation of a socially constructed urge to consume the beverage which is produced by neo-liberal crooks in the countries of the global south with near-slavery-like exploitation of cheap labour, which is perpetuated and accentuated by the routinised clockwork work-life of the white-collar global north."

JNU has a thriving culture, and glorious music industry. The new heavy metal genre known as a Slogan-Core was developed in JNU. Vocalists regularly practice their skills, by shouting slogans against everyone and everything in this planet, from Barack Obama to Bappi Laihiri, from Coca-Cola to Cardiovascular Diseases. JNU also offers a degree in the most difficult musical instrument in the entire Milky Way galaxy, the Dafli.

As a result of someone farting too loudly last year, JNU is now undergoing a Civil War. The two main ethnic groups in the region, AISA and ABVP are at arms with each other. However, internal sources mention that the reason for this conflict may arise from the fact that the full form of both of their names mean the same thing. The situation at present is tense and UN intervention is being sought. 

WITOLD PILECKI: The Man who volunteered for Auschwitz.

Guest Post by Rohan Srivastava

He was a reserve officer in the Polish Army born 13 May 1901 in Olonets, Russia. During World War II while attached to a Polish resistance group, he volunteered for an operation that saw him intentionally imprisoned in Nazi Germany’s Auschwitz death camp in order to gather intelligence on the site’s operations. As early as 1941, Witold Pilecki’s reports informed the Western Allies of the atrocities being committed at the death camp. Before escaping Auschwitz, Pilecki organized a resistance movement right under the noses of the camp’s Nazi German overseers, kapos and administrative staff.

Before his time in Auschwitz, Pilecki fought against the Germans during the 1939 Defensive War.

A significant group of the first Auschwitz prisoners was Poles engaged in conspiracy activities, and the first transports that arrived in the camp from Warsaw carried members of the TAP. These prisoners, among others, were going to form the backbone of the military resistance movement. 

In the summer of 1940, with several members of TAP behind KL Auschwitz’s well-guarded perimeter, Major Włodarkiewicz decided it would be prudent to send an officer to the camp on an intelligence gathering mission: at the time, little was known about what went on inside of the camp. When Pilecki heard of Włodarkiewicz desire to send someone to the camp, he volunteered and presented a plan to infiltrate Auschwitz, gather first-hand information on its functions and organize a resistance movement inside the camp. His plan was approved.

On 19 September 1940, Pilecki deliberately entered an area of Warsaw where the German Army was conducting a roundup of Polish civilians. 2,000 civilians, including Pilecki, were detained by the Germans that day. After two days of detention in the former barracks of Poland’s Light Horse Guards, where prisoners suffered beatings with rubber truncheons, Pilecki was sent to Auschwitz and was registered with number 4859. Since he carried false identification documents, he was registered under the name Tomasz Serafiński. 

That autumn, now a prisoner of Auschwitz, Pilecki created a new organization inside of the camp called the Union of Military Organization (Związek Organizacji Wojskowej or ZOW). ZOW quickly merged with another organization operating behind the camp’s walls, under the command of Union of Armed Struggle/Home Army (Związek Walki Zbrojnej or ZWZ/AK). This resistance organization aimed to help the morale of prisoners being held at KL Auschwitz by disseminating news from the fronts of World War II, clandestinely acquiring much needed food, clothing, and medicines for the prisoners, forwarding messages from outside of the camp, assisting in the organization of escapes and preparing their own members to take over the camp in collaboration with the partisans operating in the area. 

Reports from members of the resistance movement were initially sent via prisoners released from the camp, through prisoners who managed to escape and then also by initiated civilian workers employed by the SS men during the expansion of Auschwitz. From the beginning of 1940, these reports began to arrive systematically in Warsaw. The first message sent by Pilecki reached London on 18 March 1941. This document primarily contained a description of crimes committed by the Germans and the situation and living conditions in the camp. For this reason, from the end of June 1942, one can encounter numerous references to the murder of Jews in the gas chambers and to the rapid increase in the number of registered Jewish prisoners. The bodies of people who were killed in the gas chambers were buried in mass graves, a practice also described in Pilecki's message, and these people did not even go through the registration procedure, which means that the number of victims is potentially larger than what we know today. In 1942, Pilecki's resistance movement was also broadcasting details on the number of arrivals and deaths in the camp and the inmates' conditions using a secret radio transmitter that was built by camp inmates. 

In the spring of 1943, after providing intelligence on the inner workings of Auschwitz to the Western Allies for close to three years, Pilecki, sensing that he could soon be exposed and feeling that it was important that he submitted a first-hand report on the horrors he’d seen in the camp, decided that it was time to escape. For this purpose, his ZOW compatriots arranged for him to be moved to the bakers' kommando, which worked outside the main camp (about 2 km north). Two other prisoners with whom he intended to escape, Edward Ciesielski and Jan Redzej, were also transferred to the same Kommando.

The Escape:

While working at the camp’s bakery, Pilecki, Ciesielski and Redzej made their escape during the night of 26/27 April 1943. The prisoners cut telephone and alarm ring wires, opened unlocked the front door with a duplicate key and slid the bolts locking the door, open. As soon as they were outside of the bakery building, the trio barricaded the door that they’d just exited to ensure they could not be easily followed and ran east. That night, they crossed the Soła river and swam across the Vistula river before reaching a nearby forest in a boat that they had managed to find.

After taking the day after their escape to recuperate, they continued their march east, crossing the border of the General Government. After a few more days of hard travel, the trio of escapees reached Nowy Wiśnicz near Bochnia, where they established contact with the regional Headquarters of the Home Army. Speaking to the Home Army’s regional commanders, Pilecki suggested the creation of a unit which would attack the Nazi German SS garrison in Auschwitz and liberate the prisoners. The regional command officers rejected Pilecki’s plan, saying that it would be unrealistic to assume that such an operation would be a success. 

In August 1943, Pilecki reached Warsaw, where, at the General Headquarters of the Home Army, he presented an extensively detailed report concerning resistance activities and the disposition of prisoners in Auschwitz: the murder of Poles, Soviet POWs, and Jews, and the establishment of the Zigeunerlager (Gypsy camp) for Sini & Roma prisoners.

Sentenced To Death:

In August 1944, Pilecki fought in the Warsaw Uprising and was captured in the wake of the uprising’s collapse. As a result, Pilecki was sent to the Murnau POW camp in Bavaria. After the camp was liberated by the American military, he made his way to Italy to join the Polish Second Corps—a military unit that played an essential role during the Allies campaign in the region. Returning to Poland at the end of 1945, he performed intelligence work for the Second Corps. On 8 May 1947, Pilecki was arrested by agents of the Ministry of Public Security (Ministerstwo Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego or MBP) Poland’s post-war communist secret police service. The pro-communist MBP were no friends to pro-western military forces like the Second Corps. Prior to his trial, Pilecki was repeatedly tortured, but he sought to protect other prisoners and revealed no sensitive information.

On 3 March 1948, a show trial took place. Pilecki was charged with illegal border crossing, use of forged documents, not enlisting with the military, carrying illegal arms, espionage for General Władysław Anders, espionage for "foreign imperialism" (thought to be British intelligence) and planning to assassinate several officials of the Ministry of Public Security of Poland. Pilecki denied the assassination charges, as well as espionage, although he admitted to passing information to the 2nd Polish Corps, of which he was an officer of. Accordingly, he claimed that he was not breaking any laws. He pleaded guilty to the other charges. Testimony against Pilecki was presented by a future Polish prime minister, Józef Cyrankiewicz, himself an Auschwitz survivor. On 15 May, along with three of his comrades, Pilecki was sentenced to death. 

Witold Pilecki was murdered in Mokotów Prison on 25 May 1948 by a single gunshot to the back of the head.

The Swedish Metal Band Sabaton made a song about him called “Inmate 4859“ which was released on their 2014 album “Heroes“ 

A telegram sent from the camp at 15:00 on 27th April, 1943 reporting the escape

The first message sent by Pilecki reached London on 18 March 1941. This document primarily contained a description of crimes committed by the Germans and the situation and living conditions in the camp.

"The game which I was now playing in Auschwitz was dangerous. This sentence does not really convey the reality; in fact, I had gone far beyond what people in the real world consider dangerous." "I found a joy in myself, coming from the awareness that I want to fight.” 

Why did the JNU students hold a ‘Tea Protest’ against their university administration.

- Guest Post by Aman Sinha

"A University stands for humanism. For tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and for the search of truth. It stands for the onward march of the human race towards ever higher objectives. If the Universities discharge their duties adequately, then it is well with the Nation and the People."

JNU’s website proudly showcases these lines by our first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. But is JNU today really a space for adventurism of ideas or for the search of truth? Can a space of free thought like a university stand for the onward march of the human race if it’s denizens are constantly disciplined in all forms of lifestyle?

Recently, JNU’s Estate Branch issued a circular forbidding all dhabas inside campus to stop operating late night citing university rules and regulations. The dhaba owners were directed to shut down business after 11 pm or face a cancellation of license. The student community as well as the dhaba owners protested against such a dictatorial decree. JNUSU General Secretary Satarupa Chakraborty said, "We have been witnessing that the JNU administration has adopted all possible means to scuttle the rights of students, workers and teachers by imposing arbitrary rules. Closing down of dhabas at 11 pm is one such example,"

JNU is known for its rigorous academic pressure. Students have to work all day to make sure they submit their assignments on time. After a hard day, scholars have little time to socialize or get out of their caged world of books, journals, laptops and cellphone. Maybe, that is why the university has had a culture of nightlife, in the form of tea at the Sabarmati Dhaba; basketball or badminton near Tapti hostel; or humming to a guitar at PSR. It is also the time when individuals freely explore that side of themselves which get subverted in the structured life of the day. These scholars, who are engaged in their studies throughout the day, meet at the night and discuss the affairs of the world. It allows them an outlet for the pressure that they handle under such an academic setup. It also allows them an opportunity to engage and formulate new opinions outside the confines of the classroom, and this is tantamount for the growth of an individual.

JNU takes pride of its model campus, which is one of the most democratic and liberal societies in the country. Inside the campus, women and men walk freely and fearlessly day and night. There are no curfews imposed on gender specific lines. More than 50 dhabas operate inside the campus and often they become the hub of activities in the form of debates and discussions ranging from national politics to climate change and international relations. All this happens over a cup of chai-samosa or a late-night plate of chowmein. In the vibrant campus, famous for driving social change, the dhabas become the temples of nightlife.

JNU students enjoying a late night jamming session at the North-East Food Court

JNU’s famous Dr. Ambedkar library stays open 24*7. Many scholars who have to meet deadlines spend whole nights in the library often skipping their dinner. The food joints have been a lifesaver for them. Eateries inside the campus like Ganga Dhaba, North East Food Court, are one of the cheapest food joints in New Delhi. The Tomar family has been running Ganga Dhaba since 1984. Last year they were directed to vacate the university premises before August 18, 2016 and handover the possession of the dhaba to the estate branch of the varsity. After a protest by the students’ community, the administration took back their dictate on the dhaba owner. However, post 9th February, photocopy shops and bookstores don’t remain open till late at night in the campus.

Post 9-Feb incident, there has been a deliberate attempt by the administration to discipline and moral police the scholars, most of whom are adults at the time of their entry into the campus. The important question to ask here is why? Why does the administration want to dictate lives of young adults? One reason could be that the administration, backed by the Hindutva forces are scared of the liberal lifestyle of the students and see it as a threat to their agenda of a patriarchal manuwadi hindu rastra where women are supposed to stay at home, the lower castes and classes are supposed to stay unprivileged and the young students are supposed to obey their elder teachers even if they are tyrannical. Another reason could be to curb the intense political activities inside the campus which takes place mostly at night and at one of these night dhabas only.

After the recent decree, the JNUSU jumped into prompt action even though most of the students were out of campus due to the summer vacations. On 11th June, the JNUSU organized a ‘Tea Protest’ at the Sabarmati Dhaba with the slogan “Raat ko bhi khane ki Azaadi”. On 12th June, the students’union protested before the Campus Development Committee (CDC) meeting demanding the repeal of the arbitrary dhaba timings among other things. The protests gave some fruitful results as the CDC accepted their demands and extended timings of some dhabas till mid-night. The CDC also agreed to form committees to monitor price list of the various dhabas, and look after health and hygiene of sanitary workers.

Even though it is a small battle won in a long war, the student community cannot and should not give in to the disciplinary measures taken by the university administration upon young adult scholars. The curbing of the dhaba timings is only the first step. This will slowly and steadily encroach upon the autonomy of the student community if not resisted with full force.

Into the Clouds : A Travelogue on Cherrapunji.

[Guest Post by Anindita Das]

Its 5 am in the morning and its all mist and clouds outside. I pack my bag and am off from the hotel room. As I start my journey I pass through tall buildings, fine houses and roads that are soon to be occupied by the ever busy life of Shillong. In a matter of about a quarter of an hour the packed city scene gives way to a more serene surrounding as the Headquarter of the Air force is passed by. The eye at once catches the magnificent fighter jet standing in all its might and for once my thoughts turn and I start thinking of all those great men who lived not for them but for this land upon which I stand. Just a few moments more and as I turn my eye towards the window I see the semi barren hills and they remind me of the great adventure I am soon to witness.

I can’t remember a single second when I was not caught by the view outside. The journey continues and then just a small bridge and I reach a place unforgettable. All of a sudden as I see the deep gorges below and clusters of cloud playing around with the mountains and the trees I realize I am now within the clouds. The criss-cross roads keep on adding to my awe as I keep on discovering a place I never thought could exist.

After a travel of about 56 kilometres, crossing various enchanting sceneries which comprises of gorges and unending hillocks clothed with pines, I reach where I had set for, Cherrapunjee. As soon as I get down of the car I first get struck by a signboard saying “the wettest place on earth, Cherrapunjee”. I look up the sky; there are clouds hovering and sun smiling through it. I smile to myself and feel lucky to not see rain. I walk up the road to have a look at the local market of the place as I then get a view of the first waterfall of the region. The local inhabitants who are passing me by did not even care to turn and see the waterfall which have left me so spellbound that my feet could not move forward and I thought to myself that was it me who was lucky to see it once or was it them who saw it so much that they don’t see it anymore. I buy a few locally crafted goods and head on to my next stoppage. Within a few minutes I reach the Rama Krishna Mission Ashram, renowned worldwide for its service to mankind. Along with it was the Rama Krishna mission school which had been imparting education for decades. I meet a few Swamiji’s and have a bit of talk regarding its establishment, work and the locals who inhabit the area while walking along the colourful gardens and its serene surrounding. I ask for their blessings and as I am about to start of again I meet a few hostellers, young boys who live and study there. I stop again and after a quick photo session I leave.

Crossing a small forest which the locals preserve as a sacred forest and a small stream of crystal clear water, I reach a gate which opens to some small shops and huts. I get down and a sound of water striking hard on rocks is what I can hear. I follow the sound and what I discover is another breathtaking waterfall, the Nohkalikai. The hard hitting water falling with all its force into a deep green pool below, it is a fascinating sight! I had just started to enjoy its beauty as suddenly a thick cloud covers up the waterfall in it and I say to myself “welcome to cherrapunjee”. Just a few moments hence the whole place gets foggy and misty and soon after it starts to rain. I run fast and take shelter in a small hut where I am heartily welcomed. The warmth from the chullah, a hot cup of tea and the uncut sound of the rain give me a glimpse of the life in this place. When I asked about the meaning of the name of the waterfall, a lady from the house told me a story which is believed to be the reason behind the name. As told, the name was given after a mother named likai who had jumped off the waterfall after knowing of her daughter’s brutal death by her own father who wanted to have meat and also because of her guilt of having the meat in ignorance. A bit shocked by the story I sit near the chullah waiting for the rain to subside. As the fog cleared up a bit I take an adieu and started my journey further.

Crossing the places where I had first reached I take another route towards the south which was to take me through a few more views to behold. The picturesque deep gorges, the small elegant village lead me to a place named Ka kper syiem sohra which has the cremation of the kingship of the place. As I further moved downwards I reach a place maintained by the Meghalaya government named Eco Park. There I get a display of indigenous orchids and is also presented by a spellbound view of the plains of Sylhet of the neighbouring country of Bangladesh. A bit of chit chats with some of the neighbouring people and start of again seeing the clock tick fast. A few kilometres hence and I reach the mawsmai cave. With an excitement to enter the caves I take an entry ticket and climb the stairs in urgency. As I enter the cave I look inside and I stop. The dimly lit cave, the dripping water from the stones and the silence captivate me within a spur of moment. I enter, and struggling through the tricky narrow paths, through the various chambers and passages reach the other end of the cave. Never had I had such an experience in my life!

Towards the south of this village I had been was a series of seven waterfalls falling in synchronism to each other to the deep gorge below. I was caught by the sight of the Mawsmai waterfall. The vibrant colours of the sun at the backdrop made it a nature’s treat to me. As the sun had almost reached the edge I realize that I have to move on. Capturing the moment in my heart I leave and head towards the second last destination of the day, the Thangkharang Park. Managed by the forest department about 8 kms from the cherra village have an exotic orchid exhibited in it. A panoramic view of the plains of Bangladesh with an added bonanza of the imposing Kynrem waterfall cascading down majestically in three stages, set against the backdrop of the Bangladesh plains, which bounded me with the many other over there.

The last visit of the day that I take is the Khoh ramhah, an imposing single rock formation in the shape of a giant cone structure. According to the folklore, it is the fossilised cone shaped basket of a giant evil. As I looked at it for sometime, the belief does seem to be true for a moment!

  

As the daylight is dimming away I think to myself if the day could be a little longer, I could have had a few more delights. I sighed and turn to start my journey back. But as I am leaving the place a strange thought is telling me that I too belong to this place now and this place to me...

Hojagiri: Tripura’s Own Treasure

[Guest Post by Daibat Majumdar]

Shakira, Beyonce are household names these days. They are flaunting hip dancers of the 21st century. Their skills of belly dancing and hip movement have made us idolize them. But, don’t you think our own cultures have something in them to be appreciated of? Well, this is a story about a traditional hip dancing which has been in the Tripuri Hills for centuries and has been celebrated by the tribal cultures due to its uniqueness.

Hojagiri dance is one of the famous dances of Tripura. The dance is performed on the occasion of Hojagiri festival or Laxmi Puja, held in the following full moon night of Durga Puja. The goddess Mailuma or Laxmi is worshiped with full reverence and devotion on this day. The Riang clan of Tripura are known to be the best performers of this world-renowned rare dance form. Riangs are known to be fond of dancing. They have performed the Hojagiri folk dance almost all around the globe and have bagged critical acclamation.

The ancillary logistics required for the dance are – a Baling, which is a wide circular rice cleaning article made up of cane, a pitcher or Kalash, a bottle, a household traditional lamp, a plain dish, a handkerchief for each member. This dance is a reflection of the age-old culture. In this form, only lower half of the body is moved. It is done to create special rhythmic movement. For precise body movements and accurate gestures, one has to undergo severe training and regular rehearsal for this dance. It is a slow hip and waist maneuvering dance. It takes about 30-40 minutes to finish the sequence of Hojagiri dance. It tries to bring out the day to day life of the Jhum cultivators in various phases i.e. from the day of sowing to the harvesting day.

The dance is performed only by women, of about 4 to 6 members in the group. The male members have not kept aside, they participate in singing the lyrics, and playing the ‘Kham’, the Kham is actually a drum with skin surfaces on both the sides. The membranes are usually made of goat skin that is tied to each other on both sides with leather strings. Some women also form the team chorus, in the singing group. The lyrics used are very simple but penetrative and have metaphoric meanings, though the dance is unparallel with the Hojagiri dance.

Any information on Hojagiri dance will always be incomplete without mentioning the name of Shri Satya Ram Riang. He can be considered as the pioneer in promoting Hojagiri dance in all over the world and one of the most celebrated Riang sons. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy award by the government of India for his relentless effort to preserve and promote this rare dance form not only in India but also in abroad. But, due to lack of awareness and interest Hojagiri dance has not yet been able to reach its expected position.

This Article is featured in Youth Ki Awaaz: The Mouth Piece for the Youth

Link: http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2012/04/hojagiri-tripuras-own-treasure/

The Dorm-Party Experiment !

[Guest Post by Sukanta Sarma]

Aim: To cook pork (in your own indigenous style)

Theory: For the last 6 years we have been celebrating Poila baishakh in the hostels only. So, no pitha, no sweets, no feast. To share with you all, this is what I have been doing every New Year. This is an indigenous way of cooking pork. Well, that's the only thing we can prepare to celebrate along with our party needs... ;-) !!!

Materials Required:

• 1 kg Pork
• 5 small Potato (Aloo) 
• 5-6 Green Chili (Hari mirch)
• 2-3 large Onion (Pyaj)
• 1/2 tsp Cumin powder (Jeera)
• 1 tsp Coriander powder (Dhania powder)
• Coriander leaves
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi Powder)
• 3 Garlic (Lasun)
• 1/4 tsp Ginger (Adrak)
• 6 Red chilli (Lal Mirchi)
• Salt (Namak)
• Mustard oil

Procedure (How to make Pork):

1. Make a fine paste of the ginger, garlic, red chilies and if you want u can use vinegar too.
2. Heat little oil in a pan (kadai) or any cooker for 2 minutes and fry the potatoes (halved) till they are evenly brown in colour.
3. Remove and keep aside.
4. Fry sliced onions and green chilies till the onions are transparent.
5. Add the ground paste and mix it up nicely till oil leaves the sides of the pan.
6. Add the pork and pressure cook till almost done.
7. Remove the lid of the cooker or the covering plate, add the potatoes and 2-3 cups of water.
8. Simmer for 10-12 minutes.
9. You can again add a little bit of vinegar and simmer for another 5-6 minutes.
10. Garnish with coriander leaves.

S.I.M.P.L.E.

Precautions :

• Do not overcook.
• Use care in timing.
• Remove from heat and allow for a 3-4 minutes rest period before serving.

Conclusion: So, the Pork Vindaloo is ready to be served with steamed rice or chapati or you can also enjoy it with any of your favorite drinks with your best buddies ;-) :-P