ASSAM’S RATE of population growth was strikingly high compared to the all-India average between 1901 and 1931. The impact of the migration from East Bengal on the demographic composition of Assam was significant. Tensions erupted between the multi-ethnic Assamese peasant society and those who were now reclaiming the floodplains. Some Assamese intelligentsia such as Manik Chandra Baruah considered the new settlers as belonging to a ‘notoriously turbulent class’ while others welcomed them. This took the form of a relentless political crisis in the early decades of the twentieth century.
Jute production meant reclamation of lands near water bodies, which were quintessentially not under the permanent plow. Migrant peasants retrieved large stretches of floodplains—from an estimated 38,000 acres [1 acre equals 0.4 hectares] in 1902 to 300,000 acres in 1932—along the Brahmaputra. The migrant settlers made the floodplains a lived space. In 1931, an official observed that in Kamrup ‘the chars and riverain tracts have nearly been filled and all available wastelands are gradually being occupied’. Massive land reclamation temporarily resolved the British imperial concern of lands lying idle in Assam due to the Assamese peasants’ supposed apathy and dislike of hard work. The migrant Bengali Muslim peasants were imagined as ‘hard-working’ compared to the ‘simple and lazy’ and ‘non-productive’ Hindu Assamese peasants.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara