Assam Society of America (Axom Sangha) along with others condemn the recent serial blasts in Assam. It was a barbaric incident where more than 88 people died and numerous injured. We urge the government to take strict measures to prevent further attacks in Assam by the terrorists and bring the culprits to justice. The government should not take into account caste, religion and national to curb violence. We are with the people of Assam to build a peaceful state and sail to prosperous future. I would also request people all over the globe to donate for rehabilitation of the victims.
Dr. Ganesh Bora
President, Assam Society of America
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Be involved!!
On 3Oth Oct, mid noon, New Delhi, I was headed to visit a friend’s sister, Rikimi, who had broken her ligament and was resting at home. On the way, a phone call came from my friend Leon in Mumbai. He had seen TV news about serial bomb blasts in Assam, and wondered if everyone was safe at home. Bomb blasts had become a somewhat regular thing for me, whether I was in Delhi or in Guwahati, so I casually replied I would check up on it. Then he also added that he had tried calling my sister in Guwahati to see if she was safe, but, had been rather surprised to find her mobile switched off… in the middle of the day! Suddenly my stomach churned with uneasy dread…
I fervently started calling up my sister but couldn’t get through. I tried calling my father, my mother, my relatives, my friends, but found the all phone lines jammed. In desperation, I tried calling up from different Vodafone, Reliance PCO’s, but it was the same. I called up uncle in Jorhat to see if could get through, but he called up sometime later to say all the lines were jammed.
The sweat of animal fear, panic began trickling down my spine…
Later when I reached Rikimi’s place, she and her mother’s eyes were riveted to the TV. I saw an image that seemed like a scene out of Iraq…my ever familiar Ganeshguri flyover, amidst billows of dark smoke. Gradually, the images of burnt bodies, annihilated cars, shattered structures started appearing. Charred bodies, angry mobs, outraged public stoning fire brigades, a city gone amok!
Suddenly Rikimi got thru to my sisters number from her IDEA mobile. A network that had undependable network had turned life saving when all others had failed. I found that my sister was safe, so were my parents. I started calling up my close friends, relatives and heaved a sigh of relief each time I heard a familiar voice on the line. Yet one more alive, another survivor. Rikimi and her mom also got through most of their relatives, friends, none had perished in the blasts. Thankfully I thought....
After a while realized how many friends I had, how many associates, neighbors and familiar faces in my hometown. How could I ever be sure ALL of them had survived these terrible blasts?? Was I really in the "safe zone"? This time my immediate family, close friends had survived these blasts. But for HOW LONG? How long before a terrible phone call came from home and my turned life upside down..???
During the last two years, whenever I was in Guwahati for months, I used to daily park my scooter below the Ganeshguri flyover. Our architectural office was above Canara Bank and we used to park our scooters at the EXACT site where the terrible blast happened. Sometimes, thrice in a single day would we be parking our scooters there, as we moved in and out of office.
The Riha, Mekehla, Pator clothes shop line in front of the church at Fancy Bazaar. Last year at home, my sister and wife went to buy clothes from there. My sister had comically sweet talked the young salesman into reducing his prices. Now, gone... his young face still before my eyes. His shop, his clothes, the entire row of shops blazed out in a fire of hatred, bloodlust. CJM court, where we regularly visit for numerous registrations, etc, on a peak workday… the blasts had been calculated to achieve Maximum Damage!
Never before had I been shaken up so much. These blasts had shaken the roots of my very existence.
Could I really afford to be blind, detached, anymore? When the exploded, mutilated bodies of my close ones lie before me… would my alligator tears really matter..??
I decided to be involved, active and attached. I called up my close contacts in various political parties and discussed these blasts. But surprisingly, though politicians they were, but as my well wishers (yes, surprising, politicians are humans too) they advised me NOT to join any party.. neither their own, nor others. They said I would be soon sucked into the political vortex, and my attachment to my homeland would exploit to serve political milieu. After three days of dilemma, conflict, pent up rage, resentment, frustration I decided to take some baby steps. I joined up several online communities like Assam, Axomiya, Guwahati etc etc. I started my OWN online forum/ community both on Facebook and Orkut, named Indians For Assam. Within one day of its birth, 89 members joined. 24 wall posts. Some political persons had online chats with me. No longer am I detached, indifferent anymore!!
I decided that I would DIRECTLY, individually, participate in ANY process that involved awareness, attachment, and action to our troubled Assamese homeland. Its no longer "they", "the government", "the political parties" .. anymore. Its YOU and ME, a handful of bothered, attached, involved Assamese that has to participate in change directly!
It’s up to EACH one of us, now. In your own capacity, WHATEVER you can, WHEREVER you are, whatever options are available to you: Partcipate, involve, promote, scream, shout, serve blasts victims, write, speak, associate, fund, initiate, insinuate, form groups, whatever… Exert YOUR Assamese Identity!
Doing wrong things are bad. But doing NOTHING is even WORST. Indifferent is the WORST crime. Don’t be indifferent, detached, least concerned. Make Assam a part and parcel of your daily life!!! Otherwise… we’re a LOST race!!
DO something.. ANYTHING!!!
DON’T SIT THERE BLAMING and COMPLAINING!! IT DOESN’T HELP!!
Adim Phukan, New Delhi
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Killing of innocent people by terrorists
Reaction from the Assamese community of the UK
The mass murder of innocent people by terrorist bomb blasts last week in Assam has brought deep sadness amongst Assamese expatriates in the United Kingdom. We strongly condemn the terrible acts of killing innocent people by any groups holding such ideologies or beliefs. Our sympathies and hearts go to the families of the people who died and also those injured by the bombings.
Besides bringing anguish to us all, it also raises questions about the Assam Government’s inaptitude in preventing violence at will by the terrorists in Assam. It is now understood that a new terrorist group has been formed who claim responsibility for the blasts last week. Our concern is for the inability of the government of Assam in handling terrorism in the state. The simultaneous blasts last week raises the question of how did the emergence of a new terrorist group in Assam remained un-noticed and how the elaborate planning of last week’s bombing at the heart of the capital of Assam went undetected by the government intelligence?
If the Government was aware of the new terrorist group at all, why did they fail to take effective action in time? Why were no measures taken to disband and neutralise this group to prevent the bombings?
The Chief Minister Mr Tarun Gogoi’s media statement claimed that bombing by terrorists is happening everywhere in India and the impression he gave was that it will happen in Assam also. This remark, unsurprisingly a remark one might expect from a politician who wanted to wriggle out of the responsibility of being complaisant, became known following the recent bomb blasts.
It is understood the Assam Government does not have an effective framework of law against terrorism. This means it has no law to implement or exercise effective means for a dedicated security force to engage in processes against terrorism. The only means the Assam Government has at the moment we believe is only an ordinary police force ill equipped, ill trained and above all inefficient to combat terrorist activities by a sophisticated group.
Mr Tarun Gogoi’s statement, after the recent blasts, merely suggests that Assam Government will take every action to find the terrorist group responsible and ‘if necessary to seek help from the central government in this matter’. This suggests probably indirectly government’s inability to address this matter effectively on its own. Such a statement was not sufficiently consoling nor has it generated much confidence in the public mind especially in the minds of those who lost their dear ones
Serious questions must also be raised for the reason for the delay of help arriving at the scene of the carnage last week and the Government’s plans of help for the victims of the blast. Is there a mechanism in place by which the victims and their family will receive help from the government? If so how will this work and by when? This is a matter of utmost necessity and urgency. The authority must show willingness to address this matter quickly with compassion and urgency.
It has been reported that it took more than 15 minutes for any emergency services to reach the scene. This includes the police, the ambulance service and the fire service. How can this happen? Important services like the fire brigade and ambulance not arriving in time in matters of life and death is unacceptable. The public have the right to know why. Has the government reviewed the operational logistics of these services?
There is a small but significant operational issue which the government might wish to take the responsibility for and use its available resources appropriately to fulfil it. The issue in question is to educate the public in civic responsibility of allowing the fire brigade and ambulance priority of passage through the road when responding to emergency calls. This simple measure would facilitate unhindered passage and swift arrival of these services at the scene. Surely educating the public in such matters is far more desirable and important than educating them to give priority to the government official’s personal vehicles that thunder along crowded roads with sirens blasting and accompanying police motorcade back and front.
There has been inexorable demographic change in Assam due to the rapid growth in the population of illegal economic immigrants from Bangladesh. These immigrants brought with them their religious beliefs and customs and are unwilling to integrate with the local inhabitants. Besides, allegedly they are gradually encroaching once public common lands for their own possession and habitations depriving the locals and their animal stocks free range of movement. These illegal acts are causing fears of economic insecurity and mistrust among the locals resulting sporadic violence.
Political leaders in Assam who honestly care about Assam ought to look into this matter and formulate a solution for avoiding discontent, blood bath and misery in Assam. It is probably not too late to stop viewing the immigrants solely as a vote bank to fulfil some unscrupulous politician’s personal ambition.
Dr Probir Brahma.
General Secretary. Assam Association of the UK
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We, the members of Assam Association, Gurgaon, are shocked at the recent serial blasts on that darkest day in the History of Assam and condole the death of all those innocent lives and at the pathetic conditions of the wounded. We pray to God that nothing of this kind happens again and let the souls of the demised be rest in peace and the wounded be healed soon. Further, we request all the Assam lovers to look back at the bombings and work towards preventing such tragic incidents in future.
Mridul Bhuyan, President
Assam Association Gurgon, Haryana
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We would like to express our deepest condolences to all the families of the victims of the tragic serial bomb blasts in Assam.
Words cannot even begin to express our sorrow at this senseless incident. This is a very sad incident and we condemn this activity as a henious crime committed against humanity. We are also terribly shocked along with rest of the world and express solidarity in the grief of the near and dear ones of the victims.
May God give eternal rest to the souls of the demised.
Prodip Chandra Borkakoty
on behalf of Shanghai Ahomiya Sangha. China
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Is fear productive?
People say that time always runs out just like sand, but the same is true for emotions as well. We sometimes unknowingly become cynical, but what is the great deal? The whole world is cynical. Most people don’t barge into each other’s business, but some people do. Human evolution is a continuing story. Our emotions are unpredictable and difficult to control. We sometimes easily totter into the hands of anger, greed and jealousy. But this is not the case with people who bring fear into others’ lives. You might fall for them or their acts and it is apparent that humans are slaves of their emotions. So, is the case with us.( Once upon a time we fell for terrorist attacks but now we know the real motive behind them. So, we all must pledge to not to hide but face all the tribulations with courage and determination together as one.
Panchi Changkakoty, Jodhpur, India, is a student of class X11 studying in Delhi Public School, Jodhpur
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Assam is once again burning in the flames of terrorism. Once again, hundreds of innocent people lost their lives or were maimed for life; the lives of hundreds have changed forever under the brutal onslaught of these heinous and dastardly acts. In these times, we all should unite and appeal for peace, humanity and fight this evil of terrorism that threatens to rip apart the very foundation of our society.
Under the circumstances, we the Assamese community of Bangalore decided to organize a condolence meet and a candle lit Peach March in a show of solidarity, unity and support for all those people back home in Assam who has lost their lives, who has lost their near and dear ones in these inhuman acts of terror.
So, on the evening of 2nd of November 2008, Sunday, we gathered at M.G Road near the junction of the CTO circle and Mahatma Gandhi statue and proceeded on a silent and candle lit march. Around 400 of us marched with placards proclaiming our concerns and pain, the primary message being an earnest appeal for peace, humanity and unity as well as a strong condemnation of such killing of innocent people. After completing the march, we all prayed for the departed soul by observing a minute of silence. Hopefully, our concerns and our show of solidarity will reach out to all our people in the community and drive home the message to the concerned authorities to initiate appropriate action.
Warm regards,
Rajdeep Kar
On Behalf of Assamese Community in Bangalore
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A month ago, on 30th Oct 2008, terror struck through the heart of Assam when a series of bomb blasts exploded across four major towns of Assam, North East India causing instant carnage and devastation. Many lay dead and many more lay injured. As the human tragedy unfolded, there was a feeling of helplessness and anger among all those who love Assam and we, a group of friends in the UK decided we must do something for our fellow brethren whose lives were shattered in the bomb blasts. And the idea for Just For Assam (JFA) was formed.
We aim to be a charity foundation through which we can offer help to victims of unfortunate events and disasters in Assam. Initially, we are focused on helping the victims of the recent serial bomb blasts and in future, we aim to extend our help to other victims of unfortunate events or circumstances in Assam.
On the eve of one month since the bomb blasts have taken place, we are organizing a meeting to collectively condemn the blast and express our solidarity with those people whose lives have been changed forever on 30th Oct 08. As they and their dependents start to pick up the pieces and move along life’s journey, we want to offer them a helping hand and reassure them that they are not alone. We are with them and we will help them overcome the cruel twist of fate.
We cordially invite you to join us in this meeting:
Date: 29th November 2008,
Time: 1400 hrs
Venue: Royal National Hotel (Alexander Suite B)
Address: Bedford Way, Russell Square, London WC18 0DG
Nearest tube station: Russell Square
The website link to the location is
http://www.imperialhotels.co.uk/royalnational1_hotel.aspx
Hope to see you on the 29th of November 2008.
RSVP: by 25th November to: s.sharma@enazoreefilms.com (Every Assamese and/or well wisher of Assam Invited)
Warm Regards
Sanchayita Sharma (Bubli)
Just For Assam
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