[Assam] We Need Your Help
Nayanjyoti Medhi
nayanjyoti.medhi at gmail.com
Wed Dec 27 07:09:37 PST 2006
On 12/27/06, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>
> Hello Netters:
>
> We have received forty-three (43) signatories so far, from around the
> world.
> But surprisingly, very few Assam Netters have responded.
>
> Please stand up and be counted. And if you do not
> agree, go ahead and express yourselves. Tell us
> why you don't agree. As a part of the Assam
> intelligentsia, we owe it to ourselves to speak
> up and participate in the debate.
>
> For if not us, WHO?
>
> Best.
>
> cm
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> PETITION TO SAVE THE NAME OF ASSAM
>
>
>
> On 15th December 2006, the State Assembly of Assam adopted a
>
> resolution by voice vote to write the name of the State of Assam as
>
> 'Asom'. No argument or reasoning was given for the name change, nor
>
> any debate was allowed in spite of requests from the opposition. We are
>
> starting a general campaign to oppose the government of Assam's
>
> resolution to change the name of the state from Assam to Asom.
>
>
>
> We, a number of friends and well wishers of Assam living in and outside
>
> the state are shocked to see the above news report, and hereby
>
> register our strong opposition to this entirely unwarranted move on
>
> the part of the State Legislature. For this we are circulating the
>
> attached petition all over the world to collect signatures from those
>
> who support our move.
>
>
>
> We would like you to support our effort to retain the present name
>
> Assam. You may sign the petition, simply by
> furnishing the information mentioned at the end
> of this mail.
>
>
>
> It would be of immense help to us if you would be kind enough to
>
> forward this e-mail to your friends who might be willing to support
>
> this cause.
>
>
>
> You are welcome to give your valuable suggestions if any, regarding the
>
> petition or any other issues.
>
>
>
> The letter will also be addressed separately to Mr. Brindaban Goswami,
>
> the Opposition Leader, Assam Assembly, as well as copied to the Prime
>
> Minister's and Home Minister's office.
>
>
>
> The petition will be mailed on 1st January 2007 with the first set of
>
> Signatures. So please send your replies to us at least by 30th December
> 2006.
>
>
>
> Sincerely yours,
>
> Chandan Mahanta
> St. Louis, USA
>
> *******************************************************************************
>
> - The Map of Bengale published in 1662.
>
>
> <http://www.indiawijzer.nl/links/assam/map_of_bengale.jpg>
> http://www.indiawijzer.nl/links/assam/map_of_bengale.jpg
>
>
>
> - Letter of Joan Maetsuyker, Governor General of Dutch Batavia, 29-08-1663
>
>
> <http://indiawijzer.nl/links/assam/letter_to_mirzumala_1.jpg>
> http://indiawijzer.nl/links/assam/letter_to_mirzumala_1.jpg
>
>
>
> - Treaty of Yandaboo, 24-02-1826
>
> <
> http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/history/primarydocs/Treaties/Burma/002.htm
> >
> http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/history/primarydocs/Treaties/Burma/002.htm
>
>
>
> - Website link with more articles on this issue:
>
> <http://www.indiawijzer.nl/links/assam/assam_or_asom.htm>
> http://www.indiawijzer.nl/links/assam/assam_or_asom.htm
>
>
> ******************************************************************************
>
> I oppose the resolution to change the name of the
> state from Assam to Asom, and hereby give my
> consent to put my name as a signatory to the
> petition.
>
> Full name: Nayanjyoti Medhi
>
>
> Name of Spouse (optional)
>
>
>
> City : Guwahati
>
>
>
> Country : India
>
>
>
> E-mail address : nayanjyoti.medhi at gmail.com
>
>
>
> Please reply to this e-mail with a copy to
> <mailto:barua25 at hotmail.com> barua25 at hotmail.com
> . Rajen Barua, Katy, Texas, USA, is coordinating
> the compilation of the names of the signatories
> and mailing the petition to the Chief Minister of
> Assam.
>
>
>
> *******************************************************************************
>
> To
>
> Mr. Tarun Gogoi
>
> Honorable Chief Minister of Assam,
>
> Sachibalaya, Dispur, Assam 781006
>
>
>
> Dated Houston 1st January, 2007
>
> Sub: State Assembly's Resolution to Change the name of Assam to Asom.
>
> Dear Sir:
>
> On 15th December, 2006, the State Assembly of
> Assam adopted a resolution by voice vote to write
> the name of the State of Assam as 'Asom'. No
> argument or reasoning was given for the name
> change, nor any debate was allowed in spite of
> requests from the opposition.
>
> We are a number of friends and well wishers of
> Assam living in and outside the state, who are
> shocked to see the above news report. We hereby
> register our strong opposition to this entirely
> unwarranted move on the part of the State
> Legislature for the following reasons:
>
> 1. The State's name is not
> something for changing in as casual a fashion as
> it has been done, without a thorough and
> informed public discussion and debate. It was
> never a mandate of the people. Even the
> Opposition parties' demand for a debate was
> summarily cut off in a highly undemocratic
> fashion.
>
> 2. The Legislature did not
> give a credible set of reasons for the change
> from the internationally well-recognized name
> 'Assam' to'Asom'. In these days of
> 'globalization', to dilute and muddy Assam's
> international name recognition is entirely
> counterproductive.
>
> 3. There is clear historical
> evidence that the name of 'Assam' is not a coined
> word by the British but which had been there long
> before the British signed the Treaty of Yandaboo
> on 24th February 1826 and used the word Assam in
> the treaty. Even from the Ahom Buronjis, we find
> that the Moghols used the name 'Ashyam' for the
> state. The same is also evident from the various
> historical documents from the Moghol period and
> Dutch chronicles of pre-British period. In
> Persian publications of Moghol period, like
> Akbarnama (1542-1605), Padshah-Namah (1627-1647),
> Alamgir-Namah (1657-1667) and Tarikh-I Mulk-I
> Áshám , the name Asham is mentioned
>
> 4. We attach herewith a copy
> of a map of the Kingdom of Bengale (Kingdom of
> Bengal) which was published around 1662. The map
> was drawn by a Dutchman, John van Leenen, who was
> in 'Bengale' in 1661. The document is presently
> in the Maritime Museum, Rotterdam. As can be
> seen, the name Assam appears on the map. A letter
> sent by Joan Maertsuyker, Governor-General of
> Dutch Batavia who congratulated Mirjumala on
> 29-08-1663 and addressed Mirjumala as
> 'Grooten Mogol in Assam'. The diary of a Dutchman
> published in 1675, mentions the name of Assam and
> the people of Assam as Assamer. The Dutchman was
> forced to fight alongside the army of Mirjumla in
> 1662.
>
> 5. According to many
> historians, the phonetic name 'Assam' was derived
> from the Sanskrit name 'Shyam' (as in Shyam-dex,
> the name of Thailand), the name of the Shan
> people who invaded and conquered Kamrup in the
> 13th century. According to historian Baden
> Powel, on the other hand, the word 'Assam' might
> have been derived from even older original Boro
> word 'Ha-som', meaning low land. Thus we find
> that the phonetic name of Assam had been with us
> for at least the last 800 years since the coming
> of the Tai-Ahoms to our land; even if we ignore
> the possibility of an earlier Boro origin.
>
> 6. At present, non-Assamese
> speaking people the world over pronounce the name
> of our state as 'Asam' (where both the initial
> and the middle 'a' pronounced as 'a' in the word
> 'father', and 's' as in the word 'sun'). Changing
> the name to 'Asom' will merely encourage the
> non-Assamese speakers to pronounce the name of
> our state as something like 'Osom' or even 'Esom'
> ( with the 's' being pronounced as in 'sun') as a
> simple survey will clearly illustrate and thereby
> defeating any intent of asserting our unique
> language heritage embedded in the name 'Oxom'
> (the 'x' here being an internationally recognized
> representation of the guttural 'kh' sound ).
>
> 7. Today our state has two
> names: 'Assam' internationally and 'Oxom' in
> Assamese. This is similar to 'India'
> internationally and 'Bharat' in Indian languages;
> or 'West Bengal' internationally and 'Poschim
> Bongo' in Bengali. Such duality does not rob or
> dilute the states' unique cultural, language or
> ethnic heritage.
>
> 8. Today Assam faces numerous
> problems which are crying out for the
> Government's attention and action. But changing
> the state's ancient name of Assam to a misguided
> attempt at Roman transliteration of the Assamese
> name 'Oxom' to 'Asom', with all the associated
> costs: monetary, cultural and historical, is
> certainly not one of them.
>
> 9. The 'xo' or 'kho' guttural
> sound is unique to the Assamese language, among
> the myriad of the sub-continental languages. We
> should protect and promote this heritage, instead
> of diluting it to destruction by equating it to
> the 'so' sound of other languages, as this
> imposition of 'Asom' by an act of legislative
> fiat will surely do.
>
> Based on the above considerations, we urge you to
> exercise your leadership in rescinding this
> un-deliberated, unwise and destructive of
> an-unique-Assamese-language-heritage act of the
> Assam legislature forthwith. We will be pleased
> to furnish additional historical documentation
> and intellectual arguments to prove our points,
> should that be necessary. You may kindly contact
> Rajen Barua of USA (e-mail:
> <mailto:barua25 at hotmail.com>barua25 at hotmail.com)
> or Wahid Saleh of The Netherlands (e-mail:
> <mailto:w.saleh at indiawijzer.nl>
> w.saleh at indiawijzer.nl) for further discussions
> and clarifications in this regard.
>
> Your Sincerely
>
> Well Wishers and Friends of Assam
>
> 1. Rajen & Ajanta Barua, Katy, Texas, USA
>
> 2. Chandan & Bonti Mahanta, St Louis, MO, USA
>
> 3. Wahid Saleh, Berkel en Rodenrijs, The Netherlands.
>
> 4. Ramgopal Sarangapani, Houston, Texas, USA
>
> 5. Partha Gogoi, Washington, DC, USA
>
> 6. Ankur Bora, Austin, Texas, USA
>
> 7. Rini Kakoty, London, UK
>
> 8. Shantikam & Sangeeta Hazarika, Guwahati, Assam
>
> 9. Monoj Das, New Delhi, India
>
> 10. Chanakya Bora, Noida, India
>
> 11. Jayanta & Alakananda Barman, Guwahati, Assam
>
> 12. Bidyananda & Kavita Barkakoty, Guwahati, Assam
>
> 13. Bikram M Baruah, Abu Dhabi, UAE
>
> 14. Shankar Borua, Huntsville, Texas, USA
15. Nayanjyoti Medhi, Guwahati, Assam, India
Copy:
>
> Honorable Prime Minister of India
>
> Honorable Home Minister of India
>
> _______________________________________________
> assam mailing list
> assam at assamnet.org
> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
>
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