A CORRESPONDENT
NAZIRA: The indigenous Assamese community, known globally for its rich heritage, traditions, and cultural identity, is gradually abandoning its own customs and embracing alien cultures, a trend that signals cultural decline and a dangerous loss of identity. This concern was expressed by the Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha.
In a press statement, Mahasangha President Shantanu Das Barhajowal and Working President Matiur Rahman stated that adopting modern lifestyles does not justify the abandonment of centuries-old traditions. They warned that if a community failed to preserve its unique identity and cultural roots, its extinction would become inevitable.
They recalled that three decades ago, the celebration of Magh Bihu involved community feasts arranged separately by age groups, with traditional foods shared collectively in villages. “Today, such practices are disappearing, even from rural areas and traditional structures like Meji and Bhelaghar are also vanishing, leading to the gradual erosion of Assamese cultural distinctiveness,” they lamented.
The Mahasangha expressed deep concern that Assamese people are giving up traditional food habits such as doi, chira, sandoh, traditional attire, and even the sweet Assamese forms of address.
The leaders further alleged that the Assamese community was facing cultural and physical aggression from various directions. They noted with alarm that in their own ancestral land, indigenous Assamese people are increasingly being assaulted by non-Assamese outsiders and foreigners, who show little hesitation in asserting dominance.
They held the indigenous population largely responsible for this situation, stating that selling land to outsiders for monetary gain and allowing unchecked settlement has led to such harsh consequences.
Calling upon all indigenous communities, the Mahasangha urged people to take a solemn pledge during the Uruka night of Magh Bihu, lighting the Meji fire as a symbol of commitment to protect and preserve their thousand-year-old traditions and cultural heritage through both words and actions.
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