1946: The Year of Reckoning

‘It was just one chance meeting with Political Officer, PLS James alias James Saab and I lapped up a job by invitation,’ recalls my father, Sokjar with pride and joy intact after almost 70 years, as if he is caught in time-warp, dating back to1946- a year after end of World War-II and a year before India’s Independence.

Looking back, at the lowest level of service it wasn’t a matter of such pride but working for Her Majesty Queen of England’s must have been a different feeling. Indeed, a different feeling! After all, it was during a trying period in his youth that he was offered the job by James Saab.

Aloof of the World War-II that ended in 1945 with geo-political equations changed forever; there were a set of innocent boys and men from Galos in Siang belt that traversed across the mountains, hills, valleys, rivers and rivulets including mighty Brahmaputra in search of livelihood under British regime. Innocence or ignorance, but it is also a fact that India’s penultimate year of War for Independence have had a very little bearing on poverty stricken people who were working hard for few months to feed themselves for rest of the months in a year; and for those who had aspirations to move ahead in lives. With or without collusion of the administrators, exploitations by the big businessmen were galore too.

‘I had just lost my source of livelihood in Cane harvesting business over a payment dispute with Jalan Nyigom,’’ grimly he remembers the incident leading upto his meeting with James Saab in 1946. He remembers the event as if it occurred yesterday which only tells how heart-aching it must have been for him. ‘That particular year, I had sub-contracted cane cultivation from Jalan Nyigom from Dibrugarh.’

Murlidhar Jalan was one of the biggest businessmen of his time in the entire region. Jalan is best remembered for his contribution in setting up of present Assam Medical College. It is documented that he donated land of Borbari and Ethelwood Tea estate to Assam Government when the then Chief Minister Gopinath Bordoloi was in a fix over establishing a medical college; despite two medical institutions at Dibrugarh (that is, Berry White Medical School and 56 Command Military Hospital established). Jalan’s donation of land helped the BC Roy committee resolved that fix leading upto establishment of Assam Medical College in 1946 immediately after 2^nd World War (WW-II). Thus, thereafter, the intake of the first batch of students was completed by September 1947 with 56 boys and a girl against 65 approved seats.

As if to stamp his authority as an expert and veteran, he informs, ‘I was got into the business quite early. You will be surprised that first time when I went to do business in a place called Dekuathana, I wore nothing; and I worked nude during that entire season.’ He had been in the business for 13 summers before that particular dispute arose. ‘In the second year, I went to  place called Tengahaali, and by then, I had started wearing loin clothes,’ he puts fact across, indicating that he attained his puberty and he was into his teenage. By that measure, in 1946, he was a veteran into cane cultivation business, doubling as a labourer and sub-contractor to maximize his earnings.

‘Walker’s office had issued wage rate order for Rs 4 and Rs 6 for the labourers and the contractors respectively for ‘Ekkho’ respectively,’ he says. Ekkho?  ‘To put it in layman’s language, labourers had to harvest canes, and then split each cane into 2 pieces. 20 of such pieces were referred to as a ‘Podum’ and in turn, 5 such Podums were called an ‘Ekkho’.

‘That’s 100 split cane pieces?’ ‘That’s right’.

The conflict arose, mid-way into the cultivation season, when Jalan decided to pay Rs 2 less to both contractors and labourers against the stipulated norms as specified by Tirap Frontier Tract office, Margherita. ‘It was loss of Rs 4 per day for me since I doubled as a contractor and labourer,’ he recalls with a sense of betrayal and rues with sense of discontentment even as he hits 100 years of age.

Business environment and industrial relations was not much different in their time. Like in today’s time, even those days big business houses wielded considerable power and control over administrative mechanism; more so when power-structure was in transition after WW-II. In 1946, it wasn’t even 3 years since the establishment of Tirap Frontier Tract (TFT), carved out of certain parts of Lakhimpur Frontier Tract and Sadiya Frontier Tract.  And TFT was administered by GED Walker as the first Political Officer (PO) from Margherita; despite appeals from villagers to set up the head-quarter at either Khengkhu or Horukhuma, closer to core areas of TFT.  And Walker was a new promotee from Assistant Political Officer and was still grappling with his new assignments

He remembers how the entire working-class went on a mass protest, resorting to tool-down; and went to Walker Nyigom. Within weeks of their complaint, PO Walker along with contractor, Jalan came to the site at Sadiya with a huge trunk. ‘Unlike today’s administration, those days justice delivery system was faster. At least, one knew which side one is headed for, without losing much sleep. Walker Nyigom was a man of few words and was not very much into PR exercise, unlike PLS James who believed in spending time with people and understands the ground realities. That day, Walker gave them two things,’ my father opines.

He relives the moment enacting how the huge trunk was opened. ‘It contained currency, all in coins those days!’ he recalls with sense of excitement like a person drawing his first salary.

‘First, Walker Nyigom gave us-the labourers and sub-contractors from Siang belt, our dues at the agreed rate. Remember, they were Britishers who believed in fair-play,’ he says without hiding his distaste for systems today, and continues ‘And also, he gave us a sealed envelope and asked us to hand-deliver the same to the Political Officer of Siang, PLS James’ office at Pasighat.’

‘Immediately the same day, gang from Siang belt including Karsen Riba, Gidam Yomgam, Gibi Mindo, Gosen Basar and Bojir Zirdo left Sadiya for Pasighat.’ Those are few of his colleagues he managed to remember.

On reaching Pasighat, the envelope was received by the Base Superintendent (BS), Gangadhar Rai Barua who later became Assistant Political Officer and also, looked after the office of PO after PLS James left Pasighat sometime in 1949. This letter says that none of you will be allowed to venture into the other side of Brahmaputra for cane business hereafter, thus read-out Barua Nyigom on behalf of PLS James.

With a chuckle and without conceding much, he says, ‘neither the businessmen nor the administrators have changed to these days. They listen to people with more resources.’ He still believes that Jalan Nyigom was behind that instruction, which snatched their livelihood; and Walker Nyigom was just a messenger.

As if he is guilty of accusing the messenger of being biased, in a flash he adds, ‘Britishers were very fair administrators. On one hand, they snatched our only source of bread and butter and on the other hand, at Pasighat, within few weeks we were invited to join the service of British Ranee, by James Saab.’

‘Those days most of the appointments were by invitations; unlike these days where all kind of funny antics are indulged in,’ my father narrates, with good degree of haughtiness. Thus, in 1946, a year after WW-II and a year before India’s independence, my father was an ‘Orkora’ by order of Her Majesty, Queen of England.

‘As it happens, many a times there are days when trouble doesn’t seem to be getting over; but, there are few days when good fortune turns quick and fast, never letting a moment of sadness or depression. Mind you, it is not the luck, it is the emotions that you show in the moment of despair that designs one’s fortune,’ old man told me as we finish our telephonic conversation of his fight for justice against Jalan.