Draping the traditional red and white Assamese gamcha around his neck, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma looked content as he stepped out of the North Block on the evening of December 29. The conference room in the British-era building, where he sat with United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and general secretary Anup Chetia, has witnessed the resolution of many demands for sovereignty left unresolved by the British, especially in the northeast. After the meeting, Sarma, Chetia and Rajkhowa agreed to a solution to the rebellion waged by ULFA since 1979, marking the beginning of the end of one of the longest-running insurgencies since independence.
As Union Home Minister Amit Shah joined the trio to sign the tripartite agreement, it was a symbolic ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ moment. For Sarma, it was also a triumph of his love for the Brahmaputra valley, which was very much at display when they all exchanged gamchas, an article of significance worn by the indigenous people of Assam. It cemented Sarma’s position as the tallest leader from Assam.
The northeast is geographically cut off from the rest of the country, but for the narrow Siliguri Corridor, known as the Chicken’s Neck. This region shares borders with Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and China, and has historically been the playground for armed insurgent groups like ULFA. Lives of the people in the northeast have been split between cries for sovereignty by armed insurgent groups and their own desire to participate in the growth story of the rest of the country.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 28, 2024-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 28, 2024-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
