The article was originally written by P. Chakraborty, Secretary, District Council Affairs, Govt. of Mizoram in 1997 for the Souvenir of Silver Jubilee celebration of the Chakma Autonomous District Council. Thus, the article follows as under -
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| Source: Tufan's Artbin |
Obvious, the questions remain live as to who are these
Chakma, what is their origin or are they really a rootless floating tribe? The
expression 'Chakma' is of a recent import, to find its place in the
anthropological glossary only since the British period of the history of this
continent. In reality, it is a distorted form of 'Sak-ma'. The 'Sak' is the
historical warrior race who had invaded India frequently and later conquered a
major part of this country to establish their regime. They ruled China too for
quite sometime. The distorted accent of eastern Bengalees and Assamese
converted 'Sak-ma' or the descendents of The Saks to "Chakma" during
the time of latter's settlement in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Assam. Situated
thus, the Chakmas have a history of origin, ascent, home, tradition and colour
to boast of.
Not much is on record how a well-developed race could
be reduced to a stage of nomadic and insignificiantia. So far as the Chakmas in
Mizoram are concerned, history takes us back to 1890's. A large section of
Chakmas know as Annakya Chakmas separated from their counterpart in Arakan,
were settled in the Chittagong Hill Tracts by that time. In 1895, as small as
an area of 326 sq. miles was sliced out of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bengal
and annexed to the area later known as the Lushai Hills district of Assam.
Nobody knows for sure how many Chakmas were there in the portion of the CHT
annexed to the South Lushai Hills in 1895. The 1901 Census show that there were
only 198 Chakmas in the entire Lushai hills, Presumably mostly in the South
Lushai Hills. In whatever number they had been, the Chakma inhabitants of the
transferred portion of the CHT became the inhabitants of the South Lushai Hills
which became the second home of the Chakmas. History is mysteriously silent on
the fate of the Chakmas in the Lushai Hills during subsequent years. Mentions
about the Chakmas in the Lushai Hills are available as early as during 1930’s
in the official correspondences and memoranda of Mc Call, the then
Superintendent of the Lushai Hills District. These refer to the Chakma
inhabitants of the Lushai Hills as well as import of other Chakmas across the
Karnaphuli river to facilitate forest extractions. In the official compilation
of various Standing Order etc. of the superintendents of the Lushai Hills and
Governor of Assam vide/Secretary to Assam Governor’s letter no. 4720 g.s. dt.
7.11.1938 mentioned about Chakma settlements in the lower foothills. In one
place, it was mentioned that “There has been a tendency to facilitate the
import of Chakmas and other tribes who live in the lowerfoot-hills, into these
areas within the Lushai Hills in order to broaden the chances of forest
extractions”. In another place, it was mentioned that Chakmas were used as
boatmen to ascertain the origin of timbers within the Karnaphuli river south of
the Boraharina Mukh.“ Demagiri was a long way from Borkhal, the first trading
centre encountered on the way down the Karnaphuli to Chittagong. There were,
moreover, dangerous rapids to be countered. Most of the traders and cutters
used to be the men from Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Chittagong Hill Tracts’
territory bordered on the Lushai Hills in the direction of the Boraharina,
Thega and Karnaphuli river in such a manner that it was practically impossible
to ascertain the origin of any timber within the Karnaphuli river south of the
Boraharina Mukh”. To prevent the flow of timbers from the Lushai Hills to
Bengal through Karnaphuli, which had so long been resulting a 100% credit or
revenue to Bengal in deprivation of the legitimate royalty to the Lushai Hills
in Assam, Chakmas across the river used to be imported as boatmen and
forest-labour, who later continued to settle in the Lushai Hills either along
the river-side or on the low foot-hills in these areas. It has been mentioned
in these Standing Orders that the Commissioner of Hill Division, Govt. of Assam
held that the payment of stampduty by Chakmas and Tripuris was illegal under
the provisions of the Assam Governor’s notification no. 1541-F9(a) dated
10.4.1930 as amended by the notification no. 2962-F(a) dated 29.7.1930 which
had provided for payment of stamp-duty by non-natives of the district. All
these suffice to indicate that the Chakmas, particularly in the South Lushai
Hills, were not unwelcome at all and and were rather given certain status.
Years immediately before and after the India’s
Independence and the formation of East Pakistan in 1947 witnessed the Chakma in
the Chittagong Hill Tracts ruthlessly uprooted, intimidated and homeless
resulting in steady influx of them to the Lushai Hills district and other parts
of Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and other areas. The Chakma
population in the Lushai Hills which had been hardly 5088 in 1941 swelled up to
a staggering figure of 11,435 in 1951. Chakma immigrants in Tripura and other
parts of Assam were treated as refugees. A large number of them who had taken
refuge in other parts of Assam were shifted to NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh)
despite protests from the locals therein. So far as Mizos are concerned, the
years of 1947-1953 were the turning point. While the Nagas already demanded for
remaining out of the Indian federation and others were indecisive, the Mizos
were suddenly exposed to a freedom from isolation or "exclusion"
under the British administration, exposed to party-based politics, and left to
the hard reality of parliamentary democracy. Before they could compose
themselves, they were granted "autonomous" in administering
themselves through a politically elected District Council under the Sixth
Schedule to the Constitution. Chieftainship was abolished. So many things at a
time and long spell of isolation kept them on one hand extremely possessed of
themselves and their thin population, while on the other hand some kind of
allowances were granted by them to the other tribals who had remained in
co-existence with them for years together.
In July, 1951, the Chakma which was the second largest
community in the Lushai Hills district, were granted together with the Pawis
and the Lakhers an autonomous regional council to administer their region which
was named as the Pawi-Lakher autonomous region. Whatever fight had been made to
attain a Regional Council, it was perhaps so made mainly by the Pawis and the
Lakhers, and not much by the Chakmas. Nevertheless, they shared the autonomy.
During the years from 1951 to 1971 the Chakmas in East Pakistan and elsewhere
than in the Lushai Hills were the worst victims of ethnic oppression, denied of
basic human rights and involved in endless struggle for more survival. They
were reduced to an embittered tribe - homeless and refuged. It must be the
religious tolerance and social benevolence of the Mizos, which made the Chakmas
granted social, economic and political rights and respect available under the
Sixth Schedule to the Constitution. In 1972 the total Chakma Autonomous
District Council's first elections were held. Thus, when a large section of
Chakmas were fighting for their survival in Bangladesh, in various other parts
of India and were homeless, a small fragment of their total populace was
fortunate to have a homeland, franchise and future in the Pawi-Lakher
Autonomous Region and elsewhere of the Lushai Hills District. By 1973, again
almost half of their total population in Mizoram became the most fortunate
grantee of separate District Council with the Constitutional rights and powers
to make their own laws, to raise their own revenues, to run their own judiciary
and to manage their own affairs—that too with roughly 21.35% of literacy. They
attained the "autonomy". It was so much that in the first session of
Mizoram Legislative Assembly in 1972, there was only a mild poor debate on the
issue of granting an autonomous district to the Chakmas under the VIth Schedule
to the Constitution. There was hardly any walk-out from or boycott of the
Assembly. What more a sub-tribe of a minority community could expect from a
State of the Mizos as the major tribe who inherited almost nothing from the
Assam Govt., gifted with famine and land endless erosions from the nature and
ruthless repression of exclusion from the British as well as the Provincial
Indian administration till 1950. I think, no other community in the Indian
polity was so generous to a minority - community linguistic as well as
religious. On the other hand, it is a fairy-tale achievement on the part of the
Chakmas in Mizoram, which expressly bears the stamp of social and political
benevolence and tolerance of the Mizos.
It is manifest from the fact that when non-Chakmas are
being allowed to pour in the Chittagong Hills Tract to out number the Chakma
inhabitants there, the Inner Line Regulation, 1873 is still in force in the
Chakma Autonomous District to restrict entries of non-natives thereto, and
trading in the area has been adequately regulated by requiring the possession
of valid trade-licence issued by the Chakma Autonomous District Council as well
as of valid Inner line permit. The Government of Mizoram’s notification no. Txt
136/86/234 dtd. 20.12.1991 ensures ample protection to the Chakmas within
Autonomous Districts, and largesse of the Mizoram Government.
The fairy-tale achievement of the Chakma did not
remain confined simply to the attainment of an Autonomous District and Council,
but also extended to other spheres. In 1972, they started only 15 villages,
namely Borapansury-I, Borapansury-II, Nharum, Saizawh(W), Jorusluri,
Vaseitlang(S), Vaseitlang (N), Parva (S), Parva(N), Damdep (New Jogansury),
Chawngte(W), Chawknghawllui, Udalthansora, Serlui and Nolbunia, in 1996 they
had 66 villages. During U.T. period i.e., 1972-1987, the total Grants-in-Aid
given by the Govt. to the Chakma Autonomous District Council amounted to Rs.
66,66,500.00 while during the Statehood, they were granted at an average of Rs.
155,00,000/- a year. Satisfied with their achievements in 1986, State Govts’
function in as many as eight subjects were entrusted to them w.e.f. 1.9.’86.
Later in 1993, as many twenty functions were entrusted, which clearly stopped
the antagonists of The District Council Administration from saying further that
they have been failing and failing to the disappointment of the State Govt.
On the other side, the Chakma system of judicial
dispensation earned praise from nonetheless the Law Research Institution under
the Hon’ble Gauhati High Court, who visited the area during 1984-1985. The team
of the Gauhati Law Research Institute in their report were full of praises on
how a good number of complicated civil disputes had been resolved or disposed
off by the Chakma District Council Court.
By now, Literacy-percentage and political awareness amongst the Chakmas have gone up. A little more awakening, a little more positive approach to the problems they face and a little more confidence can help a lot. A sense of reciprocity towards the Mizos for whatever they have got can remove the dust of mistrust and reinforce their path towards progress, which I firmly believe, a community like theirs must do. No community can prosper at all in isolation, nor can survive long in camouflage. So, as Swami Vivekananda says: Stand first and then Wake up!
Note: The figure of Chakma population in Mizoram
as shown in the above article does not confirm
the actual figure of the Chakma population in the whole Mizoram. The above
figure might have been quoted from a wrong report published or presented. The
figure actually indicates only the Chakma population of the erstwhile
PAWI-LAKHER REGIONAL COUNCIL i.e. Lai and Chakma Autonomous District Council
areas (where the Chakmas are living) of the present Chhimtuipui District and
excluding the Chakma population of Lunglei and Aizawl Districts. (Source:
"Pheicham Man Chakmat" by F. Lianchingnunga, 1992: 45).
The actual figure of Chakma population in the present
Lunglei and Aizawl districts of Mizoram could not be ascertained yet and it is
estimated to be two fold of the above figure. It is believed and always said
that two-third of the Chakma population in Mizoram have remained outside the
Chakma Autonomous District Council area. Since most of the original Chakma
villages and settlements were established around Demagiri area of present
Lunglei District prior to 1944 and 1954. The article also confirms the fact that
the Chakmas were the second LARGEST community of Lushai Hills in July, 1951
(which may mean that their population was more than the Pawis and the Lakhers).
The following representatives of the Chakmas to Mizo District Council were also
chosen from those areas:
- 1952
Media Chakma
Nominated
- 1957
Media Chakma
Elected
- 1962
Hari Kristo Chakma Elected
- 1970
Hari Kristo Chakma Elected
— Editor.