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UGCSAP sponsored National Seminar on DEMOCRACY AND DIVERSITY IN
NORTHEAST INDIA, 9-10 Feb2012Theme: Multiculturalism
Abstract
Imagined Communities: Language, Culture and Identity Issues of
the
Sylhetipeople in Northeast India
Dr K M Baharul Islam
Sylheti dialect speaking population of Barak Valley districts in
Assam in Northeast Indiais a classic example of how a population is
facing a cultural dilemma because of their geo-
historical-political situation. At the time of partition of the
country, in 1947, the district of
Sylhet was transferred to East Pakistan barring three-and-half
thana (Police Station) areas
(Ratabari, Patherkandi, Badarpur and half of Karimganj thana) of
the Karimganj sub-
division. This truncated Karimganj sub-division was incorporated
in the Cachar District of
Assam as a full-fledged sub-division. Nihar Ranjan Roy, author
of Bangalir Itihash says,
"South Assam or Barak Valley is the extension of greater Meghna
Valley of Bengal' in allthe way from culture to geography.
The Sub-division of Karimganj under the Sylhet District was
created in 1878 with
Karimganj town as its headquarters. The sub-division played an
important role in the
freedom movement. The famous Chargola exodus, one of the
earliest organised labourmovements of the country, had its origin
in the Chargola valley tea-belt of Karimganj
sub-division. At the time of partition of the country, in 1947,
the district of Sylhet was
transferred to East Pakistan barring three-and-half thana areas
(Ratabari, Patherkandi,
Badarpur and half of Karimganj thana) of the Karimganj
sub-division. This truncated
Karimganj sub-division was incorporated in the Cachar District
of Assam as a full-fledged
sub-division. This sub-division was upgraded to a district on
the 1st of July, 1983, videGovt. Notification no. GAG15/83/1 dated
June 14, 1983.
In the recent past, due to the son of the soil agitation started
in mainland Assam, Bengali
Language and Culture has become the Achilles Hill for the
Sylheti population living in
the state. On one hand, they are not the so-called migrant to
Assam but on the other
they are not naturally included within the Assamese
nationalistic discourse. Post 1990s,
there is a perceivable change in this direction towards greater
cross-border cultural
exchanges with a number of poets, journalists, and artists from
Bangladesh visiting this
part of India. It has been marked by some as the building a new
sub-nationality that grows
around language apart from ethnicity.
Against this backdrop, this paper presents a case of changing
cultures, and growth of a
new sub-nationality beyond borders, especially with reference to
Sylheti dialect and its
cultural nationalism. Tracing the cultural roots of the Sylheti
people of Barak Valley, thepaper highlights the emergence of what
Benedict Anderson described as ImaginedCommunities. It is a new
reality that a modern nation-state cannot ignore and it is
notsomething that cultural communities should feel apologetic about
it.
Chairman & CEO, South Asia Development Gateway and Visiting
Professor, NEF LawCollege, Guwahati, G S Road, Guwahati 781005.
Tel: +91-94350-72356;
Email: [email protected]
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Issues of the Sylheti People in Northeast India
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About the Author:
Dr K M Baharul Islam is a development communication expert in
the areas ofEducation, Information and Communication Technology
policy issues. Hisareas of legal specializations are Information
Technology Law, Cyber Crimes,and Intellectual Property Rights of
software and Liability in InformationSociety. He has also worked as
a Consultant on ICT policy and e-Governmentwith the UN Commission
for Africa (UNECA), UN Economic Commission forAsia (ESCAP) and the
African Development Bank. He has prepared national
and regional ICT policies and e-Government Strategies for many
countries.He has written a chapter of the first Encyclopaedia of
Digital Governance (2007). Dr Islam hasserved in some major
conflict zones in world Rwanda 2000-2001, Ethiopia 2003-06,
SierraLeone 2004-05, and Sudan 2005-06. Dr Islam has MA, LLB, B.ED,
PhD, Post-Doctoral degrees.He also did his LLM (IT & Telecom
Law) from the University of Strathclyde (UK).
Dr Islam has taught for almost two decades in various
universities in Asia and Africa. A formerAssociate Professor at
NCERT, New Delhi and Addis Ababa University, he has also served
onseveral assignments with UNESCO, UNECA and UNESCAP. At present he
is the Chairman andCEO of the South Asia Development Gateway and a
Visiting Professor at the NEF Law College,Guwahati (India).
CONTACT: Tel/Fax: +91 361 2234320, Cell: +91 9435072356 /
9859914100Email: [email protected]
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