President’s Note
Olee Borah
The moment
Staging the Mahapurusha at Bangalore
remains fresh in my mind. I forget the date but it was on a late evening in
November last year when the idea was mooted. We - Naba Kumar Das, Dhrubajyoti Bhuyan, Yugantar Saikia, Jyoti Kurmi and yours truly – were sitting and chatting in the big living room of Yugantar’s home. On one corner was a sarai, which constantly reminded us of our birthplace, Assam. The topic veered to Srimanta Sankaradeva and his relevance in present times. I stuck out like a sore thumb sticking out among the group. Older by more than a decade than the others. A ignoramus as far as computer is concerned. The other four are in high posts in the IT sector. But what connected us were our thoughts about our motherland and its people. These IT professionals constantly obsess over how to contribute to their state and generate employment for the youth there. It is another thing that these dreams remain just that - dreams. The conversation that evening was tinged with regret, over the fact that Srimanta Sankaradeva and his message remains confined to the narrow limits of Assam, and guilt, for our failure to take our Guru beyond the state and bring him national, if not international, focus. He sought to spread the message of peace and harmonious co-existence; his acts like accepting a Muslim, Chandasai, as one of his primary disciples remain proof of it. We felt this was the need of the times. Last year, there was a virtual exodus of people from the Northeast from Karnataka in the fear of being targeted in communal violence. We tried our best to convince them otherwise. So did the then Government of Karnataka, and the various committees of mosques. They held sadhbhavana and milad-e-mehfil, just to reassure the Northeasterners that we will stand together as brothers. Those were the times when we understood how much Srimanta Sankaradeva could teach us and others. All these and our desire to do something coalesced that evening. It turned to a determination. Yugantar mentioned that an NGO, Trend MMS, was doing pioneering work in taking our Guru’s ideas to other parts of the country. I dithered. But Yugantar made it clear that he would go about it alone if need be. His wife, Dr Ranjita Adhikari, happens to be a descendent of the Guru’s family. With such an ultimatum, inevitably the die was cast. We would organize a function to highlight our Guru’s message, it was decided. We started our journey with Trend MMS. The Chief Coordinator of the NGO, Shyamkanu
Mahanta, is a close friend of Yugantar. The two took the role of coordinator and sorted out the various responsibilities within themselves. It involved taking care of the venue, lodging for visitors and food. Then there was the public relation aspect. There were invitation cards to be printed. The details were taken care of in an exhaustive manner. We formed a committee with Ghananil Phukan, who also happens to be the president of ABC Forum. Since ABC Forum can be confining and exclusive, he proposed the formation of a body that would be more inclusive so that organizations like Assam Society of Bangalore (ASOB) and Assam Association of Bangalore (AAOB) can be equal partners. Thus was born Sankaradeva Movement, Bengaluru Initiative, a common platform for all Assamese Bangaloreans. I was chosen as the President of this body. We were on a roll. An advisory body was formed. The members of the Advisory body were Dr B. M. Gogoi, Mr. Prakash Baruah, Mr. Niranjan Bordoloi, Mr. Deepak Sharmah, Col. Chidananda Medhi, Dr J. M. Debnath, Mr. Debeswar Neog, Mr M K Bharatee, Dr.Bijon Baruah, Mr. Phulaeswar Borah, Mr. Hemen Gogoi, Mr. Nurul Amin Bokshi, Mr. Amal Barua, Mrs. Kamalakshi Agarwala, Mr Lakhi Phukan, Mr. Lankeswar Nath, Col. Atul Chowdhury, Mr. Atul Thakuria, Mr. Bhagya Konwar. Since the inception till now, I can proudly claim that everyone did what they had to before a request was made, an order passed. Each one took on a well-defined role and carried out their work, letting neither the busy schedule so symptomatic of IT sector or ego hassles come in the way. Pollob Kishore Phukon and Dipankar Rajkhowa of AAOB, worked hand in hand with us. So did Niranjan Bordoloi, who took up a donation drive and constantly encouraged us. His retired life became a thing of the past and he was constantly on the go. The advice of Amal Barua, a member of the advisory committee, proved invaluable. Munin Bharatee showed us the way with his experiences. Sourav Moloy Borah, Rajdeep Kar, Jonali Saikia, Shah Alam, Mridu Mahendra Das, Durbadal Tamuli, Trinayan Bora, Bibhash Hazarika, Abhijit Borah, Jyotirmoy Saikia, Siddhratha Dutta, Rajiv Barman, Kaushik Baruah and Mr Kiran contributed to the most out of their busy lives. Trend MMS helped us get articles from renowned scholars from Assam. Thanks to Abhijit Borah, work on the handbook or souvenir – a reminder of the function on Sankardeva at Chowdiah Memorial Hall – was complete. There have been so many people, who have helped in making Sankaradeva Movement, Bangalore, what it is. Funds have flowed not only from our core members and some entrepreneurs, but from the Assamese people in general. Our near and dear ones have contributed their bit as well.