Aut Aut Research Journal ISSN NO: 0005-0601 Title: Decolonizing the Language: A Study of Decolonization of Assamese Language in the Last Forty Years. Submitted by, Paharee Konwar MA in English [email protected] Abstract Language is a mode of communication that connects people but at times it becomes a barrier where it is used by people to dominate other people. The postcolonial studies look at language as a form of colonizing tool which helps the colonizers to control the minds of the colonized. The aim of this paper is to look at language as a colonizing tool with the help of Ngugi wa Thiong‟o, concept of decolonizing mind introduced in the book Decolonizing the Mind: the Politics of Language in African Literature. The British East India Company ruled different parts of Assam and there were many changes that had taken place in the land that is recorded in history. The paper tries to look at how the Bangla language was used by the British to colonize the people of Assam looking at the history of Assamese language. The paper also tries to look at the change in language varieties of Assamese as reflected in the Assamese novels in the last forty years and how the decolonization of the Assamese language done by the writers writing in last few decades. The texts chosen for the examination are- Patal Bhairabi (1986) by Lakhminandan Bora, Naang-Faa (2010) by Juri Borah Borgohain and Hriday Ekhan Mahakabya (2012) written by Kishore Manjit Bora. Keywords: alienation, culture bomb, decolonization, dominance, language variety. Colonization, according to Oxford English Dictionary refers to the action or process of settling among and establishes control over the indigenous people of an area. And it describes decolonization as an action or process of a state withdrawing from the former colony or leaving it independent. Ngugi Wa Thiong‟o, Kenyan author, discusses about how the colonizers colonize Volume XI, Issue XI, November/2020 Page No:21 Aut Aut Research Journal ISSN NO: 0005-0601 the indigenous people through language. He wrote a book called Decolonizing the Mind: the Politics of Language in African Literature (1986) where he discusses how cultural bomb effect in annihilating people‟s belief in their names, their language, in their environment, in their heritage of struggle, in their unity, in their capacities and also in themselves. He says cultural bomb is a powerful weapon used by the colonizers against people‟s collective defiance. According to him, language carries two function- means of communication and a carrier of culture. It mediates people‟s relationship with themselves and others. And while colonial power succeeded in dominating people‟s lives, by dominating the language they also tried to dominate mental state of the colonized. Ngugi himself experienced this process while growing in Kenya where they were forced to speak English instead of his mother tongue, Gikhyu. This imposed foreign language creates a state of colonial alienation because there is a disassociation between the natural and social environment and the written world. (Thiong‟o 10-20) There are many critics who talk about decolonizing the language. Chinua Achebe argues that one can stop using English language. He also argues that using European language allow both for communication across different African languages and enables writers to reach Western audiences. And he suggest to Africanize European languages so that it carries and advance the African experience. Whereas Ngugi wa Thing‟o disagrees with this claim and says that using the language of Europe creates a state of alienation from Africa. According to him, writers should return to their native languages rather than express themselves in European languages. He also argues that true colonization extends beyond the removal of physical objects of oppression, such as cannons. It is a return to and advancement of one‟s own identity shaped through language. The same ideology was shared by few intellectuals during the colonial era in Assam. Colonial Assam (1826-1947) refers to the period of Assam History between the signing of the Treaty of Yandabo and Independence of India when Assam was under the British Colonial rule. But beginning of the era of Colonial Assam started in the year 1824 when lower regions of Assam came under the control of British Empire. In 1825 again, the upper regions of Assam became the ruling ground of British Kingdom and in the subsequent years, the entire land Assam was covered by the British rule. Assam was included as a part of the Bengal Presidency from 1826 to 1873. Volume XI, Issue XI, November/2020 Page No:22 Aut Aut Research Journal ISSN NO: 0005-0601 The 37 years long period from 1836 to 1873 is called the Dark Age of Assamese Literature. In 1836, British made Bengali the official language of Assam. The colonial rulers took the decision without considering the views of local people. Introduction of Bengali languages created social, economical and political implications on the lives of Assam. The Assamese language in printed text was made available by the Christian Missionaries by the introduction of the journal “Orunodai” (1846) and the prime reason for publication of the journal was the propagation of Christianity but it also helped the reestablishing the Assamese language in Assam as the language was neglected in its own land. Therefore some of the Assamese youths of that time along with the missionaries made a revolution to reestablish the Assamese language. As a result of their strong revolution Assamese language got the status of official language in 1873. Local intellectuals like Ananda Ram Dhekial Phukan wrote A Few Remarks on the Assamese Language on Vernacular Education in Assam (1855) and worked together with the Missionaries. “Orunodoi” established the modern Assamese prose. The missionaries used simple and only the external form of Assamese language in their writings and their style was very close to English. Even the writings of Ananda Ram Dhekial Phukan in some places the influence of English language was reflected. “Orunodoi” formed the base of modern Assamese Literature. It inspired the development of modern Assamese Literature and brought it dynamic state and to a larger world of literature. Though Orunodoi established the base of modern Assamese literature, the Assamse language was still neglected by few people. Therefore the need of development of Assamese literature and language and the nationalistic side of the intellectuals of Assam started a committee called “Axomia Bhaxar Unnati Xadhini Xabha” (1888) whose aim was to promote the language among the literate section of the Assamese society and create a sense of nationalism among people through language. Therefore as the initiative taken by the committee led to the publication of the literary journal “Jonaki”, with the editorship of Chandra Kumar Agarwala ,which was published in 1889 from Kolkata and writers like Hemchandra Goswami, Chandrakmar Agarwala and Lakhminath Bezbarua. Where they tried to borrow from different genres of English literature like- poetry, sonnets, novels etc. and also got influenced by their style. They translated important books from Sanskrit and other languages to Assamese, to create reading habit in all class of people and also to introduce pure form of grammar and orthography Volume XI, Issue XI, November/2020 Page No:23 Aut Aut Research Journal ISSN NO: 0005-0601 and to one standard written language all through the areas of Assam. It was later led by later journals like “Banhi”, “Chetana”, “Awahan” etc. As stated earlier the colonizing process in Assam was done by the British by imposing Bengali language as the official language in Assam, which was later opposed by people in Assam. The pioneers of “Jonaki” aimed at popularizing a standard written form of the language. They popularized the variety spoken in the Shivsagar area of Assam which is also known as Eastern Assamese. This can be seen as a form of decolonization of language by the writers using their own language. Intellectuals like Lakhminath Bezbarua focused on the variety of Assamese which has a tint of village life with few playful elements whereas Padmanath Gohain Baruah wrote a peculiar language with more ornamentations and also serious in manner. This form of language was used for a very long time and later few writers felt alienated because of the difference existed between spoken variety of language and the standardized written text. Therefore writers like Mamoni Roisom Goswami introduced the Kamrupi variety of Assamese in her works and also people like Soiyad Abdul Malik challenged the earlier standardized form of Assamese. These writers used the already established form of Assamese but they used few elements specific to cultures like Soiyad Abdul Malik used words and phrases of the Assamese- Muslim people along with the earlier existed written variety of Assamese covering the larger part. Similarly present day writers at times challenges the standardized form of Assamese by using the hybridized form of Assamese language by adding words and phrases from other languages. Writers of the Jonaki period if seen critically, tried to use one form of language which is uniform. This in a sense can be considered as colonization of Assamese language as it serves the purpose of their ideology and it was one variety of Assamese which is spoken by a group of people but not as a whole. This led to the conflict between the educated sections of Assam and they often questioned the one standard variety used by Bezbarua and his followers. Also the people who were in support of Kamrupi variety of Assamese tried to protest by writing texts which has elements which are suitable for people living in Western parts of Assam. The conflict between the writers is still prevalent and writers with their own interest use a form of written text which seems more comfortable for them.