GUWAHATI, March 6 � People from all the castes and the ethnic groups that had figured in the census books from 1901 to 1951 and the communities like the Gariyas and Mariyas as well as the tea-garden tribes should be treated as Assamese people in respect of the government notification for identification of the Assamese people.
This definition has been offered by DN Chakravartty, veteran journalist and former president of Kamrup Mahanagar Zila Sahitya Sabha in a letter to the Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly.
Chakravartty, while elaborating the genesis of the word Assamese, said that while in the epics as well as in the days of King Bhaskar Barma and during the days prior to the ascent of the Ahoms, Assam was generally described as Pragjyotish, Kamrup and Kirata Desh, while the word Assam stemmed from the Ahoms after their advent in the 13th century.
While the word �Asomiya� figured occasionally in some of the Vaishnavite books in the 16th century, the words �Assamese� and �Asomiya� received regular acceptance after their introduction in books and magazines by Baptist missionaries in the second half of the 19th century.
Chakravartty said that while nowhere in the world a particular community � be it the Germans, the French or the English � is defined in the Constitution and law, it is indeed most unfortunate that a debate had to linger on the definition of the term Assamese since the Assam Accord introduced the clause for protection of the identity of the Assamese people.
�No community, caste or ethnic group hailing from other parts of the country and outside should be given the treatment of an Assamese only by the virtue of their accepting Assamese as a second language or even as medium of instruction,� he added.
Chakravartty said that while the family of Jyotiprasad Agarwala and many other respected Assamese families drew their lineage from Marwaris, Hindustanis and Bengalis, there should not be any reason why the Marwari people living in Assam or for that matter the Nepalis and the Bengalis who have not assimilated themselves with the Assamese community should be treated as Assamese, only to secure the benefit offered to the Assamese people for their very survival.
GUWAHATI, March 6 � People from all the castes and the ethnic groups that had figured in the census books from 1901 to 1951 and the communities like the Gariyas and Mariyas as well as the tea-garden tribes should be treated as Assamese people in respect of the government notification for identification of the Assamese people.
This definition has been offered by DN Chakravartty, veteran journalist and former president of Kamrup Mahanagar Zila Sahitya Sabha in a letter to the Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly.
Chakravartty, while elaborating the genesis of the word Assamese, said that while in the epics as well as in the days of King Bhaskar Barma and during the days prior to the ascent of the Ahoms, Assam was generally described as Pragjyotish, Kamrup and Kirata Desh, while the word Assam stemmed from the Ahoms after their advent in the 13th century.
While the word �Asomiya� figured occasionally in some of the Vaishnavite books in the 16th century, the words �Assamese� and �Asomiya� received regular acceptance after their introduction in books and magazines by Baptist missionaries in the second half of the 19th century.
Chakravartty said that while nowhere in the world a particular community � be it the Germans, the French or the English � is defined in the Constitution and law, it is indeed most unfortunate that a debate had to linger on the definition of the term Assamese since the Assam Accord introduced the clause for protection of the identity of the Assamese people.
�No community, caste or ethnic group hailing from other parts of the country and outside should be given the treatment of an Assamese only by the virtue of their accepting Assamese as a second language or even as medium of instruction,� he added.
Chakravartty said that while the family of Jyotiprasad Agarwala and many other respected Assamese families drew their lineage from Marwaris, Hindustanis and Bengalis, there should not be any reason why the Marwari people living in Assam or for that matter the Nepalis and the Bengalis who have not assimilated themselves with the Assamese community should be treated as Assamese, only to secure the benefit offered to the Assamese people for their very survival.
