THE OTHER DAY, a premier news channel was carrying out a survey in Delhi. In it, the Delhiites were asked about Assam. Their knowledge was limited to our tea estates, one-horned rhinoceros and ULFA. Before getting carried away by the results, we need to reverse the roles and look at where we would have stood. Karnataka, for us, would just be about Bangalore; Maharashtra, would just be Mumbai and Bollywood; and regarding Rajasthan, we would speak of deserts and camels. Many of us would be at a loss when asked about Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and Chattisgarh. This is what average Indians are like. Our knowledge is very much restricted to the place we live in.

It has been too long a time since we have been blaming others for the plights of our State. But has this blame game reaped us any benefit, is what we need to ask ourselves. It is agreed that the Centre needs to take appropriate steps to improve the pitiful state of certain sectors. But who are the ones to bring it to their notice? It is us. We do have elected representatives, 14 of them, to help raise our problems in the Parliament. There had been Cabinet and State Ministers from our State. Still, year after year, our problems remain the same. A look into their five years in the office, and we will get the answers to this indifference. The five years they spend as honorary and not as active members, fail to address our cause. With such candidates, should we bother voting in the elections?

The media, especially those with national coverage, can help raise our problems. It, however, seems that they are more willing to cover star weddings, and make masala news, than to address genuine problems of this region. A Mumbai flash flood becomes a breaking news, while our seasonal floods which leave behind thousands as orphaned and homeless, rarely get their due coverage. It is disheartening to see such a step-motherly attitude, despite people from our State being a part of their cast and crew.

The cinema is said to be the mirror of the culture and social happenings of that region. This form of art in Assam is sadly on the brink of extinction. Here again, the blame is given to the rise of Hindi film industry. Maybe, but is it the only cause? As for our neighbour West Bengal, it still has a prospering film industry. It has been a long time since any of our films have been in serious reckoning in the National Awards. This speaks volumes of the quality of films our industry has been dishing out. In this era of multiplexes, a stale storyline and an archaic way of presentation will definitely get rejected. Assamese films like Bukur Majot Jwale and Hiya Diya Niya were big crowd pullers as they had offered a new style of storytelling at that time. Also gone are the days when in the name of publicity a press conference and a few posters were enough. Extensive publicity through the electronic media is the need of the hour. Publicity, or rather the lack of it, elicit lukewarm responses to good films. Film festival awards, tax exemptions can also play their part in encouraging filmmakers and help revive the Assamese film industry.

The list of our complaints keeps on growing all the time, and so does our bickering. We have been pointing fingers at anyone and everyone for being the ‘neglected ones’. We have got into a habit of crying out for a helping hand every time there is a crisis (or that is what we make of every problem). It has had a blinding affect on us, and we have failed to recognise our true potential. Are we the ‘neglected lot’, or is it us that are neglecting ourselves and washing our hands off our responsibilities? If we really want our issues to be sorted out and make our presence felt, the hard work has to come from our side. Merely resting on our past laurels will not bring back our glory.

As Dr Bhupen Hazarika has so rightly said, Ami asomiya nahao dukhiya buli santwana lobhile nohobo, ajir asomiyai nijak nichinile asom rosatole jabo…..

Dr. Arindam Phukan