Outlook – July 28, 2019

identity MArker

24 OutlOOk 29 July 2019

intends to create communal disturbance besides defaming

the Assamese­speaking people as “xenophobic”. All the 10

people named in the FIR are either poets or involved in

translating Miya literary work into Assamese and English.

The NRC update—an exercised done under the supervision

of the Supreme Court—has been flayed by rights activists

and international bodies for its inherent flaws that could

turn millions of people stateless. The final draft of the NRC

published last year had left out 4 million people out of over

30 million applicants. An additional list published on June

26 this year saw another 10,20,00 out of the list. The final

NRC will be published on July 31 and Assam is bristling

with tension. It’s a fear that runs

through both sides of the divide—

many Assamese­speaking “natives”

believe millions of illegal migrants

have been able to include their

names in the NRC; Muslims and

Bengali­spe aking Hindus fear they

could be the victims of what many

see as a “xen ophobic exercise”.

Faced with a hostile local press

and scathing criticism from a sec­

tion of the Assamese intelligentsia,

Hafiz Ahmed has already apologised

for the poem. “I have long been

ass ociated in promoting Assamese

language. Many a time I have been

slammed for standing for the same.

But in spite of that, if my poem has

hurt the sentiments, I apologise.

Apart from that, as this poem was

written in 2016, it has no connec­

tion to the NRC as being projected

by many,” Ahmed tells Outlook.

Ahmed heads the Char Chapori

Sahitya Parishad, a body which

works towards promoting literary

work by people of East Bengal­

origin. Ahmed also does not hide

the fact that his poem is an adapta­

tion of Identity Card, an iconic

poem written by Palestinian poet

Mahmoud Darwish in 1964.

U

NlIkE the Hindu Bengalis of East Bengal­origin, Bengali

Muslims of Assam, like Ahmed, have cited Assamese as

their mother tongue and their literary work have also

been in Assamese through the years. What has angered

a section of Assamese is the new body of literary work in the

Miya dialect, which is being seen as an attempt to legitimise

an “alien language” which in turn could be used to stake claim

to their Indian roots. Others have objected to the alleged

portrayal of the Assamese as “xenophobic”, a taint carried by

the state since the infamous Nellie massacre of 1983.

“Poetry is a wonderful medium to express one’s thoughts on

any issue under the sky. Protest poetry as the name suggests

can effectively underline the trauma and tribulations faced

by any group or community...But the issues associated with

Miya poetry are multi­layered and nuanced. Any attempt to

understand and analyse this controversy by overlooking the

underlying factors could be disastrous in the state,” author

and commentator on socio­political issues Mayur Bora tells

Outlook. He also questions whether the entire Muslim com­

munity can be blamed for the acts of a few Islamic terrorists.

Miya poetry is not exactly new and the earliest known work

is traced back to a poet­writer called Mia Bande Ali who wrote

the Charuwa’s Proposition in 1939. However, it’s only recently

that a group of poets started using the term Miya as a badge

of honour to counter the racial slur in Assam for “lungi­clad

people in a skull cap or with a beard”.

kazi Neel alias kazi Sharowar Hussain, a student of cultural

studies who is also named in the

FIR, says his poetry is merely a ref­

lection of the times. “The appeal of

poetry is universal. Just because it’s

written in a specific dialect, it

doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s

saying about that community par­

ticularly. My poem reflects the

thoughts of the people who have

suffered in the society. I have writ­

ten about the negligence I have

faced and the harassment my father

has faced in the name of D­voter,”

says kazi. D­voters are a category of

suspected foreigners whose names

are not included in the NRC. Parvin

Sultana, an assistant professor at

Pramathesh Barua College in

Dhubri, says those who dismiss

poems in the Miya dialect also

tends to wish away the fact that

identity is multi­layered. “A ‘miya’

can be a Miya and an Oxomiya at the

same time,” she adds.

Identity, or the fear of losing it, is

one of the biggest political and soc­

ial issues in Assam. Especially for

the Ass amese­speaking people, who

sees the infl ux of undocumented

mig rants as a threat to the culture

and language of the state. The

state’s soc io ­cultural sphere has

been sha ped by this fear. For some, this ide ntity battle is a

sign of Assamese hegemony.

“I believe that identity politics has its own limitations...This

has happened to Miya poetry as well, thanks to the hegemonic

nationalists and right­wing groups,” says kamal kumar Tanti,

a Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar­winning poet. “As a part of

contemporary literature of protest and resistance, Miya

poe try demands more of literary and sociological criticism

and not politically­motivated hate­criticism,” says Tanti, one

of most well­known poets in Assam.

kazi Neel, for one, knows how it feels to be at the receiving

end. “The way I’m being projected as an anti­social element

over the past several days by misinterpreting my poem, is

very painful. I’m scared of my life now. To curb the freedom

of speech like this in a democratic country is not a very good

sign,” the poet portends. O

See me hold by my side the Constitution

Point a finger to Delhi

Walk to my Parliament my Supreme

Court my Connaught Place

And tell the MPs the esteemed judges

and the lady selling

Trinkets and her charm on Janpath

Well I am Miyah.

Shalim

M. Hussain