[Assam] On India's Secularism

[Krishnendu Chakraborty]

> May I ask Krishnendu, why not a
> Bengali domineted para in Assam
> and WB is named after Najrul Islam ?

Susanta,  I have been to Silchar and Cachar just once and that too when I was a kid.  So,  I cannot probably comment on which places are named after whom.

However,  in Kolkata,  there is a place named Kazipada (Kazi Najrul Islam) near Tollygaunge;  a Road named Najrul Islam Ave (I believe it is the old CIT road near Laketown).  There are other important roads named after Muslims like Amir Ali Ave.

You can find these and more using google maps.



> 
> Dear
> 
> Canda,
> 
> I think you’ve missed my point. I too, didn’t question
> anyone’s religious belief. But when Obama touching Bible
> to take oath, the
> belief does not remain personal. It only shows what the
> government does belief
> in. Our government, ruling class, cast and intelligentsia
> pretend to be
> secular, but they prefer to be Hindu. Even we all will find
> hundreds of
> articles  publishing in dailies those are
>  trying to establish that Hinduism is
> basically secular in nature, other religions are not. They
> just forget that
> this type of statement itself is not impartial, let alone
> be secular. 
> 
> I do personally belief that though
> it has/had caste problems there was no such religious
> divide in the pre-British
> Indian Society. It was not special to Assam only. Not only
> Xonkardev,
> almost all Vaisnava Gurus of pre-British India had
> disciples from other
> religious belief. Such way Suphi Peers had their non-mulims
> disciples.
> Otherwise existence of Kabir, Mirabai, and Guru Nanak would
> not have possible.
> Even in British period, Assam
> (people do not love to call so, because that part of the
> state has gone to
> present Banladesh ) had two great Muslim saints who had
> their Hindu followers.
> I’m talking about Lalan Fakir and Hasan Raja. Even in my
> childhood I’ve seen
> many fakirs coming to offer prayer to Siva Mandir at my
> Meternal uncle’s place
> at Karimganj. They wore black dhotis. Not lungis.  If
> Assamese Muslim women love to wear mekhela
> chadar then Bengali Mulim women love to wear Shari
> like their Hindu counterpart. Bangladeshi hindu muslim
> women love to have bindi
> on their forehead. They love to wear ‘Lalshari’, blow
> ‘Shonkho’ while they
> participate in the celebration of the 21st February. So
> examples of
> harmony is their in every sphere of social life in Indian
> Subcontinat.
> 
> Problem is that, the British and the
> English Education, they came with, has taught us about
> Nationalism or Nation Building.
> The term sounds sweet, acts opposite. It always includes
> the religious and
> linguistic identity of ruling elite, and excludes others.
> So, there are
> ‘Other’s everywhere in this capitalist world. Who never
> enjoy the equal rights,
> be it socio-cultural, economical or political. So
> Dilipda’ also rightly
> commented that there are no any secular countries in this
> world. But the
> capitalist world and their allies in the third world
> countries pretend to be secular,
> while they are not. The only problem with some Muslim
> dominated country is that
> they don’t try to hide their political will. But one can
> find India type
> liberalism in most of the Meddle east countries, where
> Indians love to go and
> work. Think about Dubai,
> Abu Dhabi etc. Even, Saddam’s Iraq
> was not required any Barbak Karmal to be secular. 
> 
> So, in this capitalist world, rests
> are always ‘others’. In a society like India
> identifying ‘others’ is not
> so easy tusk.  Here ‘Assamese’ also
> others in the national context. If the nation fails to
> behave equally with
> Assamese , how can it behave equally with it’s religious
> minorities? 
> 
> May I ask Krishnendu, why not a
> Bengali domineted para in Assam
> and WB is named after Najrul Islam ?  In
> My home town at Silchar their was a lane called Abul Kalam
> Azad Road. When the Bengali
> Hindus started to come in and settled their, they changed
> the name to 2nd
> Link Road.
> The Liberal (?) Hindu Bengalis of Kolkata vehemently
> protested once, while the
> WB Government tried to name the Kolkata airport after Nawab
> Sirajuddullah. The
> first martyr of Indian independence movement. Here, in
> India   Shivaji
> , Lachit can be hero, But no Sirajuddullah , no Tipu
> Sultan. 
> 
> Chanda, you asked Dilipda, what
> point he wished to make. What I want to make is Capitalist
> can break one
> nation; it’s nothing special about Muslims only.  They
> can’t build it up. I hope, Dilipda, and
> you too, will agree with me. The Rajasthani and Bengali
> middle class of Assam
> is direct partner of Indian Capitalist, because they build
> up the traders’
> class of the state. You will find all most all of them love
> to talk in terms of
> Hinduism and mainly they are the financier and vote bank of
> BJP. Because, they
> need hide their greed of wealth and money and act of
> exploitation under the
> shade of religious sentiment. This way they hide their
> minority complex in the
> state as well. They become part of the real Indian Majority
> Political Class. 
> 
> Sushanta   
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> 31-01-09 /assamnet/chanda
> 
> 
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