Does 'Miya Poetry' Pose a Threat to the Indigenous People of Assam?

[contact-form][contact-field label="Name" type="name" required="true" /][contact-field label="Email" type="email" required="true" /][contact-field label="Website" type="url" /][contact-field label="Message" type="textarea" /][/contact-form]

Guwahati, July 7, 2019:

Assamese society has seen a prennial struggle between two factions with apparently opposing ideologies and belief systems: the indigenous Assamese and the Bengali-Muslim community; the outsiders, the so-called 'Miya'.

The 'Miyas' have long occupied the space of the 'other' in Assam as due to their religion and language, they cannot immediately identify with the indigenous Assamese who are more-or-less unified by a common mother-tongue and religion -- Vaishnavism/Hinduism. Moreover, they are very distinct from the indigenous Assamese Muslims due to their culture, language, fooding habits, etc.

This long-simmering conflict eventually took the form of violence and resulted in one of the most horrific bloodbaths -- the Nellie massacre -- which claimed the lives of 2,191 people from altogether 14 villages in Assam. The horror of that incident is still fresh in many minds, and it cemented the alienation of 'Miyas' from mainstream Assamese culture and discussion.

In the ensuing drcades, the Bengali-Muslim community has become the most targeted community in the State. Locals allege that these 'illegal Bangladeshis', the 'char chapori' dwellers, are trying to infiltrate Assam and gradually 'Bengalify' Assam by spreading their religion and culture. Moreover, the 'Miyas' get blamed whenever some untoward incident happens in the State. For instance, when tribal youths were asked to strip at an Eid function at Assam's Chaygaon, an accusing finger was immediately pointed at the unruly 'Miyas'.

This 'otherization' of the Bengalis has given birth to Bengali protest poetry -- which has also been termed as 'Miya Poetry'. Miya Poetry has been defined as "a reclaiming of one’s identity by the Bengali-speaking Muslim communities of Assam. It is protest poetry that rebels against oppression."

The community, which is perhaps the least educated and most economically backward in Assam -- has begun an exercise in Literature to express their concerns and problems. With the NRC publication date (July 31) getting nearer and nearer, their rebellious voices are rising louder and louder.

Recently, we came across an incident in which Assam's ‘State Anthem’, ‘O Mur Apunar Dekh’ has been translated into the ‘Miya’ Bengali language by an alleged Bangladeshi national named Khairul Islam.

This has caused outcry in the entire State, as many view it as a disrespect to the State and the Assamese language. A picture of the ‘translated’ anthem also surfaced in Facebook and it went viral.

Amidst the controversy over the Rebellious 'Miya' Poetry, the writer of the poem 'Write Down I am a Miya' and President of the Char Chapari Literary Foundation, Dr. Hafeez Ahmed, while talking to Inside Northeast says: "Miya is a dialect, and 85% of it has been written in Assamese. Outsiders have termed this poetry as 'Miya poetry', not us. It is most unfortunate that Miya poetry and 'chalo paltai' have been rolled into one. In fact, many of us have taken a stand again Bengali hyper-regionalism in the past. I staunchly believe that there is a conspiracy to frame me as an anti-Assamese. These poets are simply expressing their woes through their poetry. If someone accuses me of being pro-Bengali or anti-Assamese, I won't go seeking certificates from people them. Even noted intellectual Hiren Gohain has accused that this sub-language has been created simply to compose poems...he is mistaken..."

Meanwhile, All Assam Minority Students' Union (AAMSU) Chief Adviser Azizur Rahman, while speaking to Inside Northeast, said: "This is a matter of great controversy, and needs to be discussed. The Assam Sahitya Sabha must clear this 'Miya' sub-language. They should first determine what it will be called. I firmly believe that everyone has a right to express their literature in the words of their own choosing. The char-chapori people have been learning Assamese for a while. Thus, we feel they are a part of Assamese community, and will stick to Assamese."

Speaking about the fears that this 'Miya' language poses a threat to the indigenous Assamese culture, he said: "I believe that these people are fully entrenched in Assamese language, and culture. Even the writers consider themselves to be a part of the fabric of Assamese culture. And if someone has any sinister designs, we will never let it come to fruition."

Regarding the 'translation' of 'O Mur Apunar Dexh' into 'Miya', Rahman says that the song has been translated to many languages, and thus he does not believe it is a matter of debate.

"All communities must come together as one, that is how the misunderstandings will end", Rahman says.

Inside Northeast’s Campaign #LetsSaveDeeporBeel is now supported by Oil India Limited (OIL). Join us as we continue the awareness campaign to preserve the only Ramsar site in Assam which is facing immense threats. We need your help to preserve this site of great ecological importance. Join the #LetsSaveDeeporBeel campaign and tweet about it, and do tag us on Twitter. Let’s make some noise!