Bodoland

Peace accords are being entered into within gusto with the hope that the same would contribute towards peace and good governance so that the people can benefit from the various developmental programmes being launched by the Union and State Governments as part of poverty alleviation and also economic development in the heretofore neglected region of India. In my paper, I have analyzed the conditions under which the signing of Peace Accords in NE India, particularly the Bodo Peace Accord took place and how it still falls short of meeting the expectations of the Bodos in particular, for ensuring inclusive development in the area and how the urgent steps for good governance can deliver this promise in contrast to mere governance, which complicates the existing order.

Most ethnic conflicts in Northeast India are fallout of colonial era policies and contesting versions of indigeneity, but their lesser researched impact on the human realm of survivors hold important hints for the future. The paper as a contextual background theoretically explores the role of indigeneity and territory in producing political violence in Bodoland in Assam and reproduces narratives of resilience of a community of Adivasis who had been displaced in the regional militant led violence. The paper has tried to show how resilience is a complex quality that entail attributes like, among others, refusal to surrender, putting faith in prayers, holding onto identity cards with original address, ways of coexistence with the conflicting community through church based dialogues or anti-alcohol campaigns. These narratives of resilience point towards hopeful possibilities in the Northeast, a space popularly viewed through the optics of chaotic violence, when conflict is also characterised by survivors as external and a disruption of life worlds.

Generally regional political parties pay interest in all-round development of their particular region. In India many a times regional political parties have been able to form government in particular region and have also been a coalition partner in many State and National Governments. The Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) as a regional political party of Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD), Assam has been able to rule the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), an autonomous body under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India since its inception. The party has also been a coalition partner of the State Governments of Assam (except for a brief period). They have promised for equal rights and equal development of all people living

The unforgettable story of a trailblazing woman, penned by one of India’s greatest literary luminaries.

Indira Goswami’s last work of fiction is the heroic tale of a freedom fighter who was, thought to be the first woman revenue collector, a tehsildar, in British India. Set in late 19th-century Assam, the novel paints with a majestic sweep the ever-changing landscape of Indian society.

Tehsildar is a fascinating character, recreated from folklore, from songs and stories passed down for generations. Her exploits, galloping across the plains of Bijni kingdom in lower Assam to collect taxes for the British, is a compelling one that inspires awe and admiration. At a time when educated Indians, social reformers and the British government were trying to fight misogynist practices such as sati, child marriage and the purdah system, Tehsildar was a woman working with the British officers, shoulder to shoulder, as a tax collector who shunned her society’s expectations.

Indira Goswami has woven a complex tale wherein the foundations of the colonial rulers were shaken by insurgents seeking freedom across Assam just before the rise of the Indian National Congress.

The paper seeks to examine the demand of the Bodos for a separate state and the various developments that followed from the time of swearing in of the interim Executive Council of the Bodoland Territorial Council at Kokrajhar, Assam and has analyzed the issues emerging there from and the causes of discontentment of the Bodo community and ABSU, raising the need for a new design of an administrative structure.

Purpose of the study: The study examines the relationship between the quality of governance and level of development in the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) of Assam in India. It also assesses which dimensions of governance influence the level of development. Methodology: The study is based on the data collected from a field survey of 400 households in both rural and urban areas of BTAD. Important dimensions pertaining to measuring the quality of governance is a broad manifestation in several institutions such as Political, Legal and Judicial, Administration and Public service delivery, and Economic and Social. Similarly, we measure development in terms of economic, social and empowerment dimensions. The study uses statistical techniques of Correlation and CHAID analysis. Main findings: The study finds that the quality of governance is critical to development. Amongst other factors, efficient system and management of political institutions and effective administration and public service delivery is the key to enhancement of economic development. Social Implications: The study depicts disparity with respect to social and economic space; and suggests inclusive participation in political and fine-tuning in the front of administration and delivery of public services. Originality/Novelty of the study: The study brings out the dynamics of deficit of governance and its impact on economic development at the level of the sub-national state. It further confirms and substantially contributes to the literature on development – governance nexus.

"Independence must begin at the bottom…every village has to be self-sustained and capable of managing its affairs even to the extent of defending itself against the whole world." Harijan 28-07-46 Indian population is welded with aboriginal traditions and beliefs and segregated by geographical and sociological dissimilitude. The ascendancy of conventions exercises a profound influence in the diurnal rhythms of the society and as well to the leadership, historically the community choose to unite under. Hence, pertinent to the Indian socio-demographical structure, character contribution of village panchayat to nation development is astronomical. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru echoed the view of Gandhiji saying "Local self-government is and must be the basis of any true system of democracy. We have got rather into the habit of thinking of democracy at the top and not so much below. Democracy at the top may not be a success unless you build on this foundation from below." He understood that to adequately represent the voice of rural India, there must be a political system to provide the platform. Since its inception, this mechanism contextualized approaches according to the surrounding environment and culture, hence achieving a somewhat heterogeneous nature. But anywhere, how diverse the approach may be, panchayat materializes participatory democracy in the grassroots.

Purpose of the study: The study examines the relationship between the quality of governance and level of development in the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) of Assam in India. It also assesses which dimensions of governance influence the level of development. Methodology: The study is based on the data collected from a field survey of 400 households in both rural and urban areas of BTAD. Important dimensions pertaining to measuring the quality of governance is a broad manifestation in several institutions such as Political, Legal and Judicial, Administration and Public service delivery, and Economic and Social. Similarly, we measure development in terms of economic, social and empowerment dimensions. The study uses statistical techniques of Correlation and CHAID analysis. Main findings: The study finds that the quality of governance is critical to development. Amongst other factors, efficient system and management of political institutions and effective administration and p...

This fieldwork is about to understand the village as a whole. Reporting is done with the collected information through the methodology of applying all the PRA tools and some semi structured interview and FGDs. This report try to give the readers a well versed knowledge about all the dimensions of Bodo tribal village. Barama Block of Baksa District of Assam state. All the interpretations have done in a descriptive way with help of some charts, numerical data tables and some self-explanatory tables.
A village is a geographically distinguishable place which is habitat of some human beings who lives in groups called family are socially, culturally and economically interrelated with each other. According to census data of 2011 68.84% Indians are staying in village which is around 833.1 million people live in 640,867 different villages. Among them according to the census data 2011 they are nearly 104 million people which is 8.6% of the total Indian population is belonging from the tribal community.
The term “tribe”, derived from the Latin tribua, originally meant a political unit, and was later used to refer to social groups defined by the territory they occupied. Tribes are generally stayed either in forest of hilly region which is little detached from the main stream society. But there are some few tribes who lives in the plains nearer to the main stream abut still maintain their own culture, tradition and individuality. Bodo tribe is one of among them.
Bodo is the one of the indigenous habitat of the north eastern India mainly in the Bramhaputra Valley of Assam. The word Bodo derived from the word Bod which means Tibet. It is identified that they are the origin of from the Indo-Mongoloid stock belonging to the Tibeto-Burman Language family. This Indo-Mongoloid group had close cultural assimilation with the Negritos, the Austro-Asiatic, the Nordic and Mediterranean races of India due to their close contact as established by history of civilization. But in spite of these the Bodos have maintained a distinctive identity The Boros prefer to call themselves as Boro or the Bodo or Borofisa. The term Boro indicates a race or a speech community speaking the Sino-Tibetan Boro language. They are recognized as a plains tribe in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
The state of Assam is in reality divided into four more entities, viz Bengali dominated Barak Valley, Dimasa tribe dominated North Cachar Hills now known as Dima Hasao, Karbi tribe dominated Karbi Anglong and finally Bodo Kachari tribe dominated Bodoland. Bodoland is the gateway to the beautiful North Eastern Region of India, which was created very recently in the year 2007 by curving out some area of eight districts of Assam namely Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Kamrup, Darang and Sonitpur within the state of Assam. It is an autonomous Administrative unit constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India covering an area of 8795 Sq. Km (Provisional). Judging from the wide range of extension of their language, the Bodos appear first to have settled over the entire Brahamaputra valley and extended west into West Bengal (in Kochbehar, Rangpur and Dinajpur districts) they may have pushed into North Bihar also. The present Bodo population in the state of Assam is 52, 49,937. (Approx, figure as prepared by ABSU HQ, Kokrajhar). As the present work has a link with the ‘Bodoland Movement’ which ultimately resulted in the creation of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), a separate homeland for the Bodos within the state of Assam in the design of District Council (under 6th Schedule of the Constitution of India).
During the study of different dimension it is clear that there culture is totally different than the Assames in the state. They are the Bodo people are very aware of their culture. They are the plain tribes and very closely living with the other cultures like the Aryans. But still they don’t lost their individuality. They maintaining it throughout the generations. Their culture is one of the richest culture of India. The word Bodo derived from the word Bod which means Tibet, its shows that they came from Tibet. They follow the religion named Bathoism. Ba means five and tho means deep. They believe that the world is made of the five element.
All the villages are habitat of only Bodo tribal people who are belonging to the same caste. All of them are Schedule Tribes. Bodo tribal group is divided in to some clans i.e.  Ramchiary, Borgoyary, Mosahary, Narzary, Khakhlory, and Basumatary etc. There is no specific job distribution among them according to the gender. Male and female everyone are well skilled in agriculture, household and animal husbandry works. But male usually taking care of animals and female do the household work. But in case male is not present then female also can handle the animals and male also can do household works in absence of female. There is no such social stigma that only female or male can do this some specific job. Only in case of delivery of child in home males are not allowed. If we see the above table we can easily understand the daily activity of male and female. Male took one hour rest in the afternoon but the females don’t. This is the only difference in the society.
While studying about their economic system it was discovered that mainly the economy is substantial economy. The system of exchanging is barter system even they exchange family labour also. Use of cash is very low in the system. Main livelihood of Bodos is farming. They are also good in animal and birds rearing. They are good in waving in handloom. Bodos are the first cultivator of rice and silk in Assam. There are some landless Bodos also they either take the land from others as rent or work as daily wage labour. Some people have fish farming also, but it is very few in number they just do it for home consumption mainly but ow a days some people get government job like teacher and Army.
Bodo political system is totally different from any other village politics in India. This area comes under an autonomous body of BTC (Bodo territorial council). So there no panchayeti raj system. There is VCDC (Village council Development Committee) what is also a three tire system what is decentralized its power into Village, block and cabinet level. 4-5 villages according to the population form a VCDC. From every village there will be a representative in the board of members of VCDC. No mass election is done for the chairman post. It is the members of VCDC who select one member among them and make him chairman. Now the BPF (Bodo People’s Front) and BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party) come to alliance to form the government. BPF is the main political party.
During the study it come out that there are some challenges on the path of development in the village. Some local level leaders do not let the VCDC work accordingly. In the Batho Temple committee some people increase the interest of loan for their own greed.  Alcoholism is one of the main developmental issue. For that there average life span is also low.
Though they are in a remote village and don’t get so many entitlements what the main stream citizens use to get but still they are happy. While questioning them at the time of interview most of the villagers replied there is no problem exist in the village. They are busy in their world. Outside of that world do not affect them a lot. There is happiness in the air.

Written in the aftermath of what has come to be know as the 'Bodoland riots' of 2012, the article attempts to demystify the claim that the root cause of political violence in Bodoland area is illegal immigration from Bangladesh by looking at patterns of population growth in past few decades in Bodoland area, and while doing so the articles reasserts the fact that huge numbers of people from erstwhile East Bengal had migrated and settled before 1947 in the area affected by the 'riot'. Lastly, the article also tries to understand and contextualise the 'riot' of 2012 by looking into the recurring history of political violence and riots in the Bodo heartland.

This essay seeks to understand the issue of autonomy and democratic governance with a particular reference to Bodoland. The evolution of the Bodoland issue is being contextualised in reference to a three-level analysis: identity-based struggle, political negotiation vis-à-vis the three peace agreements (1993, 2003 and 2020) and the electoral trends of BTAD (Elections of BTC, State Assembly and Parliament). Moreover, it accentuates the challenges of governance within the said area through a three-dimensional projection: structural, demographic and socio-cultural. The structural dimension delineates the institutional fallacy regarding an arbitrary arrangement of autonomy and the laid-down rules. The demographic dimension dwells on the Bodo–non-Bodo demographic conundrum and its socio-political repercussions. Lastly, the socio-cultural dimension infers the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Northeast as a potential threat to the issue of identity politics for the Bodos.

It is not much known about the history of indigenous Bodo tribe of the Northeast India (Assam). But, according to some historians bodos are one of the earliest and largestinhabitants of Northeast India (Assam). The Bodos are an ethnic and linguistic aboriginal group of the Brahmaputra valley. The bodos represent one of the largest of the ethnic subgroups within the kachari group (Bodo-kachari). The Bodos represent one of the largest of the 18 ethnic subgroups within the Kachari Group (or Bodo-Kachari).They are now widely scattered all over Assam, in some parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and in some parts of north and East Bengal, and other neighbouring foreign countries of Nepal and Bangladesh. The bodos have number of clan. The clan, prevalently branded as "ari" or "ary" or "mahari" in Boro is primarily a socio-family group. The clan relationship is usually found from the common lineage, straps of marriages and some socio-religious activities. The clan of the bodos is mainly based on a male lineage of descent.