Plurality is Assam’s essence

Hena Kumar Sukhna

The gateway to the Northeast is burning. Reading about Assam’s agitation against the citizenship law brought back memories of my childhood spent in the state. Assam is a pluralistic society and boasts of a shared heritage that not only reminds it of its common past cultural links, but also nurtures its present interactions and promotes bonhomie among various ethnicities. Pluralism does not just mean diversity, but the energetic engagement with diversity, the true understanding of lines of differences, the encountering of commitments and is based on dialogue. And dialogue is the only way to explore the roots of the many crises we face today.

My first tryst with the state began in the early 1990s. My father, an IAS officer of the Assam cadre, made Assam my second home, where I spent many wonderful years. In school, or when I played with other children, I was never certified as an ‘outsider’. There was ready acceptance. Kindness and hospitality binds people of Assam in a bond of love and makes the atmosphere aglow with human warmth. The people are quiet and peace loving.

When my father was posted in Kokrajhar, insurgency was at its peak. One evening, while on a drive in the countryside there was an attempt to ambush us. It was terrifying, we survived, but what touched our lives was the love and unwavering support we received from local people. With their openness they made us realise the importance of oneness. Assam is a true melting pot of a number of ethnic and cultural groups that have learnt to coexist peacefully. The culture is a rich and exotic tapestry of all races that have evolved through a long assimilative process. There are Hindus, Bengalis, Muslims, Sikhs, and so on. All are simply Assamese.

Amidst such gentleness it pains me to see violence again raising its ugly head in the state I call my own. Today it has become a vast cauldron of sadness, fear, chaos and anger. I am neither advocating nor negating the political correctness of the citizenship law. What is being witnessed is that the principle of secularism maintaining political and cultural pluralism is being challenged, leading to problems that cannot be countered with high economic or developmental growth. The precedence of the moral order of society implies that no agency shall seek to impose its preferred vision throughout society, but would respect internal rules and practices of social groups. This is important to safeguard diversity, social integration and unity while protecting cultural differences within the state, and to maintain peace. But then, Assam has always been forgiving. It is a land of love and tranquility.

As I wait for happiness to once again radiate through the state, I know for a fact, ‘Assam connects, never destroys.’