[Assam] On Tinsukia -- flawed arguments

[umesh sharma]

Krishnendu-da,
 
As much as I like our private discussion I cannout but help comment on this post of your on Assamnet.
 
As I mentioned in the recent mail there is a distinction on what is constitutionally right and what is socially acceptable. For example, if someone wants to kill and eat a cow in Delhi - it would be unadvisable. Not long back 5 Dalits will brutally murdered on the mere suspcion that they had been killing cows for their skins - just 50 miles away from Delhi in rural Haryana..  Thus, even some of very educated young relatives were angry and said that those guys deserved it - even without going into the truth of the incident.  
 
Thus, I say that in light of the agitation - including killing of Hindi speaking people in 2007 Jan etc - it is unwise to agitate for the mere inclusion of a Bengali article in a college magazine. Someone can very well agitate in New Delhi too - that killing  cows is okay (however, no Hindu agitates for the same in the US). Majority opinion needs to be respected - if not for your own sake - then for the sake of others.
 
Your comments are welcome.
 
Umesh
 
-------------------------------
Umesh,

As I mentioned you in my personal mail, I hate to start another fight in this net.

However, it need to be cleared that you are using flawed arguments (as many might already have noticed).

1) However, one cannot take
> shelter behind the minority bandwagon to press down the
> local langauge and culture.

-- Practising ones own language/culture/religion does not mean "pressing down local language and culture" A good example is USA where you see Chinese NEw Year celebration OR Bihu etc. Another example is other places of India like Mumbai or Delhi where Bihu is celebrated but that does not mean that someone is "pressing down the local culture".


2) > Krishnendu-da, do you protest that no Eid, Diwali or Guru
> Nanak Jayanti holiday is there in the US (assuming you are
> here) whereas Christmas is a national holiday. Being
> minority you respect and only try to lobby for or push for -
> which does not cause public ire. Am I right? Maybe you are
> indeed on the streets calling for Bengali writings in Boson
> Globe and New York Times, are you?

-- This again reflects your poor knowledge. US indeed has bilingual news papers -- in Spanish and English OR Chinese and English .. albeit localized. Since you were in Boston, you must have noticed many official notices are in Bi (English and Spanish) or even Tri (Englihs Spanish and Chinese) language. As for holiday, there are school districts which are closed on Rosh Hashanah or Hannukah or Chinese New Year ... so if US now has say 30% Hindu, there will surely be a Diwali holiday ... just the way India has Eid holiday even though majority is Hindu .


Even for Indian languages ... there are movie theaters in US which regularly screen Hindi/Tamil/Telugu movies . 

So your arguments are plain baseless.

But even with all your arguments , you fail to show how "teaching" a specific language cause "press down on local language/culture" ...


> 
> 
> Krishnendu-da,
>  
> I know there is friction between local Assamese and
> Bengalis and yes Rajasthanis too. However, one cannot take
> shelter behind the minority bandwagon to press down the
> local langauge and culture.  Just like one goes in tribal
> areas and then try to dominate the locals in Chhatisgarh etc
> leading to reaction by locals.
>  
> Sushanta-da wrote:
>  
>  "Our College magazine doesnât publish any Bengali
> writings. Some even tried to protest in vain when we
> introduced Bengali in PRAGYAN. But again, being a Hindu or
> Upper-cast I feel privileged here in Assam. They are the
> part of the ruling elites here. Probably the most
> reactionary and conservative part.."   "No I
> don't believe in God"
>  
> I don't know why Shushantada calls himself Hindu when
> he does not believe in God. Seems like being an opportunist
> - calling himself Hindu to get majority religion support and
> atheist to call himself secular.  . 
>  
> Krishnendu-da, do you protest that no Eid, Diwali or Guru
> Nanak Jayanti holiday is there in the US (assuming you are
> here) whereas Christmas is a national holiday. Being
> minority you respect and only try to lobby for or push for -
> which does not cause public ire. Am I right? Maybe you are
> indeed on the streets calling for Bengali writings in Boson
> Globe and New York Times, are you?


Umesh Sharma

Washington D.C. 

1-202-215-4328 [Cell]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info)




www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used )
http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/



http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/