Role of Literature in Maintaining Social Harmony of North East India (Special Reference to Assam)

International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 05, (2020), pp.13704-13707

Porinita Bori1 Alakananda Saikia2 1 Research Scholar, Dept. Of Assamese, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam,India 2 Research Scholar, Dept. Of Assamese, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam,India 1 Email.:[email protected] Abstract Assam is a land of Diversity. There are divergent races, tribes, ethnic, cultural, lingual, religious and political groups. The geography of Assam is very wonderful surroundings of hills, historical places, Islands, Wildlife parks, greenery, cultivators rivers etc. gives a scent of nature. So, having this diversity it has been facing various problems and challenges in maintaining unity and social harmony in Assam. As the topic prevails, society is directly related to literarcy part. As to concerned this, literature been originated from society, what has been written in the novel, poetry, drama etc. The theme of literary pieces deals with society dominating issues which had been happened earlier, and still going on like political, religious truth. The literature works are taking place more on the relevant themes due its growth in that part. In the paper an attempt has been made to trace out the key role of literature for maintaining social harmony in Assam. Key words :- Social Harmony, Society, Unity etc.

Introduction : Maintaining of social harmony has emerged as one of the most important subject of concern in the present day of diverse society. Today's society can be refers as diverse society where units have been divided into sub units and it divided into small portions. Here we can say that the web of complexity playing a significant role in this society. Because people of this society leading a superficial life. And to solve this web, it requires immense potential and to inculcate that we feels among the people. If we see back to early stage, we did not found so much of crisis for peace or feel needy after the independence. As man advance to the developing or becoming more civilize, but today it seems to be more something else uncivilized being civilized. By the negative or unavoidable actions of man, the civilized society is harmed to considerable actions. By study on this topic we found that it may be due to intolerance, negligence and imbalance in thoughts and outspoken. And the main issue is the disunity or diversion among people, disunity due to vandalism, mass and wildlife killing, rape, thefts, social confliction, abductions and terrorism because people have no respect for the society they live in or forgot about the peace living society. It seems that today we are living in a disorganised world where moral values and ethics are gradually losing its meaning. In this respect if we relate literature many such writer wrote lots and lots of master pieces. Taking this point of view, few master pieces are going to be discuss on the relevant topic in the following parts.

Objective :  This paper will focus on the society related to literature.  To identify the merits of a good literary piece.  Translation of vernacular literary piece into other languages.

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Methodology : This paper is mainly Based on descriptive. Need-based secondary data collected from books and topic related articles.

Discussion : According to the first objective, we have taken two novel and one drama novels of Assamese relate to the society with literature for discussing the topic. One of the most famous novelists of North East Assam who has shown the difference of the class of castes' in her masterpieces is Bina Baruah and the novel so called "JIBONOR BATOT" (1945) the theme of the novel Is on the Assamese society that deals with the problem of castes', poor and rich, higher and lower class so on. The main protagonist of the novel is "Togor" a female characterr who had to suffer lots due these problems that prevailed in the society. The plot runs like Tagor an Ahom maiden, from Marangi Upper Assam had love affair with a weaving demonstrator Dharoni Kalita, a Kalita heir from Nagaon, lower Assam. Kalita title is taken as high class and the Ahom as lower. Their loved been accepting by Dharoni's family into marriage but not really in a sense. So to break down the marriage, Dharoni's Mother Aahini sends one of her ambassador Monuhor. Aahini done this act only to keep the respect of their family in that society, she thought that if the marriage occurs than the society will avoid their family and they would be thrown away from that village. From the novel we come to the knowledge about the stagnant of social reform on castes, or disunity among the Assamese people which becomes problem to breathe freely in the same society. Another famous novelist of the same community who received the most honourable award of the govt, who wrote on society prevailing theme- superstitions, uncivilization, creativity, establishment, enlightenment and the Most feminist thinkers is Dr. Mamoni Ransom Goswami. Dr.Goswami's every novel shows the path of civilization for the Assamese society. The famous novel "DONTAL HATEER UNYE KHUWA HOWDA" (1986) How also translated by the Author in 2004 name is the Moth-Eaten Howdah of the Tuskar been taken to discuss on this theme. The main character of the play is "Giriwala" a widowed women who face lots of sufferings from the society set rules on every discipline. Dr.Goswami shows the tragic condition of a widowed woman in the Assamese society. She been avoid by the society people and keep apart from them as if she had no feelings, treated as not a human being. Instead of help, pity, sympathy the society becomes something cruel to her. By these we can grasp up that still there is the problem in Assamese society both in town as well as in rural areas. So the thinking should be change and develop as not to kill the feelings of a human being by another one and to keep peaceful society.

"SIRAJ" a short drama by Natasurya Phani Sarma. This play shows a good relationship of two castes'. "Savitri" a Hindi maiden, maid of the Hindu family is the protagonist of the play. Savitri had a love affir with Kandarpa, a youth of that family, where they had illegal relationhip for which they had to suffer. In the mean time she pregnant and but Kandarpa was ignorant about the matter.

When she informs her condition to the family they neglected and ill-treated to her. On the other Kandarpa was not home, as he was far away from the home for studies. And when he come the knowledge about the matter, he left everything and keep himself in search of Savitri. At last Kandarpa found her daughter in a Muslim house the owner was "Siraj" who gave shelter to Savitri when she was lying unconsciously in front of a mosque. This play shows the humanity - one caste respect for another but the same castes ignored or showed the inhuman quality, where society play an active role

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in set rules but not in decision making. So in regard to this view the character of "Kandarpa" spokes - "we will leave the society which was our own, where there is no place for us.

The second objective run like good literary pieces can be compared to the value given to diamond and gold or more than that. But its value can be identified only by the good reader. Now the thing is that what a good piece is? And how it could be? So to analyse writing piece a critic is needed to criticize the piece and take the out the both element merit as well as demerit. And to criticize civil society is essential. Thus, without a civil society a writing piece cannot be justified. Today we have seen many literary organisations are there such, Assam Sahitya Sabha (1917), Mising Agom Kebang (1972), The Bodo Sahitya Sabha etc. are taking active role. It is also very influencing one among its community people and other respects too. Among these organisations Asam Sahitya Sabha (1952) found to be in higher rank. It was founded in 1917 to promote the Assamese literature. Presently it has about one thousand branches all over Assam and outside the state. The first conference was held in the month of December 1917 under the presidentship of Padmanath Gohain Baruah, a big name in the history of modern Assamese literature. The Sahitya Sabha conference is a big literary platform of poet, short story writer and novelist. In this conference thousands and thousands of people irrespective of religion, caste & creed etc. are attended. It was a unique side for which every year one master piece been awards annually and knows everyone in Assam and other too. Another community organisation if we seen which is more advancing one is that the Bodo Sahitya Sabha. And other organisations like socio-religious organisations also covers the society to maintain the principles of society which will make one civilized and harmony of peace religion implies an emphasis on the moral values of man as sprit. All religions are founded on the same moral laws. Indian term of religion is a vast concept which binds up the actions and life of all humanity. In Assam there are lots of socio-religious organization like Asom Vaidic Vaishnav Mahasabha (1995), Srimanta Sankardev Sangha (1930), Asom Satra Mahasabha (1915). They also Published the books where indicates the moral values of human society. Presently the Assamese societies have been broken into so many small group. Besides these, the varied types of Ethnic groups have demanded for their separate land taking very narrow attitudes. The take of the path of violence and socio political Point is the reason of division. Even the political power does not take decision without the agreeability of its civil society. So, the role of it should be criticizing the literary work to focus the actual them, issues, etc. to a better level.

The Third objective of this paper is that in the globalization world, Assam state note to be a very small era in the part. Today it is more advancing due to its innovations through many spheres. If we see in the part of literary section then we find more development in that area but one has to locate the translation work which makes one of the major part plays in society harmony. The work piece that has been written on the particular theme in a vernacular language should be translated into other language so as to give the massage that is dealing in. Everyone could read the book and receive the knowledge on it. Thus, it could directly create the social harmony among the communities and also help in developing the form of unity. And too advantage in translation of culture in transaction form the unity in diversity.

Translation works like the work piece that been written in Assamese language, Hindi language, English language, Bodo language etc. in Assam, most of the community live in. One particular person knows their own mother language and another adopt language. It becomes problem for the person to read the other language literary piece. So if the book been translated into many other than it will become easy to understand and inculcate the value of the theme of the work- social harmony. With

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regards we may mention Yashe Dorjee Thongchis novel Like Silent lips and Murmwing Hearts translated from the Assamese name Mouna ownth MuKhar Hridoy (2005). This is a tragic love story set against the backdrop of an Arunachal Pradesh going through a process of transition. Here Rinchin is a youth of Sherdukpen Community and Yama is the heroine of this novel she belong from the Bangni community. They meet each other at the construction of road from Sakuto to Bomdila. Here, one Assamese man name called Dilip Saikia who want to build a bridges across the diverse tribes. In this novel the novelist try to solve the process of lovers coming together is parallel by the process of the gradual convergence of the two tribes as they come to believe and accept that they are really people belonging to the same the society of humanity with differences of clothes and customs. In this respect, one Sahitya Academy awardees want to mention -only at the age of 26 years Sansumai Khungri Basumatary wrote a bodo master piece "Selengni Saogari" and received the most honourable award on 2012 in the society. We think this master piece should be translated into other vernacular language so as to go through of the novel. According to our knowledge it has been written for social harmony, on Dhekaijuli incident - communal clutches took place in 2008. It is about the real colour of the Bodo society. The book has been written from own experience and wrote up for the upliftment of the society. The book has been written from own experience and wrote up for the upliftment of the society; to eradicate the ethnic violence. So, it could be better if we could read out. It becomes difficult to read as it is written in bodo language.

Conclusion : From the above discussion we can say 'yes' - that social harmony can be achieved through the impact of literature. All social elements are valued to its concern; and through literature one can inculcate good habits of thinking for the society. Thus, social harmony should be cultivated in the family to reap its fruit in the society.

Reference :- 1. Baruah, Bina : "JIBONOR BATOT". Bina Pub. reprint. 2008. 2. Goswami, Dr. Mamoni Ransom : "DOTAAL HATIR UNYA KHUWA HOWDAH". Bani pub. Guwahati, 1988. 3. Sarma, Natasurya Phani : "SIRAJ". Lawyers' pub. Reprint. 1994. 4. Thongchis, Dorje. Yashe. Mouna Ounth Mukhor Hriday. Banalata. Panbazar, 2005.

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