Where do Rajbanshi People stand today socially?
The Rajbanshis
are in a great dilemma over their socio-political stand. During
pre-independence days, they chose to fight for freedom regardless of their
political affiliation. Indian National Congress party was the major party most
of them chose to join. Bengali freedom fighters inspired them the most. Feeling
of alienation was absent among these people like any other people of north
east. Aim was very clear and it was attaining freedom. Rajbanshis felt like the
one of any other Bengali. The educated lot had already identified them as
mainstream Bengali. But they were destined to remain a separate community soon
after the nation’s attaining freedom. Still, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy endeavoured
to make the Rajbanshis a part of mainstream Bengali. Due to his efforts, they
sided with Dr. Roy and became a part of Bengal. Might be that there was no
other choice also. Slowly but surely, the gap between the mainstream Bengali and
Rajbanshi Bengalis became wider and wider. For all practical purposes, there
exists a big difference between south and north in the West Bengal State. They
stand nowhere now.
It is a hush-hush matter for an educated Rajbanshi to reveal his/her
identity as a low and backward caste as he or she is officially known to be so
or speaking in own mother tongue and once the lingua franca of a vast Koch-Kamtapur
Empire - Rajbanshi language in any gathering of educated lot. He or she, either
speaks in Bengali in Bengal or Assamese in Assam quite unwilling to reveal the
identity, which once proudly spoken by the great people of Kamrup-Kamta-Pundra.
Now, it is all just aloofness, dejection, sadness and unassuming feelings that
have totally engulfed a Rajbanshi. It is all ‘give in’ socio-economic-political
policy followed by most of educated Rajbanshi, freely exploitable by any Tom,
Dick and Harry, literally. It is a common practice now that their educated lot
or the elite groups per force leave their own society disgusted as most of them
feel that the common Rajbanshis are incorrigible in their attitude towards the
cause of betterment of their community. It appeared to them that common
Rajbanshis are getting carried away with the impressive lectures of local
political leaders, who assure them basic needs for living and remain loyal to
them. It is a height of poverty that can be seen in Rajbanshi community. It so happens in rural North Bengal and Bihar
that a poor Rajbanshi in trouble often falls on the feet of an influential local
political or social leader of any community, addresses him as 'Father' to seek
his blessings to get some material benefit. This unique practice is called
'Bapdai' in local parlance meaning establishing a relationship of father and
son is otherwise taken as good but these days this is done either due to
poverty or whenever in deep trouble. These are some of the reasons as to why
educated lot or the elite Rajbanshis are unhappy about their common brethren.
Also, for them it is difficult to make a common Rajbanshi to understand that
besides the basic needs, socio-economic, cultural and political rights are must
for their improvement.
Modern day mainstream caste Hindu Bengali youth are more concerned
about globalization, information technology and fashion than to know about the
socio-economic, political and other problems related to the Rajbanshi community
as such. However, many a research scholars from mainstream caste Hindu Bengali,
other communities even foreign scholars evince keen interests to know much more
about Rajbanshis, which is a positive sign for the this hapless community. Hope, truth prevails soon and these people get their due status in Indian society.
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