The Tai Ahom National Council Memo Scheduling

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“the Ahom were great fools…and were barbarous in their administration” (p.101) and “they are untouchables…and even water cannot be taken from their hands” (p. 89). They were bracketed with the Kacharis, Mikirs, Lalungs (Tiwa) (Ibid.p. 100). Such demeaning writings were unthinkable during the days of the Ahom kings. But alas, it now appeared with impunity. Thus right from the beginning of the British rule, a systematic vilification campaign against the Ahom started to make them socially outcaste in the eye of the people. Chronology of the Ahom Demand. Hereunder further particulars are presented more or less chronologically dividing them into pre-Constitution and post-Constitution periods and may graciously be received in that context and spirit. Ahom Demand During pre-Constitution Period The Ahom Sabha Formed in 1893: It was towards the close of the nineteenth century that a few sensible and right thinking educated Ahoms came forward to organize themselves into an association called the Ahom Sabha in 1893. The programmes of the Sabha must be understood in the light of prevailing political situation when Indian constitutional development was at its nascent stage, and Indian National Movement was just beginning. Its primary objective was, therefore, to amend a situation in which the Ahoms had fallen. It wanted to give a healing touch to a deep wound that the Ahoms had been suffering. It is case of avoiding further degradation by seeking recognition of the Ahom community. The only appropriate course left to them is to seek special and liberal consideration from the British government to obtaining a tolerable political status in society by having separate representation of the Ahom community in the newly constituted Legislative Council of the Province set up under the Morley-Minto Reforms, and also to seek liberal opportunity in the advancement of education and economic stability of the Ahom masses. The Ahoms were recognized as Separate Community:
In recognition to their claim, the Government nominated an Ahom to the Assam Legislative Council in 1912. The appointment letter issued to Padmanath Gohain Barua reads thus: “You have been appointed a member of Assam Legislative Council representing the Ahom community”. Thus the Ahoms were recognized as a minority community in 1912. He represented the Ahom in the Assam Legislative Council till 1916.The claims of the Ahom were also recognized in the appointments to the public services, in the award of educational scholarship and in the nomination to the local bodies, etc. In 1918, on behalf of the Ahom community, Padmanath Gohain Baruah as the President of the Ahom Sabha, gave a deposition before Lord Southborough, the Chairman of the Franchise Committee when it came to Calcutta and submitted a 12-page memorandum. He justified before the Committee for separate franchise of the Ahom community. “Under the Act of 1919, while the Ahoms voted on the non-Mohammedan roll, provision remained for their further representation through nomination, in the Provincial Legislative Council. Besides, it was the declared policy of the Government to give the Ahom a share in Government service by reserving definite percentages of total number of appointments in services administered by the Provincial and District authorities. It may be noted that till then members of the Scheduled Castes, the Tribal Communities and Indian Christians as such had no sort of communal representation in the Assam Legislative Council.” (Memorandum of the Ahom Tai Mongoliya Rajya Parishad submitted to the Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Home Minister of India, April, 1968, p.38). Recommendation for Ahom quota in the Provincial Legislature: Before the passing of the Government of India Act, 1935 when enquiries were made for details of the constitutional structure, the Government of Assam in its memorandum to the Statutory Commission proposed that a certain quota of seats in the Legislature of the Province should be allocated to the Ahoms. (Vide Recommendations of the Government Assam to the Simon Commission, pp. 49 and 54 as given in the above Memorandum of the Ahom Tai Mongoliya Rajya Parishad, p.38). But in the First Round Table Conference, which was attended by a non-Ahom representative, only a feeble voice in its support was raised, and “as a result the community was excluded from the list of those for whom separate representation was specially provided under the Communal Award” (Ibid, p. 38).
Page 1 and 2: Additional Information and Further
Page 3 and 4: The British followed a subtle polic
Page 5: abolition of the paik system, even
Page 9 and 10: Government of India and His Majesty
Page 11 and 12: Dalton, Ethnology of Bengal; Alexan
Page 13 and 14: further aggravated during the seven
Page 15 and 16: All these go to prove that the Ahom
Page 17 and 18: Hindu/Hinduized Castes or even Inte
Page 19 and 20: Professor Amalendu Guha thinks the
Page 21 and 22: “The venerable (Deodhais and Bail
Page 23 and 24: The burial mound is called moi-dam
Page 25 and 26: them for fishing as is found among
Page 27 and 28: R. Gurdon in Encyclopaedia of Relig
Page 29 and 30: writes P. R. Gurdon in Encyclopaedi
Page 31 and 32: There thus grew up Ahom ethnic sett
Page 33 and 34: The claim of the Ahom to be include
Page 35 and 36: There is another anomalous situatio
Page 37: Silchar University IIT (Guwahati) A

The Tai Ahom National Council Memo Scheduling

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