This is in response to the issue of tribal alienation and religious conversion at the riverine island
Majuli in particular and Assam in general which has currently hogged the limelight.. A sharp socio-historical survey with critical acumen points
out that Shankari culture played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Assamese identity by bringing
various ethnic communities and tribes into its mainfold. It paved the way for the aryanisation of the tribes
whose taproot was anarya.Later after the Shankardev,responsibility of propagating and involving the larger community was
entrusted upon satras and satradhikars which did not figure sincerely in their agenda. To put it in a nut-shell ,
taking advantage of the lacunae of existing satriya tradition,mishing tribes were lured to convert themselves to
christianity.For the fair suvival of any culture in the face of cultural assimilation and accommodation, it must have
certain amount of flexibility among with its inherent rigidity.We can refer to Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe's presentation
of Igbo's colonization and crisis by whites;Igbo culture fails due to its severest rigidity to accept the give and take
policy.On the contrary to Igbo, Indian culture and liberal hindutva emerged as undaunted and renewed despite british
colonization.Because Indian culture fosterd the kind of flexibility required to operate within its fold..Precisely tribal
alienation at Majuli from the mainfold of satriya culture is highly regrettable as it amounts to failure of Adhikars to
involve the larger community and thereby spreading the Bhakti marg.But against the sheer indifferance of satra authority
,christianity's emergence in the island is striking point since it is trying to assuage the socio-economic maladies of the poor
tribal people by offering financial and moral support. What we all need at this critical and problematic hour is assurance,
warmth, and sincerity, not false promises and hypocrisy.That very briefly speaks a volume why christianity is currently
gaining momentum in the riverine holy island which is held by historians and many as the vetican of the East.When wec met
some Adhikars to probe into this ,we were told that since the tribals donot live a austere life in terms of purity of
health and temperament too, they are reluctant to assimilate them within its fold. But strikingly,former satradhikar ,
thinker and freedom fighter Pitambar Deva Goswami had been successful in the unification of tribes of Assam and
peripheral hills.Perhaps he was the only religious guru with the greatest foresight to exercuse their duties assigned
by Shankar Deva.After his sad demise the mission of unification and accomodation of tribes came to a halt.
Notwithstanding we must say that tribals especiallly are facing alienation not recently.Being indigenous ,
they have been marginalized throughout various phases in Assam history.During the early ninteenth and middle of 19th century
they bitterly experienced alienations due to "Bhasa andolan" and occupation of vast tracts of firm lands by
migrants and refugee muslims.Chrisianity cannot be said to boost up the plinth of assamese nationality as
the assamese nationality was founded on the Bhakti
movement by Shankar Dev. we can look at the issue from another point also;tribal alienation has given rise
self consciousness among certain fractions which resulted in the formation of tribal bodies and political
organizations.
Thus it is obvious that indifference of mainstream asomiya satriya magnets will split the vulnerable assamese
nationality into multiple sections.
We request the concerned authority to come up and undertake the project of the assimilation of tribes rather
than playing its part as secessionists.
We must accept the reality that there have been much more obscurities and prejudices have crept into our esteemed
satra institution. To be frank, abstinence from touching outsider
and maintanace of distance from others particularly more from tribes amounts to untouchability. when we discussed
about it in a parley with Satradhikar of Uttar Kamalabari satra Jonarddan deva Goswami
we did not procure any scientific or logical explanation in its support.In sharp cotrast to the expansion of
Assamse identity with the inclusion of
migrant muslims as na-asomiya , tea tribes and nepalese tribals have been alienated from its fold.
We have to blame ourselves for our illusion to see and accept the reality which will take a toll by changing the socio-cultural and demographic landscape.
Otherwise this will lead to an pervasive situation akin to Bosnia where Serbs,Croats and Muslims tried to claim and assert individual identity , dismissing the collective multi-cultural solidarity
in the aftermath of the collapse of Yugoslavakian identity.
