Laurel, Maryland, USA, July 1, 2007
The Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi, attended recently concluded Assam2007 in Laurel, Maryland. This get-together of non-resident Assamese (NRA) was an attempt to bring together the disparate community together for celebration of the rich and proud culture and heritage of Assam and its people. Assam2007 started on June 29th and concluded on July 1, 2007. On July 1st, Assam’s current CM, Gogoi, arrived the event site at Ramada Inn in Laurel, Maryland around 4:15pm. He was accompanied by his wife Mrs. Dolly Gogoi; H.K. Sharma, Managing Director of AIDC; A.K. Sachin, Commissioner of Development & Planning, Government of Assam; Bipul Gogoi, Chief Protocol Officer, CM’s office; and Dr. Naba Goswami, a well-known physician from St. Clairesville, Ohio.
The CM and his group were cordially received by Mukul Chowdhary of Edison, New Jersey on behalf of Assam2007 organizers. This reception included adorning the CM and his wife with the traditional “gamosa” and a “dhol” play by Utpal Borah of Glenmoore, Pennsylvania. Assam2007 Host Committee Chair, Niranjan Brahma, welcomed the CM, Mrs. Gogoi, and the rest of the invited guests to a seminar on the economic and social development of Assam. The CM was the chief guest in this seminar which was moderated by Dr. Sanjib Bhuyan of Franklin Park, New Jersey.
Gogoi thanked the organizers for inviting him to Assam2007 and congratulated all those in attendance for celebrating the culture and heritage of Assam in the U.S.A. In his brief speech, Gogoi spoke about the need for involvement of NRAs in Assam for economic development, particularly in rural areas. He asserted that government efforts alone could not solve all the problems that exist in the State. There was also need for input from the NRAs who can provide both monetary and non-monetary input and investments in the State’s various sectors. Gogoi particularly referred to the energy and industry sectors which could benefit from non-resident investment.
The seminar had three presentations which followed the brief talk by the CM. One of the presentations was by Dr. Naba Goswami showing an example of investment by NRAs in Assam – it was a medical device production facility Dr. Goswami started in the outskirts of Guwahati in collaboration with AIDC, Assam. Such investments are expected to provide valuable employment to people in the area as well as contribute to Assam’s economy. Dr. Goswami’s presentation was followed by a presentation by Dr. Jugal Kalita of Colorado Springs, Colorado on the need for expanding engineering education facilities in Assam, and how that may lead to both human development and economic growth in Assam. The CM acknowledged that Assam was far behind when it comes to education in general and technical education in particular; he mentioned steps taken in last few years, including increasing budget for higher education, to revamp the education system in the State in general and higher education in particular. He informed the audience that further steps would be taken to bring the higher education system in Assam up-to-date.
Partha Gogoi of Fairfax, Virginia was the last presenter of the evening. Gogoi showcased various projects taken up by NRAs in the US through various Assamese organizations in North America, such as AFNA and ASA Foundation. Some of these projects were community projects, such as Prajnalaya in Titabor and Parijat Academy in Pamohi near Guwahati – both of which are geared towards helping children who are less fortunate. Other projects included improving the skills and work potential of Assamese educated youth and involved collaboration with well-known institutions such as the Assam Institute of Management located in Guwahati. Another example of such involvement by NRAs in the development of Assamese manpower included NEPIF (North Eastern Professional Institute Forum) – a forum of 10 management institutes and engineering colleges from the NE India. Its objective is to promote training and placements of graduates of these institutions by inviting best companies from outside Assam. Gogoi offered some strategies regarding how best to receive help from the NRAs, and that included helping an image makeover of Assam by focusing on the positives, by providing technical skills in the areas of technology, power, infrastructure, and education, etc. Gogoi commented that in order for NRAs to contribute to Assam’s growth and development, the Government of Assam needs to make it easier to work with government agencies, and encourage government agencies and officials to support NRA efforts.
A Q&A session moderated by Dr. Bhuyan followed after the presentations. Although the audience had the opportunity to ask questions to all the presenters, all questions were directed at the CM. There were many questions directed at the CM who took all questions on stride and answered. There were several questions focusing on the CM’s position on the chronic flood problem in Assam and strategies to resolve it. Gogoi acknowledged the chronic nature of the problem and pointed out that cooperation was needed from neighboring countries and states to find a long-term solution to the problem, and that his administration has been working towards that end. There were questions on the growing problem of dowry in Assam which was non-existent in Assam in the past (the CM assured that he was aware of the situation and steps were being taken to revert the problem), how to make Assam an international doorway to the SE Asia ( Gogoi mentioned work in progress and recent visits by SE Asian dignitaries to assess Assam’s potential as an international window), dilapidated transportation and energy infrastructure and how it was hurting Assam’s economic development ( Gogoi informed the audience that there has been significant improvement in roads and bridges in Assam since his administration took office and that he has been working to improve the energy situation in Assam), and on his administration plan to deal with corruption ( Gogoi acknowledged the existence of corruption but denied that it was widespread and mentioned that perception of high corruption has put Assam next to Bihar as the most corrupt state in the country. He did not specifically address how to get rid of corruption.).
After the seminar the audience mingled with and Mrs. Gogoi and his party before everyone enjoyed a well-catered dinner of North Indian cuisine. After dinner the evening cultural show started around 8pm. Gogoi and his party left after enjoying a group “huchori” led by Mrinal Hazarika of Connecticut. The festivities continued after the CM left. Later that evening multitalented singer from Assam, Zubeen Garg, performed and thrilled the audience till late into the early morning hours. Please read the cultural report by Utpal Borah elsewhere in this issue of Posowa.
By Sanjib Bhuyan
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