Page 1

Welcome.

Past 12 months have been busy with elec-

tion of the office bearers, selection of the

new Executive committee members, and

updating of the Constitution of UAAUK.

Our heartfelt thanks to the outgoing com-

mittee and office bearers for doing such a

good job.

There was noticeable lack of understanding

of the procedure to amend the constitution.

No doubt, a Constitution should have an

inbuilt mechanism for amendment to keep

The Editor says:

∗ There was no proposal to change the

format of the Newsletter. Hence its

format remains unchanged for the 7th

year running. It seems people wish to

have the newsletter in its present “

short and crispy” form rather than a

bulky journal. However, I welcome

proposals for changes for us to con-

sider.

∗ What I had always feared for appears

to have happened. Despite several re-

quests this years local news section is

not particularly rich. To emphasize

again, unless you provide me with the

material I can only produce so much.

∗ Have the past 12 months not been

dynamic?

∗ Best wishes for the oncoming 12

months.

Ranjit K Baruah

Office bearers:

President : Ranjit K Baruah

Secretary : Nripen Barkataki

Treasurer : Julie Bora

Vice President : Jitendra Lal Barkakati

Asst Secretary : Leena Sharma

Cultural Secretary : Dwijen Baruah

Web Master : Jayanta Sharma

Executive Committee:

Nina Goswami Chinu Kishore

Shyam Saikia Larry Khongwier

Rishi Kakati Bhupendra Dev Sarma

Probir Brahma Julie Sarmah

Message from the Office

Bearers:

Newsletter: United Assam Association

of UK :

Barnsley 2009

Dr Kumud Sharma who regularly enthrals Assam Day audiences has donated his mu-

sic PA system to UAAUK— a big thank you

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi laid

the foundation stone ceremony

of BB Engineering College at

Chandrapara in Kokrajhar .

Saraighat Journalists’ Forum

paid tributes to the 10,000 mar-

tyrs who were massacred by the

Mughals at the battle of Alaboi

in 1669, two years before the

famous Saraighat battle be-

tween the Mughals and the

Ahoms. Shillong set a precedent by opening its

door of the mosque to women for

prayers.

Assamese speaking people have grown

by 0.40% dispelling fears that they soon

become minority in their own land.

pace with time. But any amendment should be

proposed, debated by the EC and, if acceptable,

put before the AGM for debate and democratic

acceptance.

We now have about 120 members but we need

more.

Can you help to recruit, if not, do you know

someone who can?

Long live Assam Association of the UK.

PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh laying the

foundation stone of Jorhat Medical College

More than 1130 people

were killed in extremism-

related violence in the

North East in 2008. More than 600 of those were

civilians, while, around 60

were members of security

forces and the rest were

members of militant

groups Ankur Dutta, secretary of

the Assam Football Asso-

ciation (AFA), has been

named manager of the

Indian U-16 football team

which was to tour Eng-

land.

The Church at Police Bazar, Shillong

Oncoming

winter in As-

sam

Sunset along the Bang-

ladesh border fence

Memorable quotes:

I want to be bored to death, as good a

way to go as any—Peter De Vries

It was such a lovely day I thought it

was a pity to get up—W Somerset

Maughm

There is no pleasure in having nothing

to do; the fun is having lots to do and

not doing it-Mary Wilson Little

I do not want people to be very agree-

able, as it saves me the trouble of lik-

ing them a great deal-Jane Austen

Youth is a blunder; Manhood a strug-

gle; Old age a regret– Benjamin Dis-

raeli

There are 3 kinds of lies—lies, damned

lies and statistics-Mark Twain

Common sense is a collection of preju-

dices acquired by age eighteen-Albert

Einstein

A desperate disease requires a danger-

ous remedy—Guy Fawkes

Love and scandal are the best sweet-

eners of tea—Henry Fielding

It is better to understand a little than

to misunderstand a lot—Anatole

France

Where there will be marriage without

love, there will be love without mar-

riage—Benjamin Franklin

At twenty years of age the will reigns;

at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the

judgement—Benjamin Franklin

To err is human, not to, animal—

Robert Frost

Of course a film should have a begin-

ning, a middle and an end. But, not

necessarily in that order—Jean Luc

Godard

A verbal contract is not worth the

paper it is written on—Samuel Gold-

wyn.

WEDDING BELLS:

Bornalee, daughter of Apurba and

Manoo Baruah married Sandeep.

Cyrus, son of Eric Saihan and Late Pur-

maya Guzder married Alex.

Ranjit, son of Dwija and Kunja Mahanta

married Bina

ACHIEVERS:

1, Ranjan, Ranjit K Baruah’s younger brother won the Indian National Enterpreneur of 2009

award

2, Paporee, Karuna and Rumi Das’s elder daughter has graduated in Medicine and

Pranamee, her younger sister graduated in Human Biology.

3, Mrs Rini Kakati has been awarded the

“Glory of India” award

4, Omar, Aftab and Rumi Ahmed’s son has been awarded the PhD

5, Piyush, Bhupen and Pronoti Dev Sarmah’s

son has completed a BMed Sci in Interna-tional Health and is travelling to Guwahati for

his project at Guwahati Medical College

6, Enisha, Pallab and Nizara Das’ daughter has graduated with a First Class Intercalated

BSc in Experimental Pathology as a part of her degree in Medicine

NEW ARRIVALS:

Jacob, a grandson to Putul and Nilu Hazarika

Isabella, a grand daughter to Sue and Prab-hat Baruah

New visa fee from April 1 to enter UK are as follows :

the basic visitor visa fee would go up from £50 to £63 , student visa fee from £85 to £99 , Long Term Visa (including Work Permit and Highly Skilled Migrant Programme ( HSMP) Visa from £85 to £200 and settlement Visa from £260 to £500 . The transit visa fee would go up from £30 to £44 .

fees for those who are already here: Indefinite Leave to remain would go up from £335 to £750 , Nationality - Right of Abode from £20 to £135 , Naturalization from £200 to £575 , highly skilled migrant programme from £315 to £400 and HSMP leave to remain from £335 to £350 .

Former captain Chandu Borde, who

was in-charge of the Indian cricket

team on the historic 1988-89 tour of

Pakistan, was appointed manager of

Indian Cricket Team

Headlines: U.K

Page 2 Newsletter: United Assam Association of UK : Barnsley 2009

PROPOSALS FOR NEW POINT BASED SYS-

TEM FOR CITIZENSHIP:

Here is British government’s new idea on how to

tailor citizenship to political loyalty and the country’s economic needs. Under this an appli-

cant’s skills and respect for British values will

count in his or her favour, while those showing

an “active disregard” for these values will be

penalised by having points taken away. After a

consultation period, the system will be imple-

mented in 2011, applying to some 160,000 legal

migrants who seek British citizenship each year.

It currently takes between three and five years of lawful residence to qualify for a British pass-

port. Points will be linked to qualifications and

potential earnings, as well as a commitment to

Britain, ( existing ) requirements of a citizenship

oath and knowledge of language, customs, his-

tory and the constitution. Points would be de-

ducted if applicants for citizenship “fail to inte-

grate into the British way of life”, exhibit crimi-

nal or anti-social behaviour or get involved in

“any circumstances where an active disregard for UK values is demonstrated”. While the Home

Office was unable to explain the exact meaning

of these terms, British media have been quick to

pick up on the point that migrants questioning

British troop deployment abroad or taking part

in anti-war demonstrations could jeopardise

their chances of gaining a British passport. The

press has pointed out the apparent contradiction

between preserving democratic values while denying free speech to passport applicants. The

Liberal Party’s home affairs spokesman, Chris

Huhne, said, “There should be no question of

barring people because they criticise govern-

ment policy. Democratic values must come

first.” Woolas, Home Office Minister expects

applicants to embrace the “British way of life”,

clarified that these are designed to control im-

migration by “breaking the automatic link be-

tween coming to Britain temporarily to work or study and staying permanently”. The proposals,

under which migrants would be given extra

points for moving to regions with skill and la-

bour shortages, were preferable to an “arbitrary

cap” on migration, said Woolas. They would

“bring better confidence to the public”, in areas

which were “overburdened” by migrants. “The

new path to citizenship aims to create the right

balance for Britain, allowing us to better man-age and provide support for those on the jour-

ney to citizenship,” he said.

Assam Day 2008 in pictures:

Dr Nagen Sarmah has been invited by the

Stockport Conservative Club for a talk. His

topic of choice is“Experience of a British Asian

Doctor in the UK”

ENGAGEMENTS:

Prateem, son of Rita and Naren Sai-

kia got engaged to Sue

India

1. never invaded any country in her last 1000

years of history.

2. invented the Number system. Zero was in-

vented by Aryabhatta.

3, invented the art of navigation in the river

Sindh 5000 years ago. The word 'Navigation' is derived

from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.

4, invented Algebra, trigonometry and calculus .

Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11 th

Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans

used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as

1053.

5, invented Chess

6. The world's first University was established in

Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all

over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The Uni-

versity of Nalanda built in the 4 th century BC was one of

the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of

education.

7. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is

the most suitable language for computer software.

8. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine

known to humans.

9. India was once the richest empire on earth.

10. The value of pi was first calculated by Budha-

yana, and he explained the concept of what is now k!

nown as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars

have (1999) officially published that Budhayan's works

dates to the 6 th Century which is long before the Euro-

pean mathematicians.

11. According to the Gemmological Institute of

America, up until 1896, India was the only source of

diamonds to the world.

12. USA based IEEE has proved that the pioneer

of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose

and not Marconi.

13. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation

was built in Saurashtra.

14. Sushruta, the father of surgery operated 2600

years ago

15. Indians established Harappan culture in

Sindhu Valley ( Indus Valley Civilisation) 5000 years ago.

16. the decimal system was developed in India in

100 BC.

Headlines: India Newsletter: United Assam Association of UK : Barnsley 2009

Page 3

Pizza Hut plans to invest around Rs 45

crore to set up 30 more stores in met-

ros and Tier I cities in the next three

years, up from the existing 135 stores.

Indians will have the chance to own the

original ‘people ’ s car’ - the Beetle from this year

More than 80 people were killed in a se-

ries of simultaneous bomb blasts across

Assam in October 2008 and just under 150

people were killed in atrocious attacks in

Mumbai in November 2008.

After the above events Ranjit wrote a

Memorandum on behalf of UAAUK ad-

dressed to the Indian Prime Minister and

Bhupen, Probir and Ranjit attended the

High Commissioner of India in London to

hand it over. The Memorandum expresses

major concerns by UAAUK due to the

ongoing problems in Assam without an

end in sight and compared the type of

action taken by the Authorities in Mum-

bai. A reply is still awaited

A total of 452 people have been killed in

Assam by elephants between 2001 and

2009. Sonitpur, Nagaon, Goalpara, Go-

laghat and Karbi Anglong recorded the

highest deaths.

Assam Ratna was awarded to Dr Bhupen

Hazarika in 2009 for his seminal contribu-

tion to Assamese culture and Music

Jayanta Barman , an Engineer and Prop-

erty Developer from Guwahati was

awarded the International Goldstar Mille-

nium Award for excellence in Global Inte-

gration and Economic Development

2009 saw India becoming only the fourth

nation in the world to have landed its

Tricolour in the Moon

Mamoni Raisom Goswami has been cho-

sen for the Principle Prince Claus Award

2008 by the Netherlands.

A hospital in Manipur has offered free

medical treatment for citizens of Myanmar

India commissioned its first home built

nuclear submarine into the Indian Navy.

India’s Raj Kumar Pachauri is re elected

Chairman of the Nobel Prize winning

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change (IPCC)

Music maestro AR Rahman became the

first Indian to receive the prestigious

Golden Globe and then onto winning an

Oscar for the music in Slumdog Million-

aire.

September 2008 saw 5 synchronised

serial bomb blasts killing at least 20

people in Assam.

Sister Alphonsa from Kerala became the

first Indian woman to be elevated to

sainthood by the Pope Benedict XVI

Smoking in public places in India is now

banned

Traditional Assamese way to:

Pound the paddy

Pound the rice

and

Use the waterways

The Taj Hotel burning during the

Mumbai attacks

A child’s attempt to capture the

images of the aftermath of the-

simultaneous bombings in As-

sam

The Ramganga River separating the Kumaon mountains

from the Garhwali mountains in India

Welcome to Assam

Dhubri stands out as a place of religious confluence.

There’s the Gurudwara of Tegh Bahadur, the mosque of

Mir Jumla and the Mahamaya Temple in close prox-

imity. There’s also the Bura Buri Than on a hillock,

where Hamidi Muslims ritually initiate Vaishnavite

ceremonies.

Barpeta is the grain bowl, Bongaigaon has petrochemi-

cals and thermal power plants. Bongaigaon has wit-

nessed ethnic and communal riots in the last two dec-

ades. At least 4,000 people are still in relief camps.

Hajo, near Guwahati, is the epitome of religious har-

mony. Shah Sultan Ghyasuddin Auliya’s Poa-Mecca,

believed to ensure one-fourth the salvation of a Haj trip,

is close by the Hayagrib-Madhab Temple, revered both

by Hindus and Buddhists.

Guwahati’s has a Manipuribasi and Kacharibasti not far

from North Indian-dominated Athgaon and Bengali-

heavy Kalapahar, Hedayatpur of Garias or Asomiya

Muslims and Hatigaon of mostly Bengali-speaking Mus-

lims, and of course, Assamese localities like Chandmari.

There are 115-odd ethnic groups — not counting 87

communities comprising the Adivasis, a.k.a. the ‘tea

tribe’ — that inhabit a part of India not generally con-

sidered mainland.

The Legislative house is a study in ethnicity. The mem-

bers speak either in Assamese or English. Ethnicity

varies from Koch-Rajbongshi to Bengali-speaking Mus-

lims.

No state in India is perhaps as ethnically, politically and

geographically complex as Assam. Ruling it thus war-

rants an extraordinary balancing act. Assamese have

accommodated legends such as Azan Fakir, a Baghdadi

born Shah Miran, was given land by the Ahom kings to

preach Islam in the 17th century and Jyotiprasad Agar-

wala originally from Rajasthan, is an Assamese cultural

icon on a pedestal perhaps higher than that of Bhupen

Hazarika.

Then there are villages such as Borkola, exclusively of

Asomiya Sikhs who cannot write or speak Gurmukhi

British rule brought Bengalis and other communities in

administrative jobs and central Indian tribes as workers

in tea plantations. Independence and the creation of

Bangladesh complicated matters .

Arun Sarma, a scholar, adds: “Wanton violence, whoever

be the perpetrators, often sends out the wrong signals.

Assam has had a history of assimilation and coexistence,

and we should be the ambassadors of multi-

culturalism.”

Notable obituaries:Notable obituaries:Notable obituaries:Notable obituaries: BR Chopra from Mumbai Dr Robin Goswami from Tezpur Thomas Bata—owner of the shoe company Dr Pulin Ch Baruah from Jorhat Dr Girija Choudhury from Wales Mrs Reema Taylor-Phukan, Lon-don Mrs Hiranya Barpujari—Jolly Sharma’s mother Neel Bora—Late Dayananda Borah’s son Singer Dilip Sharma Maharani Gayatri Devi

Headlines: Elsewhere Newsletter: United Assam Association of UK : Barnsley

More from Assam Day 2008

Page 4

India born Indira Nooyi, Chairman and Chief

Executive of Pepsico has been named CEO

of the year 2009

Windsor Castle staff were baffled by the

delivery of 2,000 pints of lager , before

the England v. Croatia game, To unravel

the mystery, a royal protection cop called

the pub called The Windsor Castle five

miles away in Maidenhead and the reality

came to light. A castle spokesman said:

“It was very funny. But there’s no way

the Queen sits down in the evening with

a pint.”

A City Councillor from Nakuru in Kenya

had offered 20 cows and 40 goats as

dowry in seeking the hands of Chelsea

Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hilary Clin-

ton. He is rather displeased that the

Clintons are yet to confirm if his offer is

acceptable .

Did you know that:

The first traffic light was installed in Lon-

don’s Parliament Square in 1868. Revolv-

ing green and red lanterns were oper-

ated by gas and manually operated by a

police officer on the spot. These were

removed 4 years later after the appara-

tus blew up seriously injuring the officer

Holiday Jargons:

Old world charm.......No TV and only 1 light

Tropical.....................Rainy

Majestic setting........Long way from town

Options galore...Nothing included in this price

Explore on your own...At your own expenses

Romantic..................No phone in room

Just like home.........No maid service

Light and airy.........No air conditioning

Picturesque...........Theme park nearby

24 hour bar......Ice cubes at extra cost

Holiday complaints:

I was bitten by a mosquito. No one said

they could bite

\your brochure shows sand as yellow.

We found it white

Topless bathing should be banned. My

holiday was ruined because my hus-

band spent all day looking at other

women

It should be explained in the brochure

that the local store does not sell proper

biscuits like custard cream or ginger

nuts.

We bought Ray Ban glasses on the

beach for 5 euros( about £4) from a

street trader., They turned out to be

fake.

On my holiday in Goa in India I was

disgusted to find that almost every

restaurant served curry. I don’t like

spicy food.

No one told us there will be fish in the

sea. The children were startled.

We had to queue outside with no air

conditioning

It is your duty as Tour Operator to

advise us of any unruly or noisy guests

before we travelled.