On the last night of the Indo-China War in 1962, the Indian government deported thousands of residents of Indo-Chinese origin from Makum, in Upper Assam. Assamese author Dr Rita Chowdhury met with their descendants to relive the true story, in her non-fiction read, Makam
On the last night of the Indo-China War in 1962, the Indian government deported thousands of residents of Indo-Chinese origin from Makum, in Upper Assam. Assamese author Dr Rita Chowdhury met with their descendants to relive the true story, in her non-fiction read, Makam
Before the recently concluded Jaipur Literature Festival began, co-ordinator Namita Gokhale had spoken about the vibrant regional literature on show at the festival, from the North East in particular. 
In course of that chat, a special mention was made of Assamese author and Sahitya Akademi Award winner, Dr Rita Chowdhury. This activist switched to writing in the 1980s and earned national acclaim for her work in Assamiya.
When her debut novel, Abirata Jatra was published, she went underground due to the Assamese movement that she was part of. Known for her short stories, travel writing, fiction and poetry, she was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award for Deolangkhui (2008). Her most recent, controversial title, Makam, sold as many as 1,000 copies in a day in Assam when it first hit bookshelves in late 2010! Here, the Political Science professor speaks about her discovery of this little-known community that still yearns for its roots.
ADVERTISEMENT
How did you stumble upon the Indo-Chinese in Assam?
Nearly 30 years back, as a student, I came across a few families, mostly tea garden workers, of Indian and Chinese origin, in Makum (locally called Chinapatti) in Upper Assam. I was curious and decided to probe further. I got that opportunity about 4-5 years ago and decided to document their untold story. Apart from Assam, my research took me to China and Hong Kong, to search for the missing links to the story. You won't read about it history books -- on the last night of the Indo-China war, the Indian government arrested thousands and packed them off to a camp in Deoli, Rajasthan. Eventually, they were deported to China and other parts of the world.
What stories emerged from research?
Their stories were shocking, unthinkable. Their valuables were taken away; they were living in bad conditions at the camp -- pregnant women and children went through severe trauma. Some didn't survive the trip to Rajasthan, others committed suicide, while many lost their mind.
How did you get to the truth from limited sources?
For decades, these people have faced an identity crisis -- they lived in fear of being deported as spies or enemies. So yes, it wasn't easy. When I approached them, many were hesitant to go on record; others did on condition of anonymity. They are afraid of authorities from India and China. Each case had to be treated sensitively.u00a0
ufffdit must've been tough for you to detach yourself emotionally from your subject?
Yes. I had plunged head-on with my research and was totally involved. These people have nowhere to go. Today, except for a few families in Assam, most live in Canada, Hong Kong and Australia. They have Indian and Chinese names.
In Hong Kong, they even observe an India Day where they perform to popular Bollywood numbers to celebrate the country of their forefathers. Theirs is a case of a clear human rights violation. One hopes that the Indian government apologies for the atrocities committed on these harmless people, some day ufffd
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
