LUMDING, BMB SCHOOL FIELD & CHARAK PUJA:

 

Agricultural land in Lumding

Nagaon is the largest district in Assam and Lumding is the second largest urban settlement. It is a railway township having substantial amounts of Civilian Population. The town is multi-ethnic by nature. Bengali migrants, Assamese Communities, Marwari & Punjabi businessmen, Bihari labour force, Nepali farmers and sustantial percentage of indigeneous tribes like Karbis, Rabhas and Ahoms are the main constituents of the mixed population of Lumding, although more than 70% of the population consists of Hindu Bengali legal migrants who were once brought here by British Raj to work in the Railway services. When these Bengali had settled here, they brought various local festivals along with them. In lumding, the dominant local goddes is the "Ma Shitla Debi" and the 2nd is "Gajan" or "Charak Puja".


CHARAK PUJA:

                                                                                                                                                           

CHARAK PUJA IN THE BMB SCHOOL'S FIELD: IT IS HELD AT THE LAST DAY OF BENGALI YEAR, LAST DAY OF THE MONTH CHOITRA. Normally it is either on 14th or 15th April every year.

Charak Puja is a very enchanting folk festival of Southern Belt of Bangladesh and West Bengal. It is also known as "Nil Puja". The believers of Hindu religion celebrate this on the last day of Chaitra (Chaitra Songkranti). They believe that it will carry prosperity for them eliminating the sorrow and sufferings of the previous year. The festival is actually a festival to satisfy "Lord Shiva", the great "Debadideb" of Hindu Religion. Though the festival takes place on the mid night of Chaitra Songkranti, the preparation phase usually starts before one month of the day. The arrangement team of the festival go from village to village to procure the necessary components like paddy, oil, sugar, salt, honey, money etc. with the arranged and cosmetic Shiva, Parvati, Narod etc. The cosmetic Shiva is locally called "Nil Pagol" or "Jal Katha". On midnight of the Songkranti, the worshippers are gathered together to worship the God and after Puja the "Prosad" is distributed. Somewhere it is also known as "Hajrha Puja". The woman in this day don't take meal before Puja. Sometimes in this festival a human "Charak" is made ready to satisfy the Lord Shiva. The "Charak" is tied with a hook (Borshi) at his back and then he is moved round around a bar with a long rope. Though it is risky, they arrange it.

In Bangladesh it is frequently found to take place at Galachip Upzilla of Patuakhali District. Goalkhali, Gabua, Haridebpur, Lalua, Lohalia etc. villages are well known for "Charak Puja". Though the aristocracy and fluency of the festival is being deemed now, there are some who are arranging it every year with great devotion and dedication. It is a part of their life. May the festival be sustain long.

"A SCENE FROM THE RITUAL PERFORMED DURING CHARAK PUJA IN THE BMB SCHOOL FIELD LUMDING ON THE LAST DAY OF A BENGALI YEAR. THE DAY IS CALLED AS "CHOITRA SANKRANTI" IN BENGALI. CHARAK PUJA IS THE CELEBRATION DEVOTED TO SHIVA-SHAKTI, A RITUAL OF HINDU SHAIVAITES AND SHAKTAS."




 

                                                                                                                                             

AIUDF, Maulana Badaruddin Ajmal and Jamiat Ulema-é-Hind

Maulana Badaruddin Ajmal now has enough teeth to brag about AIUDF for emerging a brawny opposition and his hunger to amass power has amplified manifold times. His appreciation for Vice Chancellor Maulana Muhammad Ghulam Vastanvi ripped him off the honor of being with the Jamiat Ulema-é-Hind's Arshand Madani faction in February. This created a lot of debate against him when he finally moved in to form an Assam Chapter of the Jamiat. This invited the ire of Arshad Madani who flew in to Guwahati to post mortem Ajmal’s performance as President of the Jamiat Ulema-é-Hind's Assam Chapter, his alleged use of the Jamiat to strengthen his political base, his eventual expulsion from the position of Presidentship and his formation of a Jamiat separate from the ambit of the Madanis in sharp retaliation.

Now in an attempt to spring back to the parent body of the Jamiat, Ajmal will formally side the Mahmud Madani faction of the Jamiat in opposition to Arshad Madani. To top it all Ajmal has managed matters to favor him the Presidentship of Jamiat Ulema-é-Hind’s (MM) Assam Chapter. Ajmal is all set to join Mahmud’s faction at a Convention in Garigaon today in the presence of Mahmud Madani himself. This will evidently help Ajmal project his global image as the savior of a debatable section of the Muslim's of Assam which he keenly aspires.

Himanta Bishwa Sharma's Herculean Tasks

Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma visiting Nagaon Civil Hospital

 

Whatever had been the distribution of the portfolio in the hatric Congress government, the fact that Dr. Himanta Bishwa Sharma, was given the education including health portfolio, was enough for the general people to be happy, first to see some more progress in the health department and expecting the same in the Education department which is considered being one of the worst department in the state. After the new portfolio as education minister, perhaps the education department officials had made their minds to face the music of the minister but were little casual too. Thus the minister’s sudden visit to the DPI office at Kahilipara had come as a big surprise to the ever casual and lazy workers there. Whatever may be the following outcome in the near future, the curtain raiser was enough for the department to take the message of the minister seriously and show some professional attitude towards their work. Things are not expected to change overnight, yet a sight of relief and hope.

Next came the convening of a meeting of principals of those schools that has Zero Percent results. A step perhaps not many could have ever thought in their minds. The results of these schools were long, some 160 schools from all over Assam figured in the list of zero percent success, some consecutively three years some two. The meeting was on 23rd June, Saturday and following the Assam Bandh Called by the Krisak Mukti Sangram Samity in protest of Akhil Gogoi, s arrest, around 60 school heads could come to the meeting. It was not an easy ambience for the teachers to face the music of the new education minister; however they were lucky to escape with warning. So from next time the teachers have to show positive results or their SEBA recognition gets cancelled. The teachers had funny answers to the questions put by the minister while asking them to show their difficulties. Himanta Bishwa Sharma did cracked jokes while sending a strong message to the particular teacher community and perhaps the teachers could also gauge the intensity of the new education minister, for most of them it was their first bad experience in their life. But back home they might have thanked God for nothing had gone wrong except a good warning to change their attitude towards education.

Coming back to the health department, the health minister at a press conference today said that irregular and irresponsible doctors will be shown the door while the good will be rewarded. The minister has divided the doctors of various health institutions in the districts in five categories, Viz. first; Doctors staying in HQ and regularly attending duty, second; Doctors who do not stay in HQ but regularly attending duty, third; Doctors who do not stay in HQ and reports late for duty, fourth; Doctors who occasionally comes to duty and fifth; Doctors who do attend duty at all. The doctors of the fourth and fifth category will be advised for VRS and CRS and to fill the gap their will be new recruitment. An average attendance will be calculated from the last two years and thereafter things will be decided. On this regards the DC, s have already been instructed and official letters have been dispatched. This is perhaps a step not may Doctors would welcome, but every patient and public will welcome.

Not the least the new education minister has also taken note of government teachers taking into active politics and journalism profession. So another concern to clear the ground for building a good education environment in the state. Things have been brought into the notice, letters to be sent to the president of Political parties and Editors to consider the situation and for creating a better education environment. Time will say how things will work in the near future. But the minister is trying to break some jinx that has been long associated with the system and thus hampering the public by and large. Hope these new steps would be for the betterment of the people than benefiting any political party or a person. After all some one has shown the right way as what a minister can really do if he wishes to do. Hope others will follow in the right spirit and not just to imitate someone. With high expectations that the minister will keep his words.

Nexus ails Assam healthcare

Study reveals doctor-medicine company ties, under-utilisation of govt schemes.

An unholy nexus between various healthcare providers, including doctors and private hospitals, has become a stumbling block in delivering benefits to the people at a time when Dispur is pumping in huge funds to bring improvement in the health sector.

This was revealed in a multiple-stage survey conducted by Consumer Unity & Trust Society International, a reputed NGO.The survey has found that the government’s various welfare schemes like providing free medicines and equipping the public hospitals with hi-tech machinery to conduct investigations at affordable rates have not proved beneficial for the poor and needy because of “collusive behaviour” of the healthcare providers. 

The survey even found that doctors were taking costly gifts like cars and air-conditioners from medicine companies and medical representatives to prescribe costly medicines for patients. The NGO conducted its survey last year and compiled the results recently. The subject of the survey was Collusive Behaviour in Healthcare and Impact on Consumers: Evidence from Assam.

The survey, was conducted in its first stage by gathering information from 301 consumers visiting public healthcare institutions in Guwahati, Bongaigaon and Nagaon.One of the important findings of the first stage survey was non-availability of adequate medicines at public healthcare institutions, including Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, forcing the poor and low-income group patients to purchase medicines from private sources. 

It was found that frequency of referral for diagnostic tests was very high as it was encountered by 90 per cent respondents. The fact that only a third of these diagnostic tests ever revealed a serious illness bears testament that on most occasions these tests might not have been necessary. During the survey, interaction with the diagnostic clinics and pathological labs revealed that there was a usual practice of paying commissions to doctors for referrals. 

The second stage survey was conducted among 210 respondents who visited the GMCH, the Bhogeswari Phukannani civil hospital in Nagaon, the Nagaon urban health centre and the Bongaigaon civil hospital and primary health centre.The survey has found that the prescriptions were costlier in those hospitals where medicines were brought from outside by respondents. Doctors were found to prescribe many “irrational” drugs. 

A significant percentage of drugs purchased from private sources were shown available in the stock list of medicines of the hospitals.The survey found that high percentage of medicines from the State List of Essential Medicines were also absent in the hospitals.Of the medicines that were absent in the hospital stock list, some had substitutes that were available in the hospital but were not prescribed. According to the survey report, such trend clearly shows a nexus among some doctors, hospitals staff and private pharmacies.

The survey found a high percentage of incomplete diagnosis. About 90 pr cent of the respondents’ prescriptions did not have any evidence of signs and symptoms or preliminary diagnosis of the disease. The absence of such written record of ailment is a fundamental flaw of medical investigation.

The third stage of survey was conducted by holding discussions with medical representatives. 

The NGO mentioned that the names of the towns where discussions took place have not been mentioned intentionally.Interacting with the medical representatives, the survey found various kinds of “unethical” practices being resorted by a section of doctors to promote products of medicine companies. It was found that the medicine companies give cars, air-conditioners and equated monthly instalments for home appliances, cars and life insurance premiums to some doctors to get their medicines prescribed to large number of patients. 

The director of Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development, Indranee Dutta, who provided some information to the NGO during the survey, said such collusive behaviour among the healthcare providers has defeated the government’s very objective of making healthcare accessible and affordable for all. She said it was high time the government broke such nexus with healthcare becoming a right of the people.

LUMDING RAIL COLONY : BRICKFIELD COLONY

||| LUMDING RAIL COLONIES : LUMDING |||                                                                                ©subhankar_karmakar

BRICKFIELD COLONY OF LUMDING:

©subhankar_karmakar

NEAR BMB HIGH SCHOOL; LUMDING

As Lumding was developed as the residential place for British Railway Officers, a number of colonies were built in Lumding. There were substantial numbers of Indian Officials and Labours in Railways as well. So, residential places of these peoples were also been constructed and was known as colonies even.

At present there are numbers of colonies in Lumding, like Officer's Colony, South hills colony, New Colony, Kamakhya Colony, Account's Colony, Nadir paar last Colony, Institute Colony, Brick Field Colony, Relief yards Colony. Surprisingly, the residential places of the Clerical Grades and other lower level officials is known as Babu Patty, and does not bear the colony tag. This is a question which I could not solve in my childhood. During British Rules the Indian semi-English Educated persons were known as Babu, even their broken English got a tag name as Babu English. They were a powerful lobby, so they sought a somewhat different name and most probably due to this reason, they named it as Babu Patty. The word Patty is a substitute for colony in vernacular language.

LUMDING AND ITS NUMEROUS CLUBS:

---

BRICKFIELD COLONY

I was born in Brickfield Colony, Lumding. Our Railway Qtrs. No. was E-144/A.... I still remember my early childhood in Brickfield Colony. We had always maintained a strong relation with that colony although the tie is almost been faded up now. As my father was also born there, we were one of the oldest inhabitants of that place. I have some pleasant memories of my childhood in this colony. How can I forget my childhood that was so sweet? I have so many memories, so sweet memories of my child, I would never forget those. Sujit, Raju, Bura, Kanika, Sajal so many faces, so many memories. Our adjacent quarter was belonged to Sujit's family. His father Late Niranjan Karmakar was a driver in Indian Railways. Their family was so closed to us, we used to spend our day time in their garden playing so many games. I remember his sisters Laxmi, Saraswati, Mamata, Mamoni and his younger brother Sanjib,

I still remember that sanjib had asthmatic problems. I was particularly very closed to Sujit and his 2nd eldest sister, Saraswati, really I miss them too. Then there was Bura's family members. Their family was an unique family. His mother was a fan of Bengali stories and novels and they had a huge collections of many bengali magazines and Sharadiya special issues of Desh, Nabakallol, Kishore Gyan Bigyan and Ananda Bazar Patrika special issues. His second eldest brother Atulda was an inspiration to me. He is at present in NIT Durgapur teaching civil engineering there. Then there was Soma, Susmita Mazumder. She had been married to Rajesh Chowdhury.



There is a strong club culture in the entire Lumding, and this colony is not an exception. Brickfield colony got its own club in 1967 and it was named as "Youbak Sangha" which means the club of the youths in Bengali. The 95% of the total populations in Brickfield colony at that time were Bengalis, although it's a mixed population now in that colony. We were one of the active families involved in the club. My uncle was cashier of that club for long 16 years. During the late '60s and early '70s the club could muster enough reputation due to the social works and activities the club was involved with. As the time passes by, the course of actions of the club have started to deteriorate and soon it lost its former glory in the late '90s. Brickfield colony always had a strong and profound influences on my psyche, a kind of feeling, a feeling of posession.