It was Student Union Election time in Assam Engineering College (AEC)
and I was off on a hectic canvassing schedule. In one of the classroom campaigns,
replying to a query, I spoke about Ismail Hossein. Till then, I didn’t know him
personally though he was made a celebrity by Homen Borgohain’s article on him
and his poem – Bigyapan (Advertisement). Incidentally, Ismail Hossein was himself
present in that class.
He came to AEC on an UN scholarship for the Degree course on Electronics
and Telecommunication Engineering. We soon became good friends though I was
much junior to him by age and senior by one year in Engineering. Countless
hours, we spent at his residence conversing on myriad of topics and I don’t
remember even a single day coming back without his wife entertaining us with sumptuous
snacks and tea.
Like all of us, Ismail Hossein has also flaws here and there. I found him
to have pre-conceived notion on some issues and at times being judgmental. Most
of the time, he is too straight like an arrow and defies the thin line of diplomacy.
In those days, he was extremely perturbed for use of obscene themes and
wordings by Nilim Kumar. In a series of articles, he came very heavy on Kumar.
I had a faintly different perception to the entire episode and published my views in an article in the Sadin, an Assamese weekly . Hossein, perhaps expected me to be little more inconsiderate and
didn’t seem to be enthusiastic with my mellowed approach though for an Engineering undergraduate,
an article in a popular weekly was something like an important milestone.
For many of our intellectuals, secularism is like the hen laying golden
eggs. But, Ismail Hossein has undergone struggle and pain in his life to uphold
the values of secularism. Needless to say, I will be the last person to believe
him to be communal trying to fragment our society by commenting on Barpeta
Satra as some of the so called society guardians are proclaiming today. Hossein
continuously face the wrath of the Islamic conservatives as well for his
stubbornness on what he believes. He has been entangled in many controversies and I have never said anything in
support or against him. Yet, I know, I shall not do justice to the time I spent
with him and his family, if I don’t speak out about the person when his intent
on secularism and Assamese society is questioned.
A few months back, I visited Barpeta Satra with my family on the way to
Bongaigaon. The visit reminded me to a humorous act I took part in School,
conceptualized and directed by me. I played the role of the conservative Satradhikar,
in my Grandfather’s Dhoti and Kurta, speaking some outrageous logic for barring
entry of woman inside the Kirtan Ghor.
The year was 1989 and a group of woman activists were forcefully stopped from
entering inside the Satra. Visiting Barpeta in 2016, I was shocked that
Barpeta has refused to change from what it was in 1989. The same medieval
attitude persisted when my wife and mother were reminded not to enter inside
the Kirtan Ghor. For a moment, I prayed silently from the main entrance. Pride
prevented my wife to peep through the holes in the walls to have glance inside
the Kirtan Ghor, as suggested by someone. Inside, It was all pervading darkness trying to encircle the simmering light of the Guru's seat.
However, my mother prayed with all the sincerity to seek forgiveness for
the audacity of her son and Daughter in law.
Sankardev, the Noblest and the Greatest son of Assam, must be very
miffed at the meanness of some of his idiotic followers who speak against women
inside the Satra. Through all His teachings, he spoke about breaking the
barrier of ignorance, caste, religion and sectarianism. He defied the traditional wisdom of
accepting pre-eminence of someone as his birth right.
I am sure, Sankardev himself would have no issue in allowing Ismail
Hossein or a Christian inside the Barpeta Satra either.
You can contact Kamaljit at kamaljitmedhi1975@gmail.com
