[Assam] ‘Asom’: A Ridiculous Move -Sentinel letter

[Ram Sarangapani]

*'Asom': A Ridiculous Move*
It is reported that a decision was adopted in the State Assembly following a
resolution moved by State Environment and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain
to replace ''Assam'' with ''Asom'' as per the State Cabinet's February 27,
2006 decision. Now the question is: does the decision of our Assembly
reflect the aspiration of the people of the State ? The conscious circle of
the State has always been advocating the need for deleting the second 'S'
placed in the word ''Assam''.
It may be mentioned here that several distinguished litterateurs and
intellectuals of the State have pointed out the gross mistake in renaming
the State as ''Asom''. It would be better for Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to
seek the opinion of noted scholars in English like Dr Hirendra Nath Dutta
and authors like Arup Kumar Dutta instead of consulting with the gaggle of
politicians sitting in the State Assembly. The vote of these semi-literate,
fund-fleecing MLAs is meaningless.
Whether the name ''Assam'' is changed to ''Asom'', ''Osom'', ''Axom'',
''Oxom'' or any other funny word, our MLAs would keep nodding under the
influence of sleep, and the so-called voice vote would result from their
yawn. If the name of the State is changed to ''Asom'', we would prove
ourselves to be 'Ass'-amese in the true sense of the term. For the colonial
masters of Britain, our State was Assam ; for the foolish ones in power in
present times, it is Asom. And that is the irony.
Siddharth Barua,
MRD Road, Guwahati-3.
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