Friday 26 June 2015

colonization, missionization and 19th century Assam

Colonization,missionization and 19th century assam Bhaskar J Nath The 19th century missionization process in Assam and northeast india was undoubtedly a part of British colonization of India . British control over the northeast region in the nineteenth century – the region mainly inhabited by the Indigenous peoples open doors for the missionaries. The leading missionaries who came to Northeast India in the nineteenth century belonged to the American Baptist Foreign Mission and Welsh Presbyterian .Christian missionaries inveigled the hard working people of Orissa, Chotnagpur and as post colonial discourses indicate,missionaries played an important role in the migration of the working class to assam. During the colonial era, they played a pivotal role in spreading Christianity and ushering an westernization. colonialist rulers and planters used the Christian missionaries to dominate the colonized people with the bible . Imperialist Britishers as expanded their colonial territory to the tribal hinterland of north east, they tactfully tried to bring the illiterate and independent tribes to their colonial fold by fabricating the ploy of civilization and liberal religious conversion. colonial occupation of non European countries bythe European colonial powers paved way for missionary adventurism in countries of asia , Africa etc.when the debate was on the peak in Britain on Christian missionary activities in colonies in general and India in particular, Wellesley said that “It would not only be impolitic but highly immoral to suppose that Providence has admitted of the establishment of British power over the finest provinces of India, with any other view than of its being conducive to the happiness of the people, as well as to our national advantage.” Though views differ among the social scientists and critics, two groups of critics dwell upon the imperialistic design of colonization through covert Christianization and civilaztion. Other group of critics try to distance the missionary from the colonization process and held them as independent entity,which is mostly biased and without any socio-political and literary evidence. Critics like Nihar Ranjan Ray said, “Naturally, these missionaries, some of them very well-meaning and pious souls determined to save these communities of people from everlasting damnation, as they saw it, were all part of great establishment of the foreign rulers, and consciously or unconsciously their mission was directed towards upholding and strengthening that establishment”. As it is held by the colonialists power that it was white men’s burden to enlighten and civilized the uncivilized. Critics like S. P. Sinha is quite critical of the missionary activities in Northeast India and he maintains that Western missionaries were in close league with the colonial British power and their activities constituted colonial engagement. His comment that, “In fact Christian missionaries are there not for advocating a faith but for keeping imperialism alive” represents the strongest criticism leveled against these missionaries. Though in their procces to spread Christianity among the ignorant colonized masses, they eventually contributed to the language,literature which later helped in arousing a nationalism and ousting colonial force. Missionaries also sometime psychologically assimilated in to cultural fold of colonized and chrisianized natives. But it must be said that though missionaries were seen as corroborating with colonialist , they worked towards the development of assamese language, unlike African or nagas. Though English was introduced it proved beneficial for language and culture of native land. It created some newly enlightened youths who used their knowledge in English in the development of their own culture and literature. Apart from the discourses of undeniable missionary association with colonialists,tea planters, it is to be accepted that their spreading of culture and education expedited the course of assamese literature. Gangmumei Kamei a Naga statesman and scholar argues that modern education was “designed to inculcate European liberal ideas, literature, and science in the Indian mind, and to produce educated persons who could be conveniently employed to run the colonial administration.”unlike the nagas, assamese culture remained undaunted and became more sublime though colonization and missionization. Gangmumei Kamei accused missionaries of obliterating the culture of colonized . Both the colonial powers and missions held the "civilizing responsibility" which is also known as the “white man's burden” as their shared goal. "The mutual binding between missions and colonial politics was at its strongest where the two accepted the 'white man's burden' as a genuine responsibility which some anti-imperialist missionaries referred to as Christian imperialism. missionary’s educational work was to create an academic atmosphere to suit the colonial necessity, their contribution to literature also held by social scientist and critics in skepticism. According to the critics There is an implicit assumption in the argument of those who claim that the missionaries came solely for the good of the native peoples; it is the assumption that these missionaries knew what was best for the native peoples and therefore they were virtually immune to any wrong doing. There is an obvious and profound element of uncritical acceptance of everything connected with the missionaries and Christian missions. The missionaries were responsible for reducing what were life-giving oral traditions down to stagnant written languages, and interestingly they are praised for their “accomplishments” in education. The first mission which was also known as the Shan mission was started at Sadiya as part of an ambitious Asian mission which would eventually cover upper Burma and China besides Northeast India.22 The missionaries thought that Sadya’s proximity to Burma and China made it an ideal place from which to launch their mission activities. Although the plan failed due to a number of circumstantial factors, it was certainly significant in that the doors for mission activities were thrown wide open. Early critics deeply influenced by the overt contribution of missionary to assam and assamese literature refers to the period of 1830-1870 as period of missionary. With an intention of stranghthening british administration through the propagation of gospels among natives company sarkar engaged the missionaries. As colonialist critics like F S Downs term this procces as pacification . early critics and writer were very much uncritical of the covert mission of mssionary’s missionization and continous christinization through evangelical projects. It must be accepted that , their projects achieved success in facilitating the colonial interests of british.That missionization was an imperialistic design, was not even understood by intelligentsia of Assam Bilasini. Hindu preachers were quite ignorant of the missionizing intention of british which corrobaorated with Christian imperils. As it was assumed that missionaries came solely for the wellbeing of natives which helped the missionaries and they took advantage of such assumptions.They were held as immune to any wrongdoing.There is an obvious and profound element of uncritical acceptance of everything connected with the missionaries and Christian missions British officials David Scott and Scott’s successor Francis Jenkins are known to have contributed the most to the missionary endeavors in Northeast India. Both Scott and Jenkins served as Commissioners of Assam and both came from an evangelical Christian background. After the british occupation of assam,Nathan Brown and oliver cutter arrived in assam in1835 with their families. He alongwith cutter published orunudoi as “ a monthly paper devoted to religion,science and general intelligence”. Although their primary aim was to disseminate Christian thoughts and gospels among assamese folks with a covert colonial purpose, it co-incidentally helped in bribging a sense of modernity to assamese literature.Publication started from January to….and it was edited by Nathan brown, A H Denforth,William ward .It continued till …and press was sold in 1883. As a pure colonial and evangelized purpose, they translated the new testament inti assamese as Amar trankorta Jisur natun Niyam and printed and published the book. Its focuss shifted to collecting and publishing the old chronicles. Puroni Asom buronji, chutiya buronji, kamrupor buronji also published by Nathan Brown. Ananda Ram Dhekiyal Phukan’s axomiya Lorar Mitra (1849) was also published by him.grammatical aspects of assamese language was also published. Notes& references: 1) sanjay baruah, india against itself2) 3) Syed abdul malik, axomiya romantic kabitrapatabhumi4)