Odyssey Dima Hasao & Autonomous Council

Prologue

Everything impresses some. When things are commonly visible, they do not always make a lasting impression in our minds. Instead, some uncommon things attract deeper than common ones! Let it be clear that the mindset of the people, as that of the participating athletes in the game of life, subtly defines the structure and content of their needs. The necessity that brings about an inevitable change seems competitive. It sometimes reflects emotions rather than reasons that take place in their environment.

The blue hills, green valleys and white and cloudy skies of the hilly region of Assam – namely, Dima Hasao – are the breathtaking bounties Nature has invested here, of which everybody hardly feels proud because not all enjoy the conspicuous presence of beauties of Nature. But the locality has the potential to give many muses to creative minds.

Hence, the features of the locality above are exciting for those who adore the bounties of Nature. However, those who rejoice in their happiness may have questions: What is the countryside’s history? Was the area under any monarchy in ancient times? Were there any participants in the country’s freedom struggle? Where does the place exist? When did it come into existence? How did the stalwarts of the countryside conceive the idea of the place? Who were those freedom fighters from Dima Hasao who fought against the British? How have the present tribal leaderships given respect to other freedom fighters? Who are the permanent settlers of the hilly region of Assam? How severe is the breeder of loathing and suspicion? How do the minor entities want to get significant? How does the feeling of treating other elders of the locality exist? To which religion do the people practice? Which are their festivals? How are their cherished goal, ethos, stocks and identities? How does the division of people get fostered? How did the tear-jerking regional force grow up?

Having answered all the questions above, everyone can understand the place enjoys autonomy under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India. The narrative aims to answer several other questions: Can we not meet up the ethnic aspiration by introducing a bi-cameral legislature? How does the District or Autonomous Council stand as a political entity or body? How generous and secular were the elders of Dima Hasao? How do the hill people exercise rights over the land under the jurisdictional areas of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council? Does the need to introduce Panchayat Raj in the autonomy schemes presently available still exist in Dima Hasao? How is the prospect of Direct Central Funding? Is there scope for any outsiders to encroach upon the land? What is the GI Tag encroachment of council land? How does the administrative authority of the Council get encroached? How best can they introduce a separate electoral roll for the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council?

What led to the birth of the Autonomous State movement? Is there any incremental scope for enhancing the strength of elected representatives from Dima Hasao? How can we streamline the employment generation sectors? How do the electorates exercise their choice? How does the informal reservation of people’s representatives exist?

In dwelling on the particular Schedule of the Constitution, Odyssey, Dima Hasao & Autonomous Council begins with an onlooker of Haflong’s growth; it sticks out a short landscape of Dima Hasao. Also, it highlights the Bordoloi Sub-Committee Report based on the Cabinet Mission and recommendation of the Sub-Sub Committee, actual approval and inauguration, formation of the District Council, its powers & functions, including those of the Public Accounts Committee, and the conduct of Council Session, as well as financial aspects of discretion. How does the fund transfer exist? How does the State Finance Commission relate to the institutions of the Sixth Schedule areas vis-à-vis Panchayat Raj? What is its ethical proposition? What benefits an elected representative from going by the bureaucratic suggestion? How does the delay in the fund receipt shape the relationship between the State and Council? The Council’s uniqueness, nuances, and responsibilities have also found places in the definition of the role of the Chairman and Elected Member of the Autonomous Council, among other things.

The formation of every political institution brings changes resulting from the administering process. Some issues crop up as a stumbling block, by unlocking which the administrators require to suggest remedial measures. In carrying out such tasks, the role of zonal administrative units becomes significant – How ethical was or is the transaction between the State and Council, from those days of Excluded Area to the present days of the Revenue Receipts, Dao Tax and Expenses management? How does a government official accept the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council as an Administrative Authority? What is the actual parody of the significant development entity? How can we boost the religious and cultural sectors of tourism? How successfully or fairly does the development entity function to honour people’s sentiments? Which outwardly opens Pandora’s Box?

The need for a political and administrative unit to preserve the customs and traditions of all ethnic groups, besides ensuring equality, safety and security, stood out – How have the people pledged to honour their cultural icon or observe their festivals, for instance? Secondly, what are the objectives of the development entities? How do the District Heads of Departments of the Council function? How does the Administrative Establishment of the Entrusted Subjects exist? What are the prospects for the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council to establish a transactional relationship with the newly set Assam’s Mini Secretariate at Silchar?

Thirdly, how do the Transferred Subjects provide services to the farming communities by identifying which approaches are needed? How can we further strategize Dima Hasao’s development? What are the stumbling blocks and remedial measures in the administration of the Council? Finally, how worthy are the grievance redressal mechanisms with the clients? What is the self-sufficiency cord? To get answers to all such questions from different perspectives, let us slowly turn the pages of the book one after another.

CHAPTER-I

Features – Geographical & Topographical

Structure & Content; Imaginative parody;

Blue hills, green valleys, white and cloudy skies & people’s language; The earliest Dimasa Kingdom and its subsequent establishment in Maibang; How did the hilly area of Assam shape into an entity; Dima Hasao’s successive growth and development; An onlooker of Haflong’s growth; A Short Landscape of Dima Hasao

Structure & Content

The life of a human being is a game in the mystery field. They participate in it as a sportsman the moment they enter their vast existence as an entity. Conquering the temporal world’s hurdle is participating in the competition for survival and going ahead of time. The search for individual identity sometimes brings about a blatant involvement in which man does not feel it egregious to weaken the fellow high-spirited for personal gain. The solid tries to shut down justice’s door to the weak wherever possible. Why?

Well, everybody knows in competition, there is neither mercy nor relationship. All are friends or foes alike. Neither friend can share their Performance Reports with the other, nor do the assailants often kill their rivals. Individuals can not share their reports with their friends because every portion of such privileges restricts or hampers the growth of donors. Not everybody likes to lose their life or strength to save others.

Hence, the competition is a neutral game. It remains healthy. However, the occasion leaves a note on how an individual as a human being deals with their fellowmen. The dealing reflects an individual’s character to get judged by others, whose appreciation becomes a narrative about the former. Though many pretend to care less about it, they appear to move on the wrong path of truth when they realise it later in life. So, the realisation echoes not only the symptom of the experiment but also begins with shaping the story of an individual.

When their struggle is over, men’s transactional details get regaled as they visit the mysterious world for a certain period. Man created history like this. If their sequence of events becomes impressive, it becomes a beacon’s light for others. But only a few remain present in their minds and accomplish the task in the past. Some persons with a modicum of knowledge try to immortalise their names without physically participating in the game but disappear, sticking out their insincerity to examine for others.

However, in the inspiring part of their stories, man does not protrude to have done anything wrong in life; only their activities that draw appreciation get accounted for. Contextually, everything is something; nothing is anything.

There is an uncanny race to assert individual supremacy between coming and living. Therefore, some complete the journey by fishing in the troubled waters, while others lead their self-centred lives. Because very few are aware of the truth, their unconsciousness drives them into the craziness – knifing one another. Every kind of human is available, from good to evil. Those who are fortunate come in contact with good people; others come across wretched creatures. Therefore, some of them seem lost in selecting the right ones.

One finds the involvement in selecting the right persons, regardless of their sexes, is a tough choice an individual undergoes in life because peace and satisfaction, success and failure – all rest on choosing.

Thus, the choice is a challenging exercise. It may concern anything that relates to the growth and development of an individual, for it always seeks to replace. Generally, replacement does not speak of evil; it favours well. So, every activity that pertains to change brings about hope and aspiration or curiosity, and everybody interested in enjoying the beauty of replacing something longs to possess the new thing. Relatively, the choice for change ignites curiosity. The task becomes simple as long as an individual is in peace of mind. But then, it becomes problematic when it gets obfuscated by the driver of greed, arrogance and self-importance. All these factors emerge from ignorance.

Unawareness does not always lead an individual to the right path, except acting as a dare-devil, because no conscientious person can be more courageous than the ignorant.

Be that as it may, both ignorant and intelligent fight against each other, without which, where is the longevity of humans sticking out being successful or fulfilled?

But honestly, nothing remains permanent in life. As an individual comes from the mother’s womb empty-handed, they go alike.

Thus, the temporal world is a mystery. Every individual’s visit to it is to create their history. Between incoming and outgoing, if somebody makes some people happy by helping them, the happiness spreads its wings.

On the other hand, when some people follow the excellent footpath of an individual after them, it becomes history. In exercising its role, the contentment or pleasure of man thus regales a memorable journey into the chronological world.

If an individual born into a locality turns evil or greedy, their conscience tells them how to treat other men. In a heterogeneous society, an individual tends to be sectarian because of the spread of a mean-spirited mentality. The dishonesty crops up due to the fear of failure in competition because it is challenging, and everybody does not like to follow the principle.

Then again, man or animal never wants to follow the same path that threatens their life. Every wrong or right gets carried out in complete freedom, without which nothing is attractive in our mind—the attraction factor results from the conditional life of human beings on the earth.

Without expecting anything in return, nothing seems subtly possible in this world.

Thus, I reiterate human life on the planet is conditional.

Some evils feel privileged, and others live deprived. When I say a man is evil, I refer to their greed. How does the relationship between the two exist? It reflects the method of outward reciprocation or transactional business they adopt or hold in the temporal world. If the conscious or privileged treat the commoner, ignorant or backwards well, it cites an example of modern civilisation.

Likewise, the Constitution of India is a written avatar of justice and equality. The founders of the Indian Constitution, who wanted to ensure equal opportunities for all citizens, created specific provisions separately administering the people who appeared disadvantaged under the Sixth Schedule, by which they worked out self-rule to ensure social justice. The people of the erstwhile North Cachar Hills (now Dima Hasao) enjoyed the provision under the scheduled areas.

Imaginative parody

After the people of the erstwhile North Cachar Hills got a separate district, the locality began to change rapidly. The new mindset of the people has no beginning or end. In exceptional cases, the mystery brings about ignorance, which, in turn, breeds wrongdoers. Everybody must agree that all inexperienced turn evil, which eliminates or ruins the innocent or unconscious, though it does not truly define victory over death or destruction. In this sense, all evils are losers, not winners.

After the death or destruction, of whom the wicked feels afraid? Frankly, if there is nobody to praise for somebody, nobody is a hero in their lifetime. Hence, no conscientious or wise person can claim to be a true hero in the real sense of the term. In such a situation, nothing seems perfect, so the true definition of life appears partly acceptable.

Contextually, our destiny seems pre-decided by Nature. She is the actual Creator of humans. But, in fulfilling the fate, we require doing work for our livelihood; for, even if we are more educated or capable than those who get privileges, we do not get justice, or we don’t deliberately like to stay and work in our place of birth. We don’t want to live or serve in any capacity because of the lack of sense of being and belonging.

The loss of interest in doing any good work for the cause of humanity seems to be Her delicate handiwork. For instance, everybody does not get what they want. Nature does not like everybody to remain mindful of their position. If somebody minds their work, they can not take any hasty action due to fear of an adverse outcome. Our mind and heart seem subtly related to Nature, without whose guidance we can not decide where to go and what to do, though some boast of having defeated us or Nature. But such a victory does not carry any significance.

Thus, I told myself our life is to fulfil the definition of competition, in which both good and evil are equal. However, it turns out to be a bone of contention when we fail to be appreciated and rewarded of what we feel deprived.

However, some exceptions to success in life are due to sheer complex work and labour, based on which most people in modern times make their unstinted efforts to better their prospects of defeating Nature.

Nevertheless, if there are blessings of Nature and we happen to have been tricked by fellow humans, our fate is restored due to our expanded horizons. After acquiring skills, we fought all kinds of injustice in the trade we earned from educational institutions.

Hence, I said the teacher was next to our parents.

Nonetheless, I do not refer to those teachers who get appointed for merely receiving a monthly salary. Some blatantly part with other persons to carry out the former’s role and never attend to their duties.

Given the supposition, it hampers realising the main objective of education. It aims to refine our societal living, in which we are inclusive of growth and development. These two aspects shape different kinds of people from various fields of specialisations. The state, district, or locality gets recognised based on the individual’s share of their human resources contribution.

Though we claim are advanced, have not been able to root out some diseases. Of course, it does not mean undercutting the efficacy of science. Nor does it mean that Nature does not plan well. Death in some pandemics reminds me of how Nature carries out Her tasks and creates and finishes Her creation according to Her will. We can not be more brilliant every time than Nature. It remains the same in the relationship between man and Nature or between humans. There is a subtle difference, which brings on the way to ensuring peace and unity.

But then, somewhere, the flaw exhibits the human Achilles’ heel, which regularises the mode of living in the given society. Some speak harsher than others; some sugar-coated languages damage more than evils in our transactional business. Good and sins are inseparable for all living creatures.

To draw a parallel language to live as humans, we have established laws to abide by to resolve the disputes between two or more warring groups among us (humans). Therefore, we cannot live without the rules that are free from anybody’s control but seemingly respected by all as social entities to fulfil the independence of the judiciary.

We all want to do this or that in life, but only some succeed in such an effort. Some say they have much confidence, faith, and belief in themselves and can do whatever they like, but it is only sometimes advantageous for such people.

Of course, once or twice, the wrongdoer may escape from the police dragnet, but they have no permanent freedom from sin or crime. So, our life is unpredictable – It does not matter who is who or what: whether sinner or saint, everybody is to quit the temporal world. Nobody has specific information about who goes where after demise, but there is a hearsay report about the presence of the heavenly abode. As long as an individual is alive, it is their duty to contribute towards the place of their birth.

It is only the unpredictable Nature of life that constantly searches for the light to live as an individual in Dima Hasao’s parody of the human race. The unpredictability gets wrapped up in ignorance or arrogance. But the ignorant never admit to lacking knowledge about something other fellowmen do. Why?

As the Sun relates to light, death signifies their darkness for man.

Similarly, if the Sun gives us the strength of fire, the Moon must have been there to supply water.

At the same time, if strength ensures power, the chink in our armour provides peace.

Our life and death always seem wrapped up in mystery. However, Nature has invested stunning beauties in the hilly region of Assam.

Blue hills, green valleys, white and cloudy skies & people’s language

The Dima Hasao is a land of blue hills, green valleys and white and cloudy skies, covering Assam’s total geographical area of 4890 sq. km and belonging to the jurisdictional scope of the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council, governed under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India. From a writer or poet to a plain traveller, it has a legacy to offer for everybody’s choice. Everybody can enjoy Assam’s only rugged hilly region and witness the varied flora and fauna.

It has a marvellous world-famous but mysterious phenomenon of birds dying in a place called Jatinga and falcons visiting near the industrial town of the Dima Hasao of Assam – Umrongso– on which I dwelt, crafting a few similar poetic lines published last year, which I would like to reproduce below:

THE WINGED VISITORS OF JATINGA & UMRONGSO.

"Somewhere, it is true,

Somewhere untrue;

Flora & fauna gradually reduced;

So, the winged species seemed to rue:

Human greed seems irrepressible;

It’s reached its subterfuge;

On the one hand, they fool,

Saying making tools,

Which protect us under their roof;

On the other, they get schooled,

Inwardly thinking of consuming us in full";

They united all,

And left their original cage, as the Hindu Lord Siva Bull

Sometimes, on the road and in different public places;

Turning it out to be true:

‘One fool locating another fool!’

When they got toy-gunned by some people,

Unaware of welcoming those two-winged visitors by being humble,

Alarmed by their steady decay and dawdle,

Surfaced the Dima Hasao authority control,

Killing all kinds of animals is an offence punishable;

Then come the Assam Hills region carnivals –

Jatinga and Falcón Festivals!

Making them annual,

Celebrating these to make the local

Hunters not to be cruel

Towards the animals,

Including the two-winged ones by the name – Falcon!

I praise the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council;

It’s annual efforts to contain the cruelty on animals."

It is breathtaking to be among the colourful tribe members.

If somebody has a sense of feeling, Dima Hasao is full of diversity and excitement. Various ethnic communities, their culture, festivals and habits make it an alluring destination.

It has stunning variety; the hilly district of Assam nestles in the Borail Hills, an abode of pretty dwellers with their respective languages, cultures and dialects.

All groups have united by adopting a common link language called Haflong Hindi with peculiar overtones.

There is an adventure in trekking green valleys and hilly tracts. Most of the smaller tribe members have adopted Christianity, while the Dimasa, who hold the majority, follow Hinduism, including non-tribals but excluding the Punjabis, who are Sikhs.

There are also Muslim residents.

Given the presence of the various groups of people, the place is sensitive. To foster the growth of perennial peace and tranquility, the administration of Dima Hasao Autonomous Council would do well to work out some strategies by knowing their truth, on which I have dwelt in Chapter VIII of the book.

The earliest Dimasa Kingdom and its subsequent establishment in Maibang

The Ahoms came from the side of Burma (now Myanmar) and overwhelmed the Dimasas by taking advantage of the tribe members’ following their traditions. How?

For instance, the Ahoms, under the cover of cows (Mushu), advanced up to Dimapur, the capital of the Dimasa Kingdom, when the Dimasa army retreated without a fight in fear of harming the bulls drawing the carts of the Ahoms.

In 1523, the Ahom King, Suhungmung, annexed the Chutia Kingdom. Afterwards, he decided to reclaim the lost territory from the Dimasas, who defeated the Ahoms in 1526 but could not succeed in the second battle in the same year, during the reign of their King Khunkhara.

Though the Ahoms lost their territory to the Dimasas, the skirmishes continued between the two.

The Ahoms reportedly murdered the king of the Dimasa Kingdom along with his mother and several royals