[Assam] Rhino Charge stories !

[Himendra Thakur]

Dear Shantikam,

Happy New Year to you, your family and your friends !

I am glad you liked the true-story of the rhino-charge imagery in Calcutta
Press in 1946. The rhino dominated some other areas of literature for some
time. I remember just two more episodes which I'll write if everybody wants
it. Until such time, Happy New Year to everybody !

With the best,
Himendra

----- Original Message -----
From: "shantikam hazarika" <shntikamhaz at hotmail.com>
To: <hthakur at comcast.net>; <rajibdas at yahoo.com>
Cc: <dasmk2k at gmail.com>; <ankur_bora2000 at yahoo.com>; <assam at assamnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2006 3:19 AM
Subject: Rhino Charge stories !


>
> That was exciting. Can we have some enterprising Assamese who can retrieve
> the cartoons? That may bolster Assamese morale and the journey back from
the
> prevalent despondency?
> Bordoloi was really a lion, why could not the others be like him?
> Shantikam
>
>
>
> >From: "Himendra Thakur" <hthakur at comcast.net>
> >To: "Rajib Das" <rajibdas at yahoo.com>
> >CC: "shantikam hazarika" <shntikamhaz at hotmail.com>,"Manoj Das"
> ><dasmk2k at gmail.com>,"Ankur Bora"
> ><ankur_bora2000 at yahoo.com>,<assam at assamnet.org>
> >Subject: Rhino Charge stories !
> >Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 10:38:49 -0800
> >
> >Dear Rajib,
> >Thank you for mentioning the "rhino charge" ! Let us break away from
> >serious discussion for a while and get into experience sharing !!
> >   The first "rhino charge" cartoon that I saw as a schoolboy in Tezpur
was
> >in 1946 (long before you were born, maybe before your parents were born!)
> >when Assam blasted the "Grouping Proposal" brought from London by a
> >high-powered Cabinet Mission from the British Parliament. "Grouping" was
> >supported by Nehru as a quick alternative to his power, who rebuked Assam
> >with his infamous statement: "Assam must sacrifice for the greater cause
of
> >India."
> >   The Calcutta Press wholeheartedly supported Assam during our struggle
> >for survival from the "Grouping" trap in May 1946. That was where I saw
the
> >cartoon of "rhino charge" for the first time ---  a rhino (marked Assam)
> >charging with its head down towards a  bunch of British Parliamentarians
> >who were running helter-skelter with "Grouping Proposal" papers flying
all
> >over --- will one of our young artists redraw that cartoon just for fun
> >today? That will be very exciting !
> >   Gaining international and national admiration for stubbornness, Assam
> >was very soon promoted to the image of a lion: In the terrible "Direct
> >Action" in Calcutta by Pakistan-supporters on August 16, 17 & 18, 1946,
an
> >Assamese student, Poet Amulya Barua was killed by the Muslim rioters.  In
a
> >prompt telegraph to Surhawardy, the Pakistan-supporter Prime Minister of
> >Bengal (a Chief Minister was called "Prime Minister" in those days),
> >Gopinath Bardoloi, the Prime Minister of Assam asked whether he should
> >dispatch a few battalions of Assam Rifles to Calcutta if Surhawardy did
not
> >have enough policemen to control the rioters.
> >   This was headlined in the Calcutta newspapers as "Assam Lion Roars ."
> >We must revive our self-confidence that we inherited from the historical
> >days of Chakradhwaj Singha, Atan Buragohain, Lachit Barphukan, to mention
> >just a few. Your opinion  "Does anyone on the ground really care ? "
> >carries an undercurrent note of despondency. We must wake up from
despair,
> >stand on our own feet and claim our rights: Assam Assembly does not have
> >the rights to change the name of the State without public
endorsement ----
> >that is the crux of the "Petition" which should be rewritten in a  brief
> >format without the Dutch connection and without the controversial issues
> >like X sound, etc.
> >With love to everybody,
> >Himendra
>
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