[Assam] reply to mc mahanta

Fri Jul 27 08:07:23 PDT 2007

Welcome to Assamnet, Sri Goswami. The name is new here. Would be much 
obliged  for a little introduction. Myself, I am an old timer, a 
fixture you might say, of this e-mail list. I am a probaxi Oxomiya, 
an architect by profession, originally from  Namti of Xiboxagor 
district.

Yes, indeed; you did think right about this forum's ethos of 
unfettered discussions about Assam, by and for people who are 
interested in Assam. NO, it is not limited to those who only LOVE 
Assam. There are plenty here, who claim that, but really could be 
considered enemies to Assam's interests, if we were to be devoted to 
semantic mud-slinging and indulge in characterizing comments or 
opinions instead of seeking substance thereof.  So we tolerate all 
shades of opinions including the occasional mindless ones. They can 
and do get dissected and even vivisected :-), but without getting 
personal. We avoid getting personal like the plague ( by and large), 
because of a very simple reason: Anyone can indulge in mudslinging 
and character assassination with innuendo, insinuation, hearsay, 
gossip -- you name it. But we are in no position to ascertain the 
truths about such. Furthermore, while opinions expressed do speak 
about a person on the particular issue involved, it does not tell us 
anything about that person in other spheres of his or her life.  So 
it would be very unfair, at its most benign, to cast aspersions on 
another person's integrity based on an opinion expressed or a 
political line espoused, considering that one's life is so much more 
than that.

Obviously we do not consider this an appropriate forum for such 
personal attacks.

The lengthy prologue was an effort at apprising you of how we operate 
here. It would not have been necessary, had it not been for  the 
insinuations and innuendo that you indulged in against the person of 
Mukul Mahanta. I happen to know this person quite well. You may not 
agree with his political viewpoints.  But that you could have 
rebutted or explained why they are bad for Assam.

>  >Your silence about extortions and your
>overzealous opposition to those who oppose extortions
>is another indication that you know more about "ample
>remuneration" than you would like to reveal.

*** If we extend the logic of your argument here and suggest that ALL 
who are SILENT about 'extortions' in Assam just might be 
beneficiaries of it themselves, would that be a correct 
interpretation? Would it be reasonable for me , for example, to 
insinuate that since I have not seen Ronen Goswami  write anything 
about looting of public funds by people in government, he might 
himself be beneficiaries of it too--why else won't he?

>  >Now about moulding people's minds. Sorry, I cannot
>support an "armed struggle for freedom" the spearhead
>of which is targetted against unarmed civilians. How
>can anybody support those self-styled guardians of
>Assam, who are maintaining a self-imposed silence on
>illegal migration from accross the border? Maybe they
>are "amply remunerated" and we don't know how many are
>amply remunerated" on this side of the border.

*** I am certainly moved by your protective instincts towards 
'unarmed civilians'. Very noble. But how about armed ones? And how 
about the military?  Would you support that?  And if so, why?

I am also extremely curious about "---self-styled guardians of Assam, 
who are maintaining a self-imposed silence on illegal migration from 
across the border?" As you must have seen, we have had a number of 
discussions here about this particular argument about ULFA being held 
responsible by people like yourself ( I don't know who you are, but 
from MM's comment, I presume you are in the business of moulding 
public opinion). Can you explain the logic behind this charge?  ULFA 
may be many things despicable, but I am completely stumped by the 
notion that they are also derelict in their duties of border 
protection. Who and when did they acquire that responsibility from, 
the authority or the resources with which to execute this 
responsibility that you hold them with the breach of?

I will tell you up front: It sounds to me like a propaganda ploy 
manufactured by RAW, you know that 'force-multiplication'  tactic? 
What could be more effective than painting ULFA as the agents of the 
B-deshi muslims to Oxomiya establishment's, particularly the caste 
ones', paranoia about the  lungi-menace , never mind that they are 
nowhere to be found seeking  explanations and actions from who are 
truly responsible. But I will await a more respectable explanation, 
if there is one.

>  >Next comes your diktat in the garb of a request. ----- I did not 
>know it is your
>fiefdom and you own it. If so, I would request ( mind
>it, a request only) you to clarify what are its
>protocol and which of them I have violated by sending
>Rupam Baruah's areticle carried on the editorial page
>of a leading daily.

*** It seems like a rather tenuous leap of imagination to interpret 
MM's comment  as a diktat, or to conclude that he is treating 
assamnet is his 'fiefdom'. We are, however, acutely aware of  willful 
misinterpretation of the English language, and sometimes thinly 
disguised and at other times brazen attempts by our fellow men , 
including ranks of the 'respected media' , in their zeal to peddle a 
particular viewpoint to exaggerate, misuse and at times completely 
re-invent meanings of ordinary words and phrases. While that may be 
an effective tack for people of questionable intellect, or 
familiarity with the English language, assamnetters, I can assure you 
are far more capable lot than that. So, it is not a very effective 
tactic here.

BTW, I will be sure to read the article by Rupam Baruah you 
forwarded. Considering it was published in a 'leading daily', I hope 
to learn much from it and will look forward to sharing with 
assamnetters what I learn.

Finally, rest assured that you are very welcome in assamnet. I hope 
there will be many more from Assam here. That alone will make our 
forum an useful one.

Best regards.

Chandan Mahanta
St. Louis, USA

At 1:43 PM +0100 7/27/07, ranenkumar goswami wrote:
>Mr Mahanta,
>I admit you would know more about "ample remuneration"
>than I will ever do, since your views are akin to
>those who have amassed hundreds of crores of rupees
>from extortions in Assam and you don't mind their
>doing so. Your silence about extortions and your
>overzealous opposition to those who oppose extortions
>is another indication that you know more about "ample
>remuneration" than you would like to reveal.
>
>Now about moulding people's minds. Sorry, I cannot
>support an "armed struggle for freedom" the spearhead
>of which is targetted against unarmed civilians. How
>can anybody support those self-styled guardians of
>Assam, who are maintaining a self-imposed silence on
>illegal migration from accross the border? Maybe they
>are "amply remunerated" and we don't know how many are
>"amply remunerated" on this side of the border.
>
>Next comes your diktat in the garb of a request. You
>have said I should try to mould people's mind in
>assamnet apparently the way you would want me to. Here
>is what I  would like to say. I thought this was an
>open forum for people who love Assam (even without
>"ample remuneration"), where they can freely express
>and exchange their views. I did not know it is your
>fiefdom and you own it. If so, I would request ( mind
>it, a request only) you to clarify what are its
>protocol and which of them I have violated by sending
>Rupam Baruah's areticle carried on the editorial page
>of a leading daily. If for being a part of this forum,
>I have to support views that you dictate,I will have
>second thoughts about it. With thanks,
>Ranen Kumar Goswami,
>Santipur Hillside, Guwahati- 781 009
>
>
>
>
>       Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now, on 
>http://help.yahoo.com/l/in/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/tools/tools-08.html/
>
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