[Assam] ‘I Am An Assamese, A Bengali And A S ylheti. What Exactly Am I?’ Anurag Rudra'a write up appeared Tehelka

[Mohan Palleti]

Anurag:
This is beautifully written article. I liked the honest expression about your feelings.
I being a half telugu and a half assamese by birth, I could relate very well with you. I lived in Assam as a young child and moved to Hyderabad therafter. I had asked the same question to myself. What am I?
 
The answer is very simple. You are what you choose to be. And in the process you do not have to forget where you came from. You set the trend for the coming generations and you blend into a culture you choose to.
 
We lived in Hyderabad since 1973, And yet our house was a waterhole for a lot of Assamese folks who visited Hyderabad. My mother passed away a few months ago. She was like a moher to a lot of young assamese folks who live and work in Hyderabad.
 
Although I have been living in the US for over a decade and speak 4 different languages at home. I grow dhekia xaak, bhat kerela, ou tenga in my garden and have loads of Khorisa  in my referigerator. It wont be hard for you to guess what I consider myself to be.
 
I hope you get to read this email.
 
Cheers!
Mohan Palleti




-----Original Message-----
From: Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at gmail.com>
To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world <assam at assamnet.org>
Sent: Tue, Jun 15, 2010 9:53 am
Subject: Re: [Assam] ‘I Am An Assamese, A Bengali And A S ylheti. What Exactly Am I?’ Anurag Rudra'a write up appeared Tehelka

That is a believable, poignant story, Sushanta. Thanks for sharing. 
 
The indignities that young Anurag had to endure, hopefully, were not in vain and his account, 
hopefully would help turn things for the better. 
 
Many of us in this forum have worn different shoes. And we too wore the ones that 
Anurag had worn,at times of being a minority, foreign, alien etc. and at times of a dominant 
group wearing the halo of being an indigenous. It has helped us become fuller, better people. 
That said, I do realize that those of us in the US or other counties with a rule of law have not, would not 
( except as rare exceptions) have to undergo some of the more blatant and overt acts 
of discrimination, bullying or even physical assaults that someone in Anurag's shoes might have. 
That is where the rule-of-law plays a critical role, one that is absent in Indian governance, not 
just Assam's, part of the dysfunctional state of desi-demokrasy as I call it. 
 
I agree with MM's advice: To be positive and ASSERTIVE. He has no reason to be 
confused about his many identities, much less be apologetic. Long ago, I learned 
to choose my first and foremost identity to be the human one. My many other identities 
fall into place, without conflict and without apologies! 
 
Pass this on to Anurag, if you can. I wish him all the best. 
 
c-da 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On Jun 14, 2010, at 12:05 PM, Sushanta Kar wrote: 
 
> Dear 
> Friends, 
> You will find this write up something interesting. Anurag is a B.A > student 
> of Cotton College. By this time he has earned a well reputation as a > poet in 
> English. Here he has raised a few question on the identity crisis of > the 
> sylhetis of the state: 
> http://www.tehelka.com/story_main45.asp?filename=hub190610personalhistories.asp 
> 
> Sushanta Kar 
> _______________________________________________ 
> assam mailing list 
> assam at assamnet.org 
> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org 
 
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