Essay on Assamese Culture Text

Jonathan Friesen - Writing Coach

The consensus of opinion seems to indicate that it generally transcends the biological individual and deals with the mass of learned and transmitted habits, techniques, ideas, and values�and the behaviour they induce in a particular social group. Culture not only comprehends what is obvious, that is, the arts and crafts and oral or written literatures and thought currents, but also the basic customs and traditions, rites and rituals which together foster a certain social pattern and a certain outlook among the people living in that pattern. Literature and historical incidents are but what we see from the outside what gives authenticity and a convincing colour to any study of a social group is an understanding of the deeper roots from which it sprouted. The people of the enchanting state of assam is an intermixture of various racial stocks such as mongoloid, indo burmese, indo iranian and aryan.

The assamese culture is a rich and exotic tapestry of all these races evolved through a long assimilative process. The natives of the state of assam are known as asomiya assamese , which is also the state language of assam. The population of assam is a broad racial intermixture of mongolian, indo burmese, indo iranian and aryan origin. The hilly tracks of assam are mostly inhabited by the tribes of mongolian origin. This broad racial intermixture is the native of the state of assam, called their language and the people ``asomiya'' or ``assamese'' which is also the state language of assam.

Good Graduate School Application Essays

Accoring to the 1991 census, the population of assam is 22 million, 89 percent of which is rural. Assamese speaking hindus represent two thirds of the state's population and indigenous tibeto burman tribal groups make up another 16 percent of the total estimate. Native assamese, mymenshingy settlers from bangladesh and tea garden laborers are thus included in its coverage. The term can also be used to describe the indigenous or long settled inhabitants of this northeastern state.

How to Write

The state has the largest number of tribes within their variety in tradition, culture, dresses, and exotic way of life. Most tribes have their own languages some of their traditions are so unique and lively that these causes wonder to others. Boro or kachari , karbi, kosh rajbanshi, miri, mishimi and rabha are also among these tribes exhibiting variety in tradition, culture, dresses, and exotic way of life. Assamese is the principal language of the state and is regarded as the lingua franca of the whole northeast india. Although scholars trace the history of assamese literature to the beginning of the second millenium ad, yet an unbroken record of literary history is traceable only from the 14th century. During the six hundred years of ruling, the ahom dynasty managed to keep the kingdom, independent from mughal, the muslin invaders of india before the british, as well as other invaders though mughal attacked assam seventeen times.

Essay on a Book That Changed My Life

The british entered assam in 1824 as tea planter which was the starting point of the destruction of ahom dynasty. Along with the british, the immigrants entered assam from india together with their traditional believes such as caste system and dowri system. Some of the immigrants become a part of the assamese society, and the other still practice their traditions. The vaishnavas do not believe in idol worshiping and perform namkirtana where the glory of lord vishnu is recited. The national festival of assam is the bihu which is celebrated in three parts during a year with great pomp and grandeur by all assamese, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. Bengali speaking hindus and muslims represent the largest minorities, followed by nepalis and populations from neighboring regions of india.

Economics Phd Dissertation

Most muslims are recent settlers from bangladesh, although there have been some muslims in assam for several centuries. Artist and sculptors, masons and architects, and others practicing minor crafts such as weavers, spinners, potters, goldsmiths, artisanns of ivory, wood, bamboo, cane and hide flourished in assam from ancient times. Weaving is the traditional craft of the assamese, and the women of almost every household take pride in their possession of a handloom. They use their handloom to produce silk and or cotton clothes of exquisite designs. The scientific name given to the worms which produce the muga silk is antehra assam due to the fact that these worms cannot survive in any other climates other than the climate of the northeast. Gandhiji complimented the assamese weavers as artists who could weave dreams in their loomes.

Cultural life the cultural life of assam is interwoven with the acitivies of two important cultural and religious institutions: the satras the seat of a religious head, the satradhikar and the naamghar the house of names or the prayer hall. Villagers generally associate on the basis of membership of a local center of devotional worship called nam ghar or the house of names of god , whose members describe them as one people or raij. The caste system, although it exists, is not as prominent as in other parts of india. Among the assamese, a form of hinduism exists with two contrasting emphases, that of caste and sect. In caste, one finds polytheism, hierarchy, membership by birth inherited status , collective ideas of humanity caste groups , mediation of ritual specialists, rites conducted in sanskrit through priests, complexity and extravagance of ritual, multiplicity of image, and salvation through knowledge or works. In sects, one finds monotheism, egalitarianism among believers, membership by invitation acquired status , individual ideas of humanity individual initiates , direct access to spiritual revelation, worship conducted in the verncular by the congegration, simplicity of worship, incarnation of god in the written word, and salvation through faith and mystical union. The most important social and cultural celebrations are the three bihu festivals observed with great enthusiasm irrespective of caste, creed and religious affinity.

The second important bihu, magh bihu, is a harvest festival celebrated in mid january. It is also known as the kangaali bihu kangaali means poor because by this time of the year which is before the harvest is brought home, the stock of foodgrains is low in a common man's house. The assamese also observe pan indian religious festivals such as durga puja, dol jatra or fakuwa, janmastami, and the eids.

Icici Business Leadership Programme Test Papers

Another important aspect of the cultural life of the peopel of assam, particularly the women, is weaving of fine silk and cotton cloths of various floral and other decorative designs. Louis

    encyclopedia of asian history, volume 1, charles' scribner's sons, new york, 1988 encyclopaedia of religion and ethics, ed. James hastings, volume 2, new york, charles scribner's sons encyclopedia britannica, volume 21, macropaedia, 15th edition, encyclopedia britannica, inc.
some statements of the leaders! maulana mahmood madani, general secretary of jamiat ulema e hind while addressing a rally in delhi on march 5, 2013 demanded reservation for muslims in proportion to their population along with various other demands for the community. Syed zafar mahmood, president of zaqat foundation of india put forward a 15 point charter of demands for muslims like establishment of indian waqf service, de reservation of muslim dominated constituency, evolving procedure to nominate muslims in public position and establishing equivalence between madrasa and other education.

In march 2012 syed shahabuddin in a public meeting appealed to the muslims not to vote for congress if their demand for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions is not fulfilled. With never ending demands through various organisations like muslim personal law board, waqf board, muslim personal law board, minority commission and various other islamic organisations and institutions, the muslim leadership not only debars the community from developing a sense of national identity and a scientific outlook but also push them under the control of the islamist orthodoxy. The islamist mullahs, not to be outdone, tend to form an alliance with these self seeking muslim leaders to keep the community away from the mainstream secular and democratic environment and goes for a separate identity for their community which would only harm the interests of the community in the long run.

Historically, the muslim ruling class belonging to arab, turk, central asian and afghan ancestry always treated the natives of the sub continent as conquered and subject race. Ironically, they even kept the local converts isolated from the socio religious life of mainstream muslim society and treated them as inferior muslims. A turkish cleric ziauddin barani, a leading courtier of mohammad bin tughlaq 1325 1351 issued afatawa i jahandari appealing the sultan to protect the ashraf high born muslims and keep the ajlaf low born muslims firmly under their control. referring quran in support of his views, he insisted that the sultan should consider it as a religious duty to deny the ajlaf access to knowledge, branding them as mean and despicable. he further advised that teachers of every kind are to be sternly ordered not to thrust precious stones down the throat of dogs or to put collars of gold round the necks of pigs and bears.

Psc Essay Topic