By Sabyasachi Roy
Hope, vis-à-vis, fear of exclusion encompasses the life of the Bengalis of Northeast India. In the seemingly present predicament, the only source of strength is their glorious past. And, definitely, February 21 and May 19 are bright stars in the sky of that glory. Almost every Bengali in the world remembers and observes the International Mother Language Day on 21 February and expressly boosts their love for mother tongue, their Bengaliness. 19 May is another Language Martyrs’ Day which is observed in Barak Valley and in many places with Bengali predominance. It has been the beacon of light on the way to defend the hard-earned linguistic rights of the people of Barak Valley. Remembering their daily identity crisis, they pause for a moment on this day, look back and, anticipating the hard days ahead, sing out loud, “moder gorob moder asha, a-mori bangla bhasha.” Considering the vermilion cloud of marginalisation and rejection, this 19 May has posed to be the only lifeline of the Valley. Undoubtedly, similar cloud of doubt presently has enveloped the Bengalis in different parts of the country today. Undoubtedly, the social existence of the Bengalis is shrinking due to the expansionist behaviour of the dominant ethno-linguistic groups.
Around 28.5 crore Bengalis are spread across the world. Of this, 15 crores are in Bangladesh and about 10 crores in India. Out of these 10 crores in India, around 8 crores are in West Bengal, 1.5 crores in the Northeast. Of 1.5 crores in the Northeast, 90 lakhs are in Assam. And, all these Bengalis have always believed in liberalism and pluralism. But, today Bengalis in different regions are victims of linguistic imperialism and are trapped in a multi-dimensional constriction in the process of multiple aggressions on their mother tongue.
To review the status of Bengali from a larger frame-of-reference, it would become imperative to say that Bengalis have never been pro-active in keeping their absolute ethnicity and the circle of linguistic unity intact. The Bengali is the second largest linguistic group in the country since independence, but it is only one of the twenty-two official languages of the country as per the Eighth Schedule. In the past 75 years, the demand for recognition of Bengali as the second main national language has not been heard! Whether it is due to circumstances or lack of foresight in building and preserving a nationwide Bengali identity might be a matter of argument. But because of this reluctance or limitation, the Bengalis today are victims of neglect in the country. And, of course, there is internal religious divide. The situation arising out of these is constantly slamming back at the Bengalis. One of the causes of this is that the Bengalis have not grasped it, or have neglected to grasp it and as such have pushed themselves into such a scathing situation.
This picture is common throughout the country, but is distinctly visible in Northeast India, which is the third home of the Bengalis. Although Bengalis are a minority in the rest of the Northeastern states except in Tripura, they are contributing immensely to the economy of these states since independence, or even before that. Unfortunately, in these states now their roots are shaky, rather they are tagged with pejoratives like ‘Foreigner’, Ghuspetia’ or even ‘termite’. Here they are marginalized and the main reason for this contracting social identity is, of course, their linguistic identity. Excluding Tripura and Assam, the Bengali population in the remaining five states is less than 10 percent (65 percent in Tripura, 29 percent in Assam). And, in those states, there is little opportunity for cultivating Bengali language and culture.
In Assam too, the socio-economic and political position of Bengalis is not very bright. Amalgamation of Sylhet with the newly formed Assam Province (1874) after being carved out of the Bengal Presidency, followed by Partition of Sylhet (1947), enactment of the State Official Language Act (1960), language movement in the Barak Valley followed by amendment of that Official Language Act (1961), NRC update process (2015- 2019), the anti-CAA movement and the demand for implementation of Article 6 of the Assam Accord (2020) — this multidimensional scenario facilitated the deviation from the crux of stability of the Bengalis in Assam.
But it should not have been like that. Since independence Assam was considered as a multilingual state which has been emphatically opined by the State Reorganization Commission in 1956. Regardless of the region’s geography or social fabric, the region’s map has been repeatedly scratched and inked over the course of time. What had been the Surma Valley Division during the British period, became Cachar district after the partition of Sylhet. Later the region was divided into three districts and got its own identity as Barak Valley. It was to be relieved that the land, which had been so variously scarred in past, found in this name a rather semblance of existential stability. But, unfortunately, the political history of the valley has failed to play a supportive role in nurturing its natural, social or economic aspects subsequently. As a result, it has not been possible to take forward the age-old socio-cultural and linguistic tradition of the region.
When the Barak Valley, which is the bastion of the Northeast Bengalis, is engulfed in such uncertainty, the situation prevailing in the rest of the Northeast can easily be visualised. Bengalis are a minority in the Northeast, except in Barak Valley; over and above, within them the religious divide is prominently visible. This somehow is consequent upon the attempt to ensure political control on this linguistic minority of the region. So far, Bengalis have not been able to understand this, or even if they did, they are unable to get out of it. Despite these multidimensional impulses encompassing their linguistic identity, the Bengalis of Barak Valley are celebrating May 19, keeping faith on their intrinsic liberal pluralism, not joining hands with separatist forces.
The Bengalis have created the glorious history on 21 February 1952 subsequently forming the independent Bangladesh in 1971. February 21 was a successful attempt to establish language sovereignty over religious narrowness. As a result of this, the independent Bangladesh state was born in 1971 on the basis of language. In the language-wave emanating from 1952 movement in the erstwhile East Pakistan, Barak valley was able to write another brilliant history of protecting the rights of Bengali language on May 19, 1961. In order to preserve its linguistic identity, Bhasha Sahid Divas of May 19 should be taken outside the boundaries of Barak Valley and placed on a larger scale. Like February 21, it should also be made a universal statement based on which a liberal but impenetrable circle of Bengali ethnicity has to be created.
The Bengalis who did not hesitate to sacrifice their lives many times to protect their linguistic rights in Independent India, is sure to be able to turn around again with head held high. But then, they need to stand collectively against the machinations of division and come out of the quagmire of marginalisation. To survive with dignity, it is necessary to consolidate their linguistic identity remaining steadfast in their integral ethnicity. May this courage be strengthened in the contemplation of Northeast Bengalis while observing the Bhasha Sahid Divas on May 19.
(The author is an associate professor in Karimganj College, Assam and formerly General Secretary of Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan, Silchar.)