GUWAHATI, Oct 27 - This Diwali there will be no sound around the premises of Karbi Yuba Sangha at Lichubagan here. As the auspicious occasion has coincided with October 30, the black day when humanity was trampled upon by a senseless act of terror, the Sangha has decided to illuminate the club premises with earthen lamps and avoid all fireworks.
The inhuman tale that was written with the tears and blood of many innocents, is still fresh in the minds of all Sangha members as each one had got deeply involved in providing relief to the affected. Talking to The Assam Tribune and remembering the gruesome day, president of the Sangha Suren Mikir said that no resident of Lichubagan can forget that fateful day.
Several persons from this area had lost their lives. Most of them were auto drivers, vegetable and flower vendors and doing other odd jobs for their livelihood. And many from this area, like auto driver Naren Tumung, had been maimed for life in the incident.
�No crackers will be burst on our club premises. Since Diwali signifies the light that has to prevail over darkness, we have decided to light earthen lamps and pay our tribute to those who lost their lives in that dastardly act,� said Mikir, adding that those injured in the October 30 blast have been living a pathetic life.
Auto driver Naren Tumung of Lichubagan was the sole bread winner in the family before the incident. He was so badly injured in the Ganeshguri blast that he is now totally incapable of earning a living. For the likes of Naren Tumung, any kind of sound rekindles the nightmarish incident.
The auto drivers of Ganeshguri are sensitive towards the feelings of the families of the blast victims. Many of them were witness to their friends lying in pools of blood. And many of them had escaped death by providence. These auto drivers will, as a mark of respect to their friends who departed untimely, will not burst crackers this Diwali.
�We lost our friends on that horrific day. And such incidents are always fresh in our minds even though many years have gone by. We will offer our tribute to those who lost their lives and will not burst crackers. The sound of crackers will bring back those ghastly images from the past,� said auto driver Ritu Das.
Dilip Das, a vendor from Ganeshguri who knew Lankeswar Deka, a vegetable vendor who had lost his life in the blast, said that he will not burst crackers on Diwali as October 30 is an unforgettable day. �To mark Diwali, I will just illuminate my small rented house. The day still sends shivers down my spine,� said Das.
On that black day when serial blasts had rocked the State, several advocates too had lost their lives. The Lawyers Association Guwahati will pay tribute to their departed colleagues by holding a programme at Kachari. Earthen lamps will be lighted in honour of the departed. Sailen Das, president of the association said that prayers for the departed and for peace in the State will also be conducted.
