A V E
Issue 14, 2018
Established: 1995
Saturday, June 9th, 2018
Being Indian -Mr. Thajeb Ali Hazarika, Department of Political Science At a recent meeting of NEDA (North East quick to point out that the Bill seeks to legalize Democratic Alliance), its party President Mr.Atul Bora persecuted Hindus under the garb of providing voiced his party’s vociferous opposition against the protection. The essential bedrock of Indian democracy imposition of the proposed Citizenship Amendment with its firm belief in equality and secularism stands Bill 2016 in the presence of BJP Supremo, Mr.Amit violently shaken if favoured treatment is given to certain Shah.With political groups and parties taking vulnerable groups from the point of religion while diametrically opposite positions, it becomes imperative excluding others like pariahs. to examine what is cooking in the political cauldron in The basic structure of the Indian Constitution is on the the name of the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016. The verge of being altered. The purported Amendment Bill attempts to bring two major changes to the Bill seeks to do exactly the unthinkable.The idea seemed Citizenship Act, 1955. It seeks to exclude Hindus, to be borrowed from Israel as the last refuge for the Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists of Pakistan, Jews to Hindustan being the last refuge for the Hindus Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India without while turning a blind eye to the associated regional valid travel documents or are living with expired travel aspirations, cultural diversity and the horrendous documents from the status of illegal migrants as defined ramifications of such a demographic addition. Assam in Section 2 (b) of the Act. The second is the reduction and Meghalaya have voiced their open opposition to of time period provided for acquiring Indian citizenship, the bill and it will be a matter of time before the entire The Bill has been facing stiff opposition in Assam and region is up in flames grappling with this volatile issue. the reasons need to be understood in detail. The classification of the stated groups needed to have The first reason is the ingrained long standing struggle an intelligible differentia and the classification should of the Assamese people against illegal immigration from have a rational nexus with the object of legislation which the then East Pakistan and present Bangladesh. Illegal is missing. immigration has played havoc with the demography of To save the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO’s) from the State culminating in the Assam Agitation and the persecution from neighbouring countries, the bill lists signing of the Assam Accord. The proposed bill if only six categories which is a very narrow classification. passed will render the Assam Accord futile as it It also leaves the question whether the ground of only provides a cutoff date for the above mentioned groups religious persecution is enough to grant citizenship. as 31 December, 2014.The regionalists in Assam are What about persecution on ethnic, religious and other furious as they feel that this is the second wave of grounds? The Bill remains resolutely silent over these demographic invasion, an outright treachery which issues. The Bill will not be accepted meekly and is likely would obliterate the existence of the Assamese in to be challenged in the judiciary leading to rising social Assam and a gross betrayal of the core provisions of tensions in the days to come. Enlightened political the Assam Accord naturalization for the above leadership holds the key in a democracy where the right mentioned communities from eleven to six years. to disagree remain as the core feature. What is cooking Rightist parties in coalition at the Centre with a soft in the political cauldron is surely becoming too hot to heart for the persecuted Hindu minorities, critics are handle.
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Weekly Newsletter of The Assam Valley Express
Life on Screen
-Tulika Bhargav, Editor-in-Chief On the 2 of June, all four Houses screened their throws at us. The cinematographer Kushal Mittal had respective movies for the 6th Inter-House Movie the audience in a trance with the very first aerial shot Making Competition. Each House kept to their promise as it spanned the expanse of the school. The audience of presenting a remarkable movie to enthrall the as well as the judges were left in very little doubt as to audience. Veeraditya Podder, the host for the evening who intended to call the shots of the evening. The final provided a pleasant surprise with his zealous anchoring. movie to be screened was ‘Inner Complexities’ by The theme for the movies “Life is beautiful” radically Subansiri-Namdang. The movie portrayed a family different from last year’s “Institutionalisation” proved tangled in arguments and disagreements which through to be a difficult task to convey in ten minutes. Jinari- a series of events eventuate to a classic happy ending. Manas began the screening of movies with their short While the cinematographers of each House exemplified film “The Other One’ which showed us the beauty of their technical skills over certain shots, the life through a child’s eye. The audience was reminded professionalism and expertise of Kushal Mittal clearly of how a family’s support and acceptance is all that is marked the evening. Kopili-Dhansiri bagged three of needed to make life beautiful. After a round of applause the individual prizes: Best Cinematographer, Best Bhoroli-Lohit presented their movie, ‘Mizpah’. A tale Director and Best Actor. Subansiri-Namdang won the that hinted on the impossible coincidences of life that award for Best Screenplay while Bhoroli-Lohit won come together and make destiny happen. ‘Yet another the award for the Best Editor. Kopili-Dhansiri took Chapter’, shot by Kopili-Dhansiri portrayed the beauty home the winner’s trophy while Jinari-Manas was of life that persists despite the inexplicable losses life declared the Runners’ Up. nd
Society Illustartion: Pronali Gohain, XII
Greetings dear reader! And welcome to society! A place for the common folk Those just like you and me
-Jeremy Jahau, X
They clearly are inferior! Wait, why do you seem ill? Are my acts of “normalcy” Making your tears spill?
We do not discriminate, Or so you have been told Alienated you are not, Unless you’re black, fat or simply old.
Why do you feel sorrow For those unimportant tools? They can’t understand our status quo, For they are merely fools.
We thrive on perfection! That’s how it’s supposed to be, So leave our gaze in haste, If you break our single white unity.
They stand away from everyone else, And that’s how it should be! Talking to or approaching us, Should be considered heresy!
It’s not abuse if they aren’t normal, For people they cannot be! Who cares about their feelings? If they look not like you nor me 2
Actually, forget that, let it leave your thoughts, Scram, go away, shoo! So once again, welcome to society, Are you perfect or a nothing too? AVE, Saturday, 9th June
Illustartion: Pronali Gohain, XII
New Kid on the Block:
Promising Hope -Moom Lego, IX Darkness enveloped the sky. The cold wind blew hard,a cold storm brewed. There stood a figure in the street,too tired to try, To resist staring at her, too numb. Not too near,not too far, She appeared, long after the funeral. Merrily she spread her hands ajar And said, I’m still here. The thoughts lingered in the air, Our realities coming anew, Like floral scent blowing through soft hair, That calmed our minds and hearts.
As he advanced, the pain grew But that mattered none. He walked to her even though he knew That she was no more. She folded her hands around him As rain poured. She whispered,the light is too dim To see me but I exist. And I promise you, I’ll bloom Even when others wilt. If you search, you’ll find me in the gloom For I am hope and I always live.
To be Continued…
-Sanjana Barooah, IX I heard the faint sound of music, “Ride of the clutched at my head, which was throbbing with pain and Valkyries” playing as I walked towards Mr. Khun’s managed to turn around. resemblance of a house. As soon as I knocked on the I saw Khun standing there, an iron rod in his hand. I wooden door the music abruptly stopped. Perhaps fell to the ground, still clutching my head. I waited till Khun had already sensed the events that were to follow. he let his guard down and just as he lowered the rod, I I entered the house with authority, looked around kicked him on his chest and quickly took out my pistol. scrutinizing every small detail. The key was to embed I shot him on the leg, making him drop to the ground, fear in the people and almost the very next minute you blood streaming out of his only functioning leg. My could tell if they were honest or guilty. However, I training prompted that I kill him so I left him there to was aware that Khun was unlike most people. He was bleed to death. a fighter, a veteran of the Great War and generally As I continued down the stairs to the basement I could liked to keep to himself. I looked around the house, smell fear in the air. I switched on my flashlight and each step creating a significant thud against the wooden opened the door. floor. I went to the kitchen and thoroughly searched The basement was pitch black, the only light in the room the place. came from my flashlight. Just as I was about to leave the room empty handed, I I saw a broken piano standing in one corner of the noticed a wooden plank sticking out from the floor. I room. I recalled playing the piano when I was younger. had witnessed plenty of those before, planks erratically My mother had taught me the symphonies of Richard out of place. I pushed the plank forward and felt it give Wagner and Beethoven her fingers flying over the away to show a staircase hidden behind it. I went down keys even as I watched her enthralled. But not anymore. the stairs, the sound of heavy boots was the only thing On coming closer, I noticed a cupboard next to the old audible to the human ear but I could hear whispers in piano. I threw open the door and my flashlight fell on the dark or perhaps my mind was playing tricks again. the petrified face of a man. I noticed the eyes, they Suddenly I felt something strike my lower head. I were not a shade of blue and then I knew.
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He leaped out of the cupboard and began to run out of the basement. I followed quickly to find him stagger over Khun. It was as if the Jew had accepted his fate by beholding Khun’s. I shot him multiple times on the chest before walking out of the house. I had a dozen more such houses to check before my lunch break. I
went to the kitchen and found the radio. I put on a station and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony filled the emptiness of the lifeless house. Little did I know, that my scavenging gun had left behind one undetected, who sat behind the closed doors of a cupboard soothed by the music waiting for her father to return.
The Outpost Despite the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, J&K sector continues to see bombing. The Defence minister Nirmala Sitharam stated that while India celebrates the holy month of Ramazan, it will not fail to act if provoked.
The recently held by-polls at Uttar Pradesh has left the BJP in smoke, while two IAS officers are left feeling the heat as they get suspended over the results by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. While Shillong limps back to normalcy, the Middle East seethes as Iraq launches air strikes against ISIS in Syria.
Mayhem
-Aakangsha Dutta, XI “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make native community with a Punjabi woman of the Punjabi violent revolutions possible.”-John F Kennedy. As community living in Them lewMawlong. The aftermath Shillong sees another day of curfew with no telecom of this was immense, fueled primarily by rumours on network or availability of petrol and diesel, Meghalaya social media. The curfew has been on in Shillong for continues to be on the front pages of the national days, cutting the citizens of the state from any form of newspapers for its ongoing Communal Riots. Before telecom network and other, basic necessities. delving into the rather controversial question of what Shillong has been a hot bed for communalism for led to these horrific riots, it is essential to understand decades now, with the Khasis moving to evict the Sikhs the intertwined history of the Khasis and Sikhs, the from their land and if possible, from the state too. This two communities that are in the forefront of the is nothing new to the Northeast. From Nagaland to pandemonium in the state. The Sikhs were brought Assam, all the states have seen and lived through their into Meghalaya by the British as cheap labour, namely own share of communal problems. In Meghalaya, to work as sweepers and scavengers, much like the despite the Sikhs being the minority in the state, they rest of the Indian at that time. Although there are no enjoy no special status and are forced to live in ghettoes. written records as to when this migration took place, They enjoy no security of job or shelter and now are the tentative dates are said to be during the last quarter left fending for their lives. If one looks closely at the of the 19th century along with the British Army root of the problem, they continue to lie amongst Contingent. The Sikhs of Meghalaya incidentally communal strains between the natives and the happened to be from the Dalit community and settled immigrants of Meghalaya enough to allow baseless down in Them Iew Mawlong, after an affable rumours kick off a tumultuous cauldron of simmering agreement between the King of Mylliem and the British violence. administration. The recent riots sparked over a heated The saddest outcome of all this lays in the fact that the argument that took place between a truck driver of the reputation Meghalaya had earned over the decade as a
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safe haven for tourism remains tarnished even as school going children are missing classes, Government jobs are being delayed, the economy of Meghalaya is being affected and most importantly, the lives of the people, caste and gender aside, are under threat.Captain Amarinder Singh, C.M of Punjab has sent a contingent to help refashion this chaotic situation along with CM Conrad Sangma. What remains however a matter of concern is the silence of the community well-travelled
across the country and educated from amongst the heartland of India. However, no amount of assistance and help will do any good if the people themselves don’t come to an agreement. With the curfew almost completing its fifth day, another issue of the tribal v/s non tribal goes down the history of the North-East. There simply is no point in complaining against the treatment meted out to us by the Capital, when we are unwilling of treating them as our own.
Stars of the week
The Assam Valley School has been awarded the "Global League Institute Certificate" and will recieve the prestigious Badge of Honour at the House of Commons in the British Parliament at London on 12 June, 2018. It will be accepted by the Acting Chairman of the Board, Mr. David Summerscale on behalf of the School. The School has also been recognised as a "Great Place to Study" based on the satisfaction surveys conducted recently. This milestone is complemented by an incredible satisfaction index of 4.5 out of 5 which positions AVS as one of the best schools to study in the country.................... ...........................................
In the recently concluded IPSC Drama Competition held at the B.K. Birla School, Raniket, The Assam Valley School bagged the 1 st place in all three categories, namely the Hindi One Act Play, Shakespearean Drama and the English One Act Improvisation. Congratulations to the entire Team and their MIC Mr. Ab hinav Gogoi, for their remarkab le achievement.
Summer Heist -Pronali Gohain, XII
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Tongue of Slip!!
Ripple #81 -Judah Abujam, XII
“Sometimes, all you need is a hug, Especially when the world is against you.” The Bishnoi whispered, defending Mother Earth when nobody dared to.
1. 2. 3.
4. 5.
Are boards are pre-boards. –Shreya Agarwal (All aboard!) I keep getting funcused. –Jeremy Jahau (Well, that’s confusing.) That time you know how the senior weres. –Tachang Yangfo (Yeah, they had grammar.) I had the picture in my image. –Suchi Agarwal (So... Photoshop?) It runned the pavilion- Aakangsha Dutta (Keep this up and you will be.)
Keep It Reel! In- Vein -Himangshu Baruah, XI
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Editor-in-Chief: Tulika Bhargav Deputy Editor: Judah Abujam Correspondents: Aakangsha, Afshin,Sieyina, Nandini, Jeremy & Sanjana Design & Layout: Aakangsa Dutta & Jeremy Jahau Illustrator: Pronali Gohain Photographer: Afshin Choudhury Mistress-in-Charge: Ms. Sarmistha Paul Sarkar Publisher: The Assam Valley School, P.O. Balipara, Dist. Sonitpur, Asom-784101, India E-mail: ave@assamvalleyschool.com Telephone: 09678074320/08812009627 Website: www.assamvalleyschool.com AVE, Saturday, 9th June