By Dr. Syed Ahmed,
A one-day workshop on the theme, “Islamic Heritage in India’s North-East: Assam and Manipur” was organized at the Conference Hall of Indian Institute of Technology, Gauhati, on 15th June, 2011. The workshop showed the progress report of the project, which is being funded by IGNCA.
Discussion at the workshop
The project, which has 2 sections – to prepare study report in book-form and video documentation in the form of documentary film, has already covered more than half of the scheduled time duration of one year. An extensive progress report was presented by Dr. Abu Nasar Saied Ahmed. He showed the photo slides and also informed about the data colleted so far. Abdul Majid screened the rough cuts of the documentary film highlighting the Islamic heritage monuments of Assam and Manipur.
Religion-wise percentage of population in North-East India
|
States |
Hindus |
Muslims |
Christians |
Buddhists |
||||
|
1991 |
2001 |
1991 |
2001 |
1991 |
2001 |
1991 |
2001 |
|
|
Arunachal Pradesh |
37.0 |
34.6 |
– |
1.9 |
– |
18.7 |
12.9 |
13.0 |
|
Assam |
67.1 |
64.9 |
28.9 |
30.3 |
3.3 |
3.7 |
– |
0.2 |
|
Manipur |
57.7 |
46.0 |
7.3 |
8.8 |
34.1 |
34.0 |
– |
0.1 |
|
Meghalaya |
14.7 |
13.3 |
– |
4.3 |
64.6 |
70.3 |
– |
0.2 |
|
Mizoram |
5.0 |
3.6 |
– |
1.1 |
85.7 |
87.0 |
7.8 |
7.9 |
|
Nagaland |
10.1 |
7.7 |
1.7 |
1.8 |
87.7 |
90.0 |
– |
0.1 |
|
Tripura |
85.5 |
85.6 |
7.1 |
8.0 |
– |
3.2 |
4.7 |
3.1 |
Source: Census of India, 2001
The project proposes to study the Islamic heritage of the 3 Muslim concentrated areas – Brahmaputra valley and Barak valley of Assam, and Manipur valley – of North-East India. It envisages to study and trace the origin and development of Islamic tradition in North-East India, document the Islamic religious institutions, which will include mosques maktabs and madrasas, dargahs, khanqahs, mazars, etc., study the distinctiveness in the structural design of these structures, highlight socio-economic and anthropological components in which assimilation/integration of local and folk traditions could be seen, chart out the unique features of Islamic heritage of the region, and make policy prescriptions for preservation and promotion of Islamic heritage in the region.
Gate of Mir Jumla mazar in Mancachar
The main areas to be covered in the study includes: brief history of the origin of the Muslims in the 3 valleys covered, the various reasons of the spread of Islam: migration of Muslims, invitation of Muslims by local rulers, conversion at the instance of the Muslim preachers (Azan Pir, Ghiyasuddin Auliya, Hasrat Osman Gani, Shah Akbar, Shah Sufi, Shah Pagmar and Shah Sharan, popularly known as Panch Pir, Baba Langar Shah, Sawal Pir, popularly known as Bandar Pir, Komaldya Khunkar Muhammad Gain, Pir Zahir Auliya, to name a few), the social life of the Muslims, life-cycle ceremonies at birth, marriage, death, etc., dress, food habit, past-times of the Muslims, arts and crafts associated with the Muslims (e.g. brass-making by Moria Muslims of Assam, extraction of agar perfume by Muslims at Hajo) and also the devotional songs like Zikirs and Jaris sung by Assamese Muslims, Marifat and Nat sung by Manipuri Muslims,
Panbari Masjid in Dhubri, the oldest masjid in N-E India
The project also aims to study the religious literatures, Islamic architecture in the heritage builds like mosques (like Panbari masjid at Dhubri, Pao-Mecca masjid on the summit of Garuchal hill at Hajo, Burha masjid at Ambari, Asimganj masjid at Karimganj, etc.), maktabs and madrasas (Darul Uloom Baskandi madrasa, Dibrugarh Darul Uloom, Alia madrasa, Deorail Alia Madrasa, among others), dargahs and mazars (Panch Pirs’ dargah at Dhubri, Azan Pir’s dargah at Saragori Chapori and Khundkar’s dargah in Sivasagar, Mir Jumla’s mazar at Mancachar in Dhubri, Giyasuddin Auliya’s dargah at Hajo, Pir Zahir Auliya’s dargah at Ulubari in Gauhati, Shah Makhdum Shah’s dargah at Khijubari, Bahadur Goanburha’s dargah in Jorhat, among others), khanqahs, idgahs, etc., caste-like structure of Assamese Muslims and clan system of Manipuri Muslims.
Dargah of a Pir in Barak valley
It will also analyze the process of integration, contributions of Muslims (like the freedom fighter Bahadur Goanburha alias Zulfikar Barua, leader of the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny in Assam, who was sentenced to life imprisonment at Andamans) and new trends and development seen among the Muslims.
The study is being conducted following an eclectic approach combining historical, ethnographic and empirical methodologies in which there will be extensive use of the tools of oral history, besides interview schedules, and questionnaire and of audio-video documentation.
Darul uloom Baskandi in Cachar, regarded as the oldest madrasa in N-E India
The project also plans to collect and deposit at INGCA some of the rare old texts which has extensive accounts of the history of Muslim settlement in North-East India and other valuable books associated with Muslims, like Padshah Buranji, Tarikh-e-Assam written by Shahbuddin Talish, Baharistan-i-Ghaybi by Mirza Nathan, Asomiya Zikir aur Zari (1958) by Syed Abdul Malik, hand-written Quran by Azan Pir and other old translations of Quran in Assamese, Nongsamei and Pangal Thorakpa, the two archaic texts (puyas) which deals exclusively with Muslim settlement in Manipur.
The workshop was attended by the Honorary Coordinator of the North East Regional Centre of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (INGCA) (based at Gauhati), Professor A.C. Bhagabati and some of his junior associates, and those associated with the project on the above theme – Project Director and Convener of the Committee and a faculty member of Department of Political Science, IIT-Gauhati, Dr. Abu Nasar Saied Ahmed, and members which includes former Professor of Geography, Gauhati University, Dr. Mohammad Taher; Faculty member of Gauhati University, Faruq-Sad-uddin Ahmed; Head of Department of Humanities and Social Science, IIT-Gauhati, Archana Barua; Advocate, Silchar, Imdad Uddin Bulbul; Lecturer, Lilong Haoreibi College, Manipur, Dr. Syed Ahmed; Film-makers Abdul Majid and Ansimul Majid; Research Assistants Maqbul Ali, Jaidul Islam Majumdar and Abedur Rahman, and other guests.