Forgotten part of us... Chakma of Arunachal

It was a matter of curiosity to know something about The Rulers who have turned into Refugees, courtesy the brutal policies of the successive governments of Pakistan and Bangladesh. It seems tough to digest but it is a fact that happened during the Independence that we were celebrating. Daanparmita played a vital role to know the fact of this ironical truth of a tribe called Chakma. To the people outside Arunachal, Tripura this word is something that one never heard before. Very few are aware about it. If we go through the stories, in history, Chakma (Sakama in Myanmar) peoples are believed to be working in Bagan Palace for Bagan King. Bagan King rule Sittagong Hill Tracts, Manipur and Assam. Chakma people are living in Rakhine, Sittagong Hill Tracts, Manipur and Assam. They are Tibet-Burma race.

What made these rulers then become refugees? What was a story behind that then? So many questions and very few reliable sources through which we can get the details. But it is said when you truly seek for knowledge, information starts appearing in front and this is what happened. Through NGO Daanparmita it became possible to know about this Chakma Tribe as the students from this community are been supported by Daanparmita. Their studies, stay and all the basic requirements have been taken care by this NGO. They provide all the support with the help of common people who are ready to support the activities of the NGO. This is what our society is, people are good and are willing to uplift the abandoned community. This NGO took the Chakma community in light by providing their children all the basic facilities and most importantly basic documents that speaks about their identity.

It is an irony that in our independent India, Chakma tribe is still considered as bonded labour, in simple sense they live the life of “Gulam”. They have no basic documents on their names and No government aid reached to them. During Partition (August 1947), India was divided on the religious line. Muslim-majority areas went to form Pakistan. Surprisingly, Chakma-dominated Chittagong Hill Tracts {CHT} of present day Bangladesh formed part of Pakistan even though Muslims were only meagre 2 %. What partition did? The Partition axed the Chakma life. It was the doom day for the chakmas. In actual sense the Chakmas have been patriots. They fought against the British, and did not allow the conquerors to conquer them. In fact, following the Partition, they were celebrating the Independence Day on 15 August 1947 by unfurling the Indian tricolour in Rangamati, the main town of CHT.  It was pity that they did not even know they were already Pakistanis, much against their own will. The Pakistani troops pull down the Indian flag and they came to know the reality. It is said that CHT was given as a gift to Pakistan which turned in bane for the Chakmas.

In 1971, Bangladesh was liberated with India’s help. But that did not bring any change in the policy of the Muslim government towards the Chakmas. With active participation of the Bangladesh military, the Chakmas were attacked, massacred, kidnapped, and raped and their houses burned. There was no reprieve. Life was no longer liveable. Hundreds fled from their homes to escape from attempts at their lives. 

The Rulers have turned into Refugees, courtesy the brutal policies of the successive governments of Pakistan and Bangladesh.  In 1964, around 30,000 indigenous Chakmas displaced by the Kaptai Hydro-Electric dam in CHT of then East Pakistan migrated to India. They were given settlement by the government of India in the North Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA), the present Arunachal Pradesh, after consultation with the local tribal chiefs. While being shifted to the NEFA, Government of India issued valid migration certificates to the migrants and assured them of citizenship rights in due course. “They came in a hopeless, pathetic condition, just with the clothes that they wore” recalls one senior Mizoram official, who was part of the Assam government team that received the Chakma in the Cachar and Lushai hills.

There are presently about 65,000 Chakmas in Arunachal Pradesh. All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union has been leading a hate-campaign against the Chakmas and inciting the otherwise sympathetic local population to drive the Chakmas away from the state. Political parties exploit the Chakma issue for electoral gains. They have been denied basic rights, including ration, education, employment and the right to live and peaceful life with dignity.

Chakma has its own written language and speaking language. Their language was tainted after Brtitish Colony took away from Burma in first Anglo-Burmese war in 1826. It was even taken as a base to convert the Chakmas into Christianity by saying that they do not have any support from the Hindu community are not considered as a part of the society. As they do not have any basic document with them they are deprived from all the rights such as voting and applying for government services. As they have no lands on their names the only source of their incomes are labour and Supari harvesting which gives them income of 10000 to 25000 in a year! We all know how less this income is. This does not allow them to think of education and other self-upbringing activities which ultimately landed in child labour, illiteracy, early marriages and all the ill activities. They were misunderstood outside the state due to mal practices of people of Arunachal where due to inherited properties they are spoiled due to addictions of drugs and are lazy who do not want to go for work.

On this background Daanparmita worked on the facts and got the girls and boys of Chakma community to Nagpur. It was even tough for the children too to get gel with the new people and new culture. Daanparmita takes proper care towards providing family like environment to these children. All out efforts are made to empower and educate these children. Daanparmita looks after it that the society should accept them and they should accept the society for which various schemes are run by the NGO. No wonder that our society has the soft corner for the underprivileged group and we have the proofs for the same. Today with the initiative of Daanparmita Ten Chakma Girls are taking vocational training of nursing under the guidance of Padmashree Dr. Vikas Mahatme at his Mahatme Eye Hospital and Dr. Mahatme extended his whole hearted support for the same. Whereas, people from society came forward to take care of various requirements of these students. These students are now studying in the renowned schools and colleges of the city and getting them empowered for the future challenges.

Daanparmita works and supports the concept of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and is putting all the efforts towards it. Once a girl is educated, she can take proper care of further things in life. If these girls get educated they will be able to support their families financially and morally. This will surely give the identity back to the community. Various experiments of Daanparmita proved that the common man has a power to move the mountains, it anyhow a matter of unity in society. It is all about how we all come together for our forgotten part of society. Initiative of Daanparmita will lead to unity and togetherness. Which will stop the exploitation of these people on the grounds of religion and casts. Chakma community is our part and we all are there to stand for them. 

Source of Information: Various websites which contains details of Chakma Community