Problem of Bodo People in BTC

Transcription

1 Volume 5 Issue 11 November-2017 Pages ISSN(e): Website: Index Copernicus Value DOI: Problem of Bodo People in BTC Author Subhash Talukdar Athiabari Vidyamandir H. S. School P.O -Athiabari. Dist- Baksa. (Assam) - subhashtalukdar68@gmail.com INTRODUCION :- Bodos are one of the oldest Tribes of Assam. According to the historians, the Bodos are a race of the Mongoloid group of people who are described to be the inhabitants of a north of the Himalayas and west of China. With the passage of time, they migrated to the Bullungbuthur valley (Brahmaputra valley) and lived there till the 3 rd Century. 1 The Bodos had only a few leaders and guided among them. One of them was Kalicharan Brahma. He was known as Gurudev. Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma was not only a preacher and social reformer; he was also a great unifier of the Bodo community. Unfortunately, disunity started among the Bodos after the death of Kalicharan Brahma. This made the entire community disintegrated and the political leaders from upper caste ignored the Bodos. Thus, when the country won independence in 1947, the Bodos could not get due important and facilities despite being the largest Tribal community of the North-East India. The Bodos could realize this sheer neglect of the community by the higher castes and political authorities of the time. Accumulation of anger and dissatisfaction compelled them to launch several movements for the preservation of their ethnic identity. They realized that every passing moment had threatened their very existence as a separate Tribal community, which had a glorious past. At this hour of identity crisis, the Bodos once again began to unite and started unified movements for the realization of their social goal through political means. Accordingly, the language movement was first of its kind launched by the Bodos against the Assam Official Language Act. 1961, which sought to make Assamese as the sole language as medium of instruction in Assam. 2 1.Paul, Amar Krishna, et.al. (eds.) (2012), New BTC GK, J & C newspaper group, Guwahati, p Ibid. They demanded introduction of Bodo medium in the Primary Schools for the Bodo students. Later on, they also demanded introduction of Bodo medium in the Secondary Schools of Assam for the Bodo students. These demands were finally fulfilled. After the formation of Plains Tribal Council of Assam (PTCA) in 1967, the Bodos launched a political movement demanding a separate state for the Plains Tribal of Assam named Udayachal. This movement made the Bodos aware of their political rights and united them further for achieving certain political gains for the community. In 1974, the Bodos launched the Roman Script Movement for Bodo language. Altogether 15 persons sacrificed their lives during that movement. Thousands of people suffered which further united them as a community. 3 With the formation of the All Bodo Students Union on 15 th February, 1967, the Bodos found a friend, philosopher and guide in it for the community. Under the banner of the ABSU, many social and political Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7706

2 movements have been launched for the greater interest of the Bodo people. After the election of Upendra Nath Brahma as the President of the ABSU in 1986, the student movements moved in the right direction. These movements sought social justice for the Bodos through political means. In the midst of the rushing phase of struggles initiated by different Bodo Organizations specially the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) for the creation of a homeland for the Bodos. A new insurgent group of the Bodos, Boro Security Force (Bd.S.F) under the leadership of Ranjan Daimary alias D.R. Nabla was born in 3 rd October,1986 with a strong determination to wage a people s protected struggle of resistance against the Indian occupation of the Boroland and thereby to free the Boro people from the ruling yoke of suppression and domination. 4 It has been rechristened itself as the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) on 25 th November, Ibid, p Mosahari, Premananda (2011), Political Identity Crisis of the Bodos and their Bodoland Movement, N.L. Publications, Guwahati, p PROFILE OF THE BODOS: In generic connotation the Bodos are a race of the Mongoloid people who are described to be the inhabitants of north of the Himalayas and west of China. This land is known as Bod. The word Bod is meant a homeland. It is also said that there were many parts of the country known as Hor Bod, Kur Bod, 5 etc. The inhabitants of Bod country are known as the Bodo Ficha or Bodocha or Bodosha (Bodo means land and Fisha or cha means children, hence children of the Bod country). In course of time, they come to be known as simply Boddo-Boro Bodo. The Bodos or Boros of the Brahmaputra valley particularly of some Districts like Kamrup, Sanitpur, Mongoldoi, Barpeta, Baksa, Chirang,Kakrajhar and Odalguri are known as Bodo- Kacharis or Boro Kacharis although all of them are presently popularly known as the Bodos. 6 The Bodos are one of the oldest inhabitants of Assam. According to the historians, the Bodos are a race of the Indo- Mongoloid group who are described to be the inhabitants of a country north of the Himalayas and west of China. With the passes of time, they migrated to the Brahmaputra valley and lived there till 3 rd century. During that time, they were known as Dimasas meaning there by the children of Great River 7 The origin of the Kachari race is still very largely a matter of conjecture and inference, in the absence of anything entitled to be regarded as authentic 5.Brahma, Kameswar (1992), A study of Socio Religious Belief Practices and Ceremonies of the Bodos, Punthi Pustak Publications, Calcutta, p Ibid. 7. Narzary, Bidyasagar (2005), Bodoland Quiz, Great Books Distributors, Guwahati 2009, p. 1. history. As remarked, the general appearance they are very close to the Mongolian type and this would seem to point to Tibet and China as the original home of the race 8 There are various opinions in regard to the origin of the Boro Kacharis. In An Introduction to Boro Kachari Society and Culture which is written in simple Assamese with necessary illustrated from the Boro Kachari language as spoken in Assam. It is a critical study of the various aspects of Boro Kachari society and culture in an Indo-Mongoloid background based on actual field material gathered by the writer. 9 A few historians used to say that some 6000 years ago a group of people was roaming in the Mongolia region. With the passes of time, those people came down to the south and migrated to India through its north- west and north-east frontiers. First they began to settle in the fertile valleys of Sidi (Sind) and Burlungbuthur (Brahmaputra). Gradually, they spread over whole of northern to northeast India, right from Sind in the west to Mahur in the east. Thus the Bodo people established their rules throughout the northern belt of ancient India extending from the Himalayas down to the sea. Thus, the Bodos could not form a single empire, their rule prevailed in the vast areas extending from Sind in the west to Mahur in the east, Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7707

3 Himalayas in the north to Bay of Bengal in the south. 10 This is the general observation on migration of the Bodo people to India and their permanent settlement in this land. The Bodos need no special introduction. They have become well known to the outside world as the sons of the soil of Assam, who once were powerful and dominant race in the entire northern India Endle, Sidney (2012), The Kacharies, Low Price Publications, Guwahati, p Narzi, Bhaben (2009), Boro-Kachharir Samaj Aru Sanskriti (Assamese), Bina Library, Guwahati, p Mwshahary, Subungcha (2010), The encyclopedia of Bodosa, Bodohadot Dafunggra Hanja, Kokrajhar, p Ibid. Racially, the Bodos, the earliest knew ethnic group to inhabitant Assam (erstwhile Pragiyotispur and Kamrupa) with their distinct culture and linguistic traits. According to Dr. Sunil Kumar Chatterjee, the Indian National Scholar, the great Bodo people of Assam are offspring of the son of Vishnu and mother Earth During the Epic times, they were also known as the Kiratas 12 B.H. Hodson for the first time used the term Bodo in his write-up Miscellaneous Essays Relating to the Indian subjects which was published in 1846 A.D. in the journal of The Royal Asistic Society of Bengal. In his write-up, Mr. Hodgson discussed elaborately on Bodo language and its grammar. There he enumerated some 500 Bodo verbs as specimen for the world people. For this reason Hodgson is regarded as the discoverer of the term Bodo which was stated as the original nomenclature of the group of people who were being identified as Kachari in the medieval history. In the modern time, Hodgson used term first and made it familiar to the world people. 13 The ancient Indian literatures specially the ancient Aryan Sanskrit literatures, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana describe the Indo-Mongolian and the Sino-Tibetan people as Kiratas. The Kalika Puran describes the Kiratas as having short stature, golden colour, shaven head, rough skin and addicted to meat and drink. 14 The Boro people are believed to be the migrants of Chinese origin as narrated by the scholars and their language are belonging to the Tibeto-Burman language family. G.A Grierson in his The Linguistic Survey of India-1903 has given a table of Tribes which shows the inclusion of a large number of tribes to this language group, of which the Boros and the Dimasas of Assam and the Boros of Tripura are the major components. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid, p Brahma, Kameswar (1992), op.cit. p. 3 The Bodo language is a branch of the Mongolian linguistic stock. According to G.A. Grierson, as per classification he has shown in respect of the position of Boro language. It is a branch of the Bodo-Naga subgroup of the Assam-Burmese group of Tibbeto-Burman section of the family of Sino-Tibetan proper. Likewise, Robert Shaffer shows the Bodo language as a unit of western branch of Barish section of Baric division of the Sino-Tibbetan family of the Mongolian stock. 15 The meaning of the term Bodo has been given in various ways by different writers. Stuart N. Eifetiden says- In Mikir, the pronounciation of the Bodo is Porok - Kacharis, foreigners, while in Tripuri Borok occurs independently and carries now simply the sense of Man. 16 Rajmohan Nath in his The Background of Assamese Culture writes, this country known as Bod or the homeland of Bharat (India). 17 Problem of Bodo people: During the Bodoland Movement Bodo leaders faced various problems. These are social, economic, political, cultural, language, educational, unemployment etc. To solve these problems Bodo leaders had keen interest for development of the Bodos for long time. They mentioned various suggestions for the improvement of the Bodo community. The problems faced by the Bodo movement leaders during the Bodoland Movement can be discussed as follows: Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7708

4 (a). Educational problem: Bodos are educationally backward. They used to live in the rural areas. They always keep themselves busy in agriculture. Rice was the main crop of the 15. Mwshahary, Subungcha (2010), op. cit. p Ibid, p Ibid. Bodo people. It had three main varities -Sali, Bao and Ahu. Each of them had numerous sub-varieties. The parents were always busy in drinks. They also prevented their children from going to School. In the BTAD areas there were not sufficient Schools and Colleges. Medium of instruction in Schools and Colleges were English and Assamese. They were unable to read and write Assamese and English. The Schools and Colleges were located in a far from areas from their house. The economic condition of the Bodos was very backward. They were unable to buy books. The Tribal of the BTAD areas are educationally backward. Tribal villages of the BTAD are smaller as compared to the Non-Tribal villages. According to 1971 Census, about 11 % were recorded as literate. The rate of literacy among the Tribal were 18% male and 2% female. 18 There are wide gap between the Tribal people and the Non-Tribal. The Tribal of the BTAD are educationally backward due to number of reasons. These are Tribal villages of the BTAD are smaller as compared to Non-Tribal villages. Small Tribal villages are divided in to several hamlets called Padas. The hamlets consist of 10 to 15 households only. Padas are situated at a distance of 1 to 2 Kilometers. Therefore, it is difficult for the Tribal people of the BTAD to attend primary Schools. Moreover; in most of the primary Schools in the Tribal areas there are single teacher. 2. Most of the Bodo people lives under poverty. Due to extreme poverty the Bodo children help their parents in gainful work. Non availability of teaching learning materials is also another problem for the Bodo children. 3. Cultural isolation is also one of the problems of their education. Most of the Bodos are culturally isolated from Non-Tribal. The text book lessons are related to urban life, middle class and upper class life literacy rate [Accessed on 12/10/2013] 19. Narzi, B. (2009), op. cit. p Language is another barrier that comes in the way of educating the Bodo people. Most of the Bodo people use their own dialect. Some of the teachers coming from Non-Tribal areas do not know the local dialect. 5. The apathy of Bodo parents discourages even intelligent Tribal children from joining and continuing education in Schools. Many of the Bodo parents are addicted to drinking. They spent most of the time in drinking. So children are unable to go to School. But after the creation of the BAC the scenario has been changed. After the formation of the BTC in (2003); there was special provision and protection for development of Bodo people. The Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS) was formed in 1952 to take care of the educational development in the BTAD area. There are number of Colleges, Higher Secondary Schools and High Schools in the BTAD area which are taking care of the educational need of the people. Moreover, Sarva Shish Abhijan (SSA ) programme is also continuing to improve the infrastructure of Primary Education for attracting the students to reduce to drop outs. It is a government flagship programme. It provides elementary education for children of 6-14 years. The scheme aims to improve retention, enrolment, and the quality of education. The objectives of the SSA are: 20 a. All children have to complete 5 years Primary School. b. All children have to complete 8 years Elementary School. c. Ensure that all children are going to School. Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7709

5 d. Quality education is one of the essential objectives of SSA. Organizations like ABSU, All Bodo Womens Association (ABWA) and All Bodo Womens Welfare Federation (ABWWF) etc. propagate and encourage sarvashisha abhijan.com[accessed on Dated 7/7/2016] the illiterate guardians in order to educate their children. Still there may be an idea and understanding about the present literacy. Moreover, the introduction of Bodo medium of education since 1963 created a new wave among the literate guardians to educate their children through mother tongue. It is a new scenario and trend of the present in the Bodo society so that the young learners are paying their pointed heads towards: 21 (i) General education; (ii) Technical education; (iii) Games and sports; (iv) Dance (v) Songs & music; and (vi) Computer education as extra curricular subjects of learning, according to their choice and interests. These branches of education have added another dimension to ensure literacy percentage. After the formation of the BTC, in the BTAD area High School, Higher Secondary and Junior Colleges are increasing, for the achievement of the BTC government. According to Census 2011, in the BTAD there were total 269 High Schools while 97 were in Kokrajhar,55 were in Chirang, 80 in Baksa and 37 in Udalguri district. In the BTAD there were 46 Higher Secondary Schools while 12 were in Kokrajhar, 10 in Chirang, 11in Baksa and 13 in Udalguri district. In the BTAD there were 19 Junior Colleges while 9 in Kokrajhar, 4 in Chirang, 3 in Baksa and 3 in Udalguri district. Here an attempt has been made to study the population and literacy rate in different towns in the BTAD area. The population and literacy rate in different towns in the BTAD area are shown in table Paul, Amar Krishna, et.al. (eds.) (2012) op. cit. p. 62. Table : 1 Population and literacy rate in different towns in BTAD, Population % Literacy Rate District /Town Decadal Total Male Growth Total Male Female Kokrajhar(D) Gossaigaon Padmabil Kokrajhar Salakati Chirang(D) Basugaon Bijni Chatibor Gaon Baksa(D) Takhlibilar No. 2 Goreswar Udalguri(D) Kalaigaon town Tangla Udalguri Source: Provisional Population Census, 2011 The total populations in Kokrajhar district are as under the towns of Gossaigaon (TC), Padmabil (CT), Kokrajhar (MB) and Salakati according to 2011 census was 54,750 person. Among them male population was 28,344 person and decadal growth rate was During the same decadal the literacy rate of male was Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7710

6 93.21% where as the literacy rate of female was 84.17%. The total populations in Chirang district are as under the towns of Basugaon (TC), Bijni (TC) and Chatibor Gaon (CT) according to 2011 Census was 35,528 person. Among them male population was 18,281 person and decadal growth rate was 42.07%. During the same decadal the literacy rate of male was 86.65% whereas the literacy rate of female was 76.04%. The total populations in Baksa district are as under the towns of Takhlibilar Pather (CT), No. 2 Goreswar (CT) district according to 2011 Census was 12,173 person. Among them male population was 6,248 person. During the same year the literacy rate of male was 81.01% whereas the literacy rate of female was 69.54%. The total populations in Udalguri district are as under the towns of Kalaigaon town (CT), Tangla (CT) and Udalguri (TC) according to 2011 Census was 37,578 person. Among them male population was 19,150 person and decadal growth rate was 13.44%. During the same decadal the literacy rate of male was 90.50% whereas the literacy rate of female was 82.21%. The above discussion shows that the literacy rate of male is higher than the literacy rate of female. It is because of the proper care and hard labour of the leaders they could improve the educational system in the BTC area. Here an attempt has been made to study the literacy rate of different districts in the BTAD. Table: 2 Literacy rate by Sex in BTAD Person Male Female District Kokrajhar Chirang Baksa Udalguri Total BTAD Source: Provisional Population Census, According to 2001 Census the literacy rate of male in Kokrajhar district was where as in 2011 Census it increases up to 73.44%. The literacy rate of male in Chirang district was and increased to 71.35% in 2011 Census. The literacy rate of male in Baksa district was 70.32% in 2001 Census and it increased to 78.55% in 2011 Census. According to 2001 Census the literacy rate of male in Udalguri district was 65.94% and increased to 73.79% in 2011 Census. The literacy rate of female in Kokrajhar district was 43.06% in 2001 Census and increased to 59.54% in 2011 Census. The literacy rate of female in Chirang district was 42.87% in 2001 Census and in 2011 Census it increased to 57.87%. According to 2001 Census the literacy rates of female in Baksa district was 48.33% and it increased to 62.23% in The literacy rates of female in Udalguri district was 46.34% in 2001 Census and in 2011 Census it increased to 59.17%. From the above comparison it is clear that there is an improvement in the literacy rate from 2001 to However in compare to the literacy rate both male and female the literacy rate of female is lower than the male literacy rate. From the above discussion it is clear that gradually the literacy rate of the BTC is increasing. It is because of the proper care and hard labour of the leaders they could improve the educational system in the BTC area. (b). Language and literature: Language is another barrier for imparting education to the Bodo people and their children. Most of the Bodos use their own dialects. Some of the teachers coming from Non-Tribal areas do not know the local dialects. Most of the Bodos are habituated to drinking alcohol and prohibited the children to go to School rather they are engaged in agricultural and household works. But due to lack of systematic effort the language have not remained clear and precise. Some ethnic organizations of the state are thinking only for Assamese culture, language and literature and the official status. There are other languages like Santhali, Nepali languages which are included in the 8 th Schedule of the Constitution. So, Bodo languages may be given provisions for their development with the language Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7711

7 teachers in the primary, lower secondary and secondary levels with the employment of the language teachers for the improvement of academic standard. The Bodo language was included in the 8 th Schedule of the Indian Constitution as a recognized language from 2005 and thus has recognition from Central and State Governments and their affiliated bodies for the development of its every aspect of language and literature. The language is nothing but sound complex produced by vocal organs. A language is used by a group of people and learnt in the social situations only. The children develop the vocal organs and start learning to speak and complete the acquisition of language materials in their society only. To remove the problem of learning Boro language they launch a social movement. As the Bodo is one of the oldest languages of India. The Missionary researchers and writers had started taking keen interest in Bodo Language. They made various investigations into Bodo language, particularly, its development, origin, growth, and the population in Bodo speaking. The Missionaries started work up on Bodo language and grammar from 1797 and ended in 1859, the year of publication of Rev.H. Holversrud s Boro Grammer has given a direction and motive towards the development of Bodo language. During this period Rev. S. Endle in his work An Outline Of Kachari Grammar in the year 1884 has given a direction and motive towards the development of Bodo language. 22 Later on Rev. L. Skrefsrud, J. D. Anderson, A. Christiansen, Bestold, Rev. H. Holversrud; A Short Grammar Of The Mech Or Boro Language, Dimasa Vocabulary, Grammar And Dictionary Of Kachari Language, Dimasa Grammar, Boro Grammar respectively has created a wide and strong platform for the inspection, growth to development and also popularization of the Bodo language independently. 23 On 16 th November, 1952 at the Basugaon, conference of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS) resolved to get Bodo language introduced as a medium of instruction. In the long run, the government had conceded the demand and accordingly Bodo was introduced as a medium of- 22. Ibid, p Ibid. instruction from 1963.In 1968, the government had introduced Bodo as a medium of instruction in the Secondary level of education also. A movement for Roman scripts for the Bodo language was started from 12 th September 1974 to 12 th February; 1975.The movement was organized by the Bodo Shitya Sabha. After a bloody movement resulting in the loss of life of some promising Bodo youths, the Bodo Sahitya Sabha was enabled to accept Devangiri scripts for the Bodo language. Thus Devangiri Script was accepted for Bodo language from The Bodo was accepted as a suitable language and started its programmes by the All India Radio (AIR). In 1978, the Guwahati Centre of AIR introduced Bodo programmes of 15 minutes in Later on it was extended up to 45 minutes. The Guwahati Center of the Doordarshan Kendra arranged Bodo cultural programmes from time to time. In 1999, All India Radio commissioned its Kokrajhar Station made Bodo as an associated language for the center. For development of cultural and literary items, the AIR, Kokrajhar broadcasts programmes from 6.30 P.M to 9.30 P.M. introduced cultural programmes. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) had introduced Bodo as an optional subject for the purpose of examination. 25 The Bodo language has been now recognized as the medium of instruction up to the secondary level and an Associate Official language in the state of Assam. The language has opening of the post graduate course in Bodo language and literature in Gauhati University in The important landmarks of the Bodo language are: Bodo language has been made a medium of instruction at the Secondary Schools from Ibid. p Mwshahary, Subungcha (2010), op. cit. p Paul, Amar Krishna, et. al. (eds.) (2012) op. cit. p From 1975, Devangiri script has been used for Bodo language in the academic curriculum and writing of Bodo literature. Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7712

8 3. Bodo language has been recognized as a Modern Indian Language by the Gauhati University, North Eastern Hill University (1978) and Dibrugarh University (1995). 4. Bodo has been given a status of Associate Official Language of Bodo dominated areas of Assam vide enactment of Assam Official Language Act M.A. Degree course in Bodo was introduced in Gauhati University in Certificate Course for Non-Bodos and Diploma Course in Bodo language were introduced in the Gauhati University. 7. Bodo programmes are regularly broadcast through the Bodo section of All India Radio, Guwahati and Kokrajhar. Bodo programmers are also telecast through Guwahati Doordarshan Kendra. 8. Bodo grammars, dictionaries, novels, short stories, literary history, etc. are published in abundance, besides books on school curriculum published by the Assam Text Books Production and Publication Corporation Limited from class-1 to class-x, Moreover, books for MIL in degree course and MA degrees are brought out by the BSS. There are books for Certificate and Diploma Courses of Bodo proficiency in the Gauhati University. The Bodo Language included in Eighth Schedule.On 22 nd December, 2003 the Lok Sabha approved the 100th Constitutional Amendment Bill by votes, the Bodo language as one of the languages of Eighth Schedule of the Constitution as per commitment made by he Centre in the Bodo Accord. The 100th Constitutional Amendment also included three other languages such as Santhili, Dogri, & Maithiali in the 8th Schedule along with Bodo language taking the total number of official languages in the country to 22.The languages that are included in the Eighth Schedule are as follows: 27 Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri,Gujrati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri,Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sanathi, Sindhi Tamil, Telegu & Urdu. From the above analysis it is clear, that Bodo is one of the recognized languages of North-East India. It has become one of the Official languages of the State of Assam. (c). Cultural problem: Culturally, Bodos have their rich cultural heritage. But because of their backwardness their culture has been neglected and dominated by the advanced culture and Assamese culture. So the Bodos were very interested to protect and preserve their culture and tradition at their own. All communities are fighting and competing for their cultural identity and existence except some of the more wise classes who want their betterment in division and fragmentation. Culture of a nation or community highlights its programmes and development. The festivals and ceremonies of the Boros can be classified: a. Religious festival; b. Seasonal festival; and c. Agricultural festival. Both the religious and seasonal festivals are closely connected with agriculture. The Bodo Kacharis have a rich tradition of music and dance like all other Tribal. Though little economic and political co-operation from the government, they could forge ahead to enrich the popular national cultural stream of the- 27. Ibid, p 35. Country. The Bodos in the BTAD have their rich tradition of festivals. This festival can be divided into two groups. They are Religious festivals and Seasonal festivals. Religious festivals are those festivals which are associated with performance of religious ceremonies. Religious festivals are: Kherai festival, Garza festival and Marai festival are found in the BTAD. These festivals are associated with Bathou worship. Kherai festival is the main religious festival of the Bodos. Seasonal festivals are connected with agriculture.bwisagu and Domashi are the two main seasonal festivals of the Bodos. Bwisagu is the greatest festival of the Bodos. Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7713

9 There are mainly five classical dances among the Bodos which are found in the BTAD.They are: 28 (a) Kherai Dance; (b) Haba Janai Dance; (c) Bagurumba Dance; (d) Bwisagu Dance; (e) Raijw Janai Dance. Kherai Dance has already mentioned that Kherai institution of Bathou Bwrai or Sibrai. Kherai dances are, therefore, the prayer dances of Sibrai. Sibarai is sometime called Khoriabrai.There are eighteen types of Kherai dances. The Kherai dances can be divided into primary Kherai Dance and secondary Kherai Dance. Primary Kherai Dances are shown against their respective deities for whom it is performed. The primary Kherai dances are: 29 (a) Bathou gidingnai Kherai dance; (b) Mwisw gelenai Kherai dance; 28. Ibid, p Ibid, p. 69. (c) Badali Birnal Kherai dance; (d) Khamao barkhwnai Kherai dance; (e) Dhal-thunggri chibnai Kherai dance; (f) Gandoula bwnnai Kherai dance; (g) Thungri gongnwi chibnai Kherai dance; (h) Khwijima fonai Kherai dance; (i) Cha gwlao bwnai Kherai dance; (j) Dhal Chibnai Kherai dance ; (k) Nao bhasainai dance; (l) Mufur Gelenai dance; (m) Mainao borainai Kherai dance; (n) Mwcha gelenai Kherai dance; (o) Gorai Dabrainai Kherai dance; There are some Secondary Kherai Dances. These Secondary Kherai Dances are mentioned below: Doudini wngkharnai Kherai dance; 2. Laijam bonai Kherai dance; 3. Doudini wngkharnai Kherai dance; 4. Laijam bonai Kherai dance; 5. Bathou tharnai Kherai dance; 30. Ibid.6. Jaraphagla Kherai dance; 7. Thenthamali Kherai dance; 8. Charanislla Kherai dance; 9. Neolai mwchanai Kherai dance; 10. Lantha gurji Kherai Dance; 11. Daowang buthua Kherai dance etc. Classification of kherai institution: These are: 31 Kherai Sangsari carried out in the early part of the Bodo month of Bwisag (April/May) to celebrate the New Year. Garja Kherai was performed in the month of May/June. This was held in the month of Bwisag. Amthi Kherai, It is performed by the month of June/July for the prosperity of the seasonal fruits and crops. Mainao kheraii is celebrated on first day of the Bodo month of Kati. Bathou Kherai, It is practiced during the month of December/January to pray Bathoubrai. Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7714

10 Haba Janai Dance is the Bodo marriage Dance. Haba means marriage work while Janai means to eat. So the words Haba Janai Mwchanai bears the meaning of Bodo dances associated with the marriage ceremonmy. Bagurumba Dance is the most beautiful and attractive dances of the Boodos and associated with merry making and gossips exclusively by the fair sex. Bagurumba Dance was acknowledged as national dance of India since 1957 when it was exhibited in the Republic Day of that year under the leadership of Ostad Kamini Kr. Narzary, the unique Bodo dance artist. Bwisagu Mwchanai or dance is performed during spring festival. The word Bwisagu means the first Bodo month of the year. Therefore, the dances are called Bwisagu Mwchanai.Raijw Janai Dance is the way of daily social life of the Bodos is the root cause of this dance. Raijw Janai Mwchanai means a type of dance which is based upon the daily style of the Bodos Ibid, p Ibid. From the above discussion it becames clear that the leaders, by popularizing their cultural instruments and exploring the religious sentiments have been successful in safeguarding their art and culture. These items of art and culture are the basic foundation of their society. Socio- economic and cultural heritage of the Bodos are identical and hence are very attractive. Tribal cultures, especially of the Bodos in the BTAD are basically agri- related. The only dark spot of the Bodo- society is found to be superstitions. If the leaders by enhancing education can remove superstitions from the minds of the Bodo people, then they would one day certainly be the rulers of the socio- economic fields of the BTAD. (d). Unemployment problem: Another problem faced by the Bodo leaders was unemployment problem. Unemployment is a serious problem. It indicates a situation where the total number of job vacancies is quite less than the number of job seekers. 33 It is a situation where the unemployed persons do not find any meaningful or gainful job in spite of having willingness and capability to work. Thus unemployment leads to wastage of manpower and resources. Most of the jobs in the Government office are under the clutch of the majority Assamese people. The causes of unemployment among the Bodos in the BTAD were: Population explosion was one of the causes of unemployment. The growth rates among the Bodo people are increasing in the BTAD. 2. Another cause of unemployment was slow rate of economic growth. In the BTAD the rate of growth of the economy was very poor and even the actual growth rate has always remained far below the national and targeted rate. 3. In the BTAD, the agricultural system was very old. They used old method of agriculture. 33. Dhar, P.K. (2009), Economics, Ashomi Prakashani, p Ibid, p In the BTAD there is insufficient industrial development which is one of the causes of unemployment. 5. The prevailing educational system in the BTAD is full of defects as it fails to make any provision for imparting technical and vocational education.the remedial measures to unemployment problem in the BTAD were: (i) For solving unemployment problem there must be modernization of agricultural method. (ii) In order to eradication of the problem of unemployment in the BTAD, the Central as well as the State Governments should work seriously for introducing and implementing development schemes in the BTAD. (iii) For solving unemployment problem rapid development of industries is essential; Before the creation of the BTAD people faced various problems; among them unemployment problem as one of the most serious one. After the formation of the BTAD, the vacancies in different departments were found to be filled up by local Bodo candidates. In every district of the BTC, the DC,the SDO (C), police, Circle offices were set up and preference were given to the ST (Bodo) candidates only. (e). Political problem: Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7715

11 By an Act of 1919 Reformed Council was formed with representative of the Hindus and the Muslims. They took special protection of education, service, etc. But the Bodo people face various problems because they were being deprived of various facilities. In the Legislative Council there was no representative from the Tribal people. There was no special electorate for Tribal community. Kalicharan Brahma and Rupnath Brahma send a Memorandum to the Simon Commission on 4 th January, 1929, for representative of Tribal people. The demands were included in the memorandum were: 1. Demand to special electorate for the Bodo people; 2. Reservation of seats for the Bodo people in the center also; 3. In Dhubri Local Boards there are reservation of seats for the Bodos; 4. Compulsory education for the Bodo community; 5. Formation of Boro Regiment for the Bodo community on the ground of arms force. 35 As a result, in accordance with the Government of India Act of 1935, five seats for Tribal of Assam in Goalpara, Kamrup, Nagaon, Sibsagar and Mikir Hills were reserved in the Assam Legislative Assembly. Political consciousness of the Bodos started from 1920s. Kalicharan Mech who later became Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma and Sitanath Brahma Choudhury were pioneers among the Bodos. The Simon Commission or The Indian Statutory Commission was constituted at St. James, London, on 26 th November, 1927 to enquire into the working of the system of Government, the growth of education, and the development of representative institutions in British India and matters connected there with. 36 The Commission was also required to report as to whether and to what extent it is desirable to establish the principle of responsible government or to extend, modify, restrict the degree of responsible Government, then existing therein, including the question of whether the establishment of Second Chambers of the local Legislature is or is not desirable. 37 The Simon Commission reached Assam in 1928 and it provided the Bodos to depose their grievance and aspiration on 4 th January, 1929 at Shillong. 35. Mosahari, Premananda, op cit, p Narjinari, Hira Charan, op cit, p Ibid. The Bodo community of Goalpara district, Dhubri Boro Jubak Sanmiloni, Assam Kachari Jubak Sanmilani submitted their memoranda to the Simon Commission. The Simon Commission reached Assam in 1928 and it provided the Bodos to depose their grievance and aspiration on 4 th January, 1929 at Shillong. The Bodo community of Goalpara district, Dhubri Boro Jubak Sanmiloni, Assam Kachari Jubak Sanmilani submitted their memoranda to the Simon Commission. 38 The petition observed that benefits of reforms were enjoyed either by the Brahmins or by other higher castes. So the Bodos demanded a separate representative in the Council in order to safeguard their interests and one of the 3 Non-Mahomedan seats to be reserved for the Bodos of Assam. In 1933 an organization called Tribal League was born. This was a conglomeration of different Tribes living in Assam. Since then the Bodos of the Brahmaputra valley have been asserting themselves for share of power in the administration of the province of Assam. In 17 th April, 1933 a meeting was held at Raha, in the district of Nagaon on different ethnic groups. Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma, Rup Nath Brahma, Vimbar Deuri, Jadab Ch. Khaklari, Satish Ch. Basumatary, Rabi Ch. Kachari, Karkak Ch. Dala, Kharci Dhir Sing Deury were present in the meeting and formed Assam Backward Plains Tribal League (ABPTL). Later on it was known as Tribal League. The President of the Tribal League was Jadab Ch. Khaklari and Secretary was the Vimbar Deuri. This was a conglomeration of different Tribes living in Assam. In 10 th September, 1938 an agreement was made between the ATL and the Assam Congress. These are: the ATL members would not sign in the Congress Creed. 2. the separate electorate System would be continued. 3. seats reservation in the Local Boards. Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7716

12 38. Ibid 39. Mosahari, Premananda, Op cit, p recognition as Tribal irrespective of any religion in the census. 5. inclusion of one Tribal member in the Ministry, etc. Till the middle of the 20 th Century, the Bodos had launched only Socio-economic and cultural movement for the upliftment of their people. The Assam Tribal League was transformed in to All Assam Tribal Sangha in On 27 th February, 1967 a new Tribal political Party in the name of Plains Tribal Council of Assam (PTCA) had come in to existence in the politics of Assam. 40 The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) was born on 15 th February, 1967 without taking into account the earlier Boro Satra Sonmiloni. Just after the formation it warmly welcomed the proposal of the Prime Minister of India for re- organization of Assam and also demanded a separate political unit for the Bodos in the Plains of Assam as their homeland. 41 On 20 th May, 1967 the PTCA submitted a memorandum to the President of India, Dr. Jakir Hussain in New Delhi demanding an Autonomous Region for the Tribal living in the plains of Assam. The ABSU supported the demand made by the PTCA standing its behind as an active proposal. During the year 1975 the Prime Minister of India Mrs. Indira Gandhi, declared the National Emergency and the Government was strict on the agitators, leaders and arrested at a large scale. The PTCA had to postpone its political demand for the time being. While the Janata Party came to power at the Centre after the National Emergency, the PTCA again came back to its demand for Autonomous Region shifting from the demand of Udayachal and accordingly declared its retreating demand on the 4 A the leaders of the PTCA. Consequently the PTCA was split in to two -PTCA and PTCA (Progressive) in 2 nd May, Ibid, p Ibid, p Ibid, p. 39. A Memorandum of Settlement (MOS) was signed on 20 th February, 1993 between the ABSU and the Bodo Peoples Action Committee and the Government of Assam at Border Security Force Camp near Borjhar Airport in the presence of Rajesh pilot, MOS (internal Security), Ministry of Home Affairs, and Government of India and Hiteswar Saikia, Chief Minister of Assam. A tribe-specific Council under Bodoland Autonomous Council Act passed by the Legislative Assembly of Assam on 13 th May, 1993, and formed Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC). The Governor of Assam appointed S.K. Bwusumuthiary, signatories of the BAC Accord as the Chief of Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC) while Prem singh Brahma was appointed as the Deputy Chief. 43 BLT was formed protecting against the BAC Accord. They demanded a separate state of Bodoland on the north bank of Brahmaputra within the framework of the Indian Constitution and started armed movement with violent activities in the region. The Central Government had offered peace negotiations with BLT and the BLT had unilaterally suspended its operations from 14 th July, The BLT submitted a Memorandum with various demands to resolve the Bodo problem. Tripartite talk was held between the Government of India led by National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the government of Assam and the BLT under the leadership of Hagrama Mahilary. After several rounds of discussions a Memorandum of Settlement (MOS) was signed with the BLT on 10 th February, 2003 and Hagrama Mohilary was sworn in as the Chief Executive Member on 7 th December, This self governing body is known as Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) within the state of Assam and was created extending Constitutional protection under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, with number of powers acting as an autonomous body. The BTC was allotted with 40 Council (BTC) within the state of Assam and was created extending constitutional protection under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7717

13 43. Brahma, Yamao Zwhwlao, et.al.(2001) Bodoland Movement , Saraighat Offset Press, Kokrajhar, P Mosahari, Premananda (2011), op.cit. p.221. with number of powers acting as an autonomous body. The BTC was allotted with 40 Constituencies, of which 30 reserved for ST, 5 reserved for SC and 5 reserved for others. It is evident that Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma was interested for development of political aspiration of Bodo community. Assam Backward Plains Tribal League (ABPTL), All Assam Tribal Races Federation (AATRF) took various steps for the development and fulfills the political aspirations of the Bodos. Consistent and continuous struggle of the Bodo people led by their visionary leaders led to the formation of the present BTC which is now trying to fulfill every possible means to build up a Bodoland which will have strong communicative infrastructure, better environment for education, general, technical and business management etc. The ruling BPF alliance with the ruling BJP and the AGP coalition government with precondition for the development of the BTC raised a hope for a brighter future of the Bodo people. (f). Infrastructure problem: Before the creation of the BTC, Bodo people faced infrastructural problem for their development. The roads and communication were very backward in the rural areas. The negligence of the Assam Government, in the development of road and communication was a resentment of the Bodos. But with the formation of the BTC, the BTC authority developed the road communication with the introduction of Bodoland Transport Service in the BTAD area which is well connected to the remote areas of the region. Infrastructure is one of the good impediments for the development of a particular area. So far the BTC is concerned the communication facilities are very poor. From Guwahati to Udalguri there is only one motor able road. Chirang and Kokrajhar have better roads only in one or two lines. During the rainy season the conditions of roads become very bad. Two National Highways passed through the BTC. N-H-31(C) passes through Srirampur, Gossaigaon, Kachugaon, Serfanguri, Kajalgaon and Dhaligaon and N.H. 52 touches the Udalguri district only. The entire region is connected by broad gauge and meter gauge and Railway lines. However there is no broad gauge lines connected to Udalguri district. Compared to other parts of Assam, road communication in the BTAD area is yet to be developed after the formation of the BTC. Although, two National Highways passed through this region, the road communication within the BTAD area is very poor. Many areas remain cut off during summer due to flood. There are no proper bridges in the area which affect the movement of the people during the rainy season. Floods make extensive damage to the roads and bridges every year. The BTAD is also connected by BG line and a Metre Gauge Railway Branch line from Alipur Duar Railway junction to Murkongselek. However, this railway service is yet to be developed. This railway service has a great important for the defense. Most of the defense personnel s have to depend on this service and protect the general people for the inadequate services. This improvement of the railway service will go a long way in the economic upliftment of this district.the BTC Government have been taken various projects for development in the BTC area, such as road, bridge, road, water supply schemes, irrigation projects and many other developmental projects. They more attenction has been given in road, agriculture etc. An attempt has been made to study the length of roads according to type of surface under PWD in BTAD area from the table: 2.3. Table: 3 Length of roads according to type of surface under PWD in BTAD, District Black topped Earthen/Gravel Total (In Km.) (In Km.) (In Km.) Kokrajhar Chirang Baksa Udalguri Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7718

14 Total BTAD Source: Statistical Handbook of BTC, From the above table it is clear that in Kokrajhar district the total length of road was 970 Km. during , out of which 629 Km. was black topped and 341 Km. was earthen/ gravel. The total length of road in Chirang district was 623 Km. during , out of which 278 Km. was black topped and 345 Km. was earthen/ gravel. The total length of road in Baksa district was 931 Km. during , out of which 423 Km. was black topped and 508 Km. was earthen/gravel. In Udalguri district the total length of road was 1458 Km. during , out of which 405 Km. was black topped and 1053 Km. was earthen/ gravel. The roads are developed because of the proper care and hard labour of the leaders.we have seen in the field, many roads and sub-ways have been developed and newly constructed roads. Thanks only are not sufficient for these. They are praise worthy. These are visual of the new Government. The roads from Kajalgaon to Tukrajhar, Kadamtala to Nikashi, Bijni to Koila Moila proceeding Malibhitta, Chapaguri to Khagrabari onwards, Goreswar to Bholajhar and Udalguri to Khourang are notable roads development. Centre clears Rs 1 Lakh Crore transport projects for the BTC and Non- BTC. From the above survey it is revealed that as a consequence of Bodoland Movement, the Bodo leaders enabled to serve the interest of the Bodo people at large and Bodoland area in particular. The Bodo leaders wanted to protect the survival of the Bodo people. After the formation of the BTC educational system are developed such as technical education, games and sports, dance, songs and music, computer education as extra curricular subjects of learning according to their choice and interest. For the development of educational system in the area, they have established Bodoland University, Kokrajha; Central Institute Of Technology, Kokrajhar; B. B Engineering College, Chandrapara, Kokrajhar; Medical College, Sesorgaon, Kokrajhar; Nursing College, Kokrajhar; Udalguri Engineering College etc. Bodo Sahitya Sabha is the highest literacy organization of the Bodo community. Since its formation on 16 th November, 1952 at Basugaon, BSS has been playing a pivotal role in the development of the Bodo language and literature.rev. S. Endle, Rev. L. Skrefsrud, J. D. Anderson, A. Christiansen, Bestold, Rev. H. Holversrud wrote valuable grammar for the development of Bodo language. Kamal Kumar Brahma, Ram Das Boro, G.C. Basumatary, Dr Promod Chandra Bhattacharya, Prof. Madhu Ram Boro did some remarkable works on Bodo language and Grammar. 45 After the signing of the MOS in the year 1993 the BAC accord the Bodo leaders had high expectation from the Government of Assam. As years passed them development in socio- cultural, political and educational aspect of the Bodo gradually realized that the State Government was doing nothing for the development in socio-cultural, political and educational aspect of the Bodo people. The State Government did nothing to preserve and develop the ethnic identity of the Bodo people. Therefore, they were determined to do anything and go to any extent for the preservation of their political, social, cultural and educational rights. They wanted to institutionalize these social mechanisms like formation of socio- 45. Paul, Amar Krishna, (ed), op cit, pp political groups, establishment of various educational institutions i.e. technical, medical, cultural, sports and general educational institutions. Taking these into consideration with creative views they once again took to the street and the leaders vowed not to rest until these demands were fulfilled. After the formation of the BTAD in 2003, the Bodo leaders decided to review the socio- political and educational scenario of the BTC area. They took initiative in developing the educational institutions. They put pressure on the State Government for provincialisation of the venture Schools and Colleges under the BTC area. Then they started providing grants for the development of infrastructure. They also made sure that the Schools and Colleges had enough facilities for practice and performances of ethnic culture, sports (out door and indoor) and constructed auditoriums where ever possible. Roads and bridges were constructed with war- footing attitudes. Thus making sure that travelling was smooth. They constructed market sheds in Subhash Talukdar IJSRE Volume 05 Issue 11 November 2017 Page 7719