LANGUAGE, ORIGIN AND BIOGRAPHY OF CHAKMAS

CHAKMA LANGUAGE:
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Chakma language (Changma Vaj or Changma Kodha) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Chakma and Daingnet people. Its better-known closest relatives are Bengali, Assamese, Chittagonian and Rohingya of Arakan, Bishnupriya Manipuri of Manipur, Tanchangya, and Sylheti.

CHAKMA ALPHABETS:

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Origin

The Chakma alphabet is probably descended from Brahmi through Pallava. Proto Chakma developed around the 6th century CE. Old Chakma developed in the 8th century CE. Classical Literary Chakma was used in the 11th to 15th centuries and the current Standard Chakma was developed and revived in the 20th century.

Classical Chakma was probably a sister script of Tai Tham and Tai Lue scripts of Northern Thailand also from the 8th century CE

The Chakma alphabet (Ajhā pāṭh), also called Ojhapath, Ojhopath, Aaojhapath, is an abugida used for the Chakma language. The forms of the letters are quite similar to those of the Burmese script.

Originally speaking a language belonging to the Tibeto-Burman family, some of the Chakmas have been influenced by neighbouring Chittagonian, an Eastern Indo-Aryan language closely related to Assamese. Many linguists now consider the modern Chakma language (known as Changma Vaj or Changma Hodha) part of the Eastern Indo-Aryan language. Changma Vaj is written in its own script, the Chakma script, also known as Ojhopath. Chakma is written in an alphabet which allowing for its cursive form, is almost identical with the Khmer and the Lanna (Chiangmai) characters, which was formerly in use in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and southern parts of Burma.

Culture

The Chakmas are people with their own culture, folklore, literature and traditions. The Chakma women wear an ankle length cloth around the waist which is also called Phinon and also a Haadi wrapped above the waist as well as silver ornaments. The Phinon and the Haadi are colourfully hand weaved with various designs. The design is first embroidered on a piece of cloth known as Alaam.

Festivals

The most important festivals celebrated by the Chakmas are Bizu, Alpaloni, Buddha Purnima and Kathin Civar Dan.

1.BIZU

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Bizu is the most important socio-religious festival of the Chakma.This festival gave birth to the Bizu dance. The festival lasts for three days and begins one day before the last day of the month of Chaitra, falling in the month of April.The first day is known as Phool Bizu. On this day, household items, clothes are cleaned and washed, food items are collected to give the house a new look with the veil of different flowers. The second day known as Mul Bizu.This day starts with the bath in the river. People wear new clothes and make rounds of the village. Women wear "pinon" and "Haadi" while men wear "silum" and "dhudi". They also enjoy specially made vegetable curry known as "Pazon ton", different homemade sweets and take part in different traditional sports. The day ends with the Bizu dance.

The last day, which is known as Gojjepojje din involves the performances of different socio-religious activities. In the context of its nature some say that Bizu is a festival, which revolves around agricultural activities because it is celebrated in mid-April when the earth is just drenched with the first rain and the jum sowing is taken up. And it is believed that with the objective of getting rich harvest worship of the earth was arranged which later on took the form of a festival. However of late it has lost its agricultural character.

2.ALPHALONI

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Alphaloni is a most important day for Chakma people.

During Alphaloni everyone takes a break from farming because it is harvest season.

In Alphaloni all farmers, are taking rest and give also rest all animals, weapons of farmers, in this day they are eating new food, fruits from jum (harvest), and offering and sharing with other.

This day all people feel happy and enjoy with family, neighbor, relatives etc. to offering new fruits from jum.

It is very historical day for Chakma people; we have celebrated this festival last 2500 years.

It is an old tradition during the king reign of Suddhdhana father of Siddharta. This is old festival2500 years ago when the prince Siddharta was meditating under tree, on the other side had celebrating plough festival (Alphaloni) their farmer parents and relatives etc.

During that time he was practicing meditation and seeking an end to all suffering.

3.BUDDHA PURNIMA

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It is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Baisakh.It actually encompasses the birth, enlightenment (nirvāna), and passing away (Parinirvāna) of Lord Buddha. On the day of the worship devotees go to the monastery with Siyong (offerings of rice, vegetable and other fruits and confectionaries). The Buddhist priests known as Bhikkhu lead the devotees for chanting of mantra composed in Pali in praise of the holy triple gem: The Buddha, The Dharma (his teachings), and The Sangha (his disciples). Apart from this, other practices such as lighting of thousands of lamps, releasing of Phanuch Batti (an auspicious lamp made of paper in the form of a balloon) are also done as and when possible.

Food

Bamboo shoot is a traditional food of the Chakma people.They call it "Bajchuri".Shrimp paste and Fish paste are their traditional ingredient of cooking.They call these, "Sidol".

The staple food of the Chakmas is rice, supplemented by millet, corn (maize), vegetables, and mustard. Vegetables include yams, pumpkins, melons, and cucumbers. Vegetables and fruit gathered from the forest may be added to the diet. Fish, poultry, and meat (even pork) are eaten, despite the fact that many Buddhists are vegetarians.

Traditional diets have slowly been abandoned, as the Chakmas have been forced to flee their homeland. Some typical Chakma dishes include fish, vegetables, and spices stuffed into a length of bamboo and cooked in a low fire; foods wrapped in banana leaves and placed beside a fire; and eggs that are aged until they are rotten.

Sports

Gudu hara OR Ha-do-do is a game played throughout the Chakma region. Two teams stand on either side of a central line. They take turns sending a player into opposing territory to touch as many people as he or she can during the space of one breath, while at the same time saying "Ha-do-do." If the player runs out of breath or is caught by his or her opponents, he or she is out.

On the other hand, if the player successfully returns to his or her own territory, the players he or she has tagged must leave the game. Other pastimes include Ghilay Hara, a game similar to marbles except that small wooden disks are used instead of marbles; Nadeng Hara, played with a spinning top; and various wrestling games. Girls do not have dolls or play at being "mother" as they do in Western cultures.

Chakmas- The most unfortunate tribe affected by the partition

August 1, 2017

(Excerpt from Sneha Kumar Chakma’s memorandum to CHADIGANG CONFERERNCE – Amsterdam 10 -11 October 1986.)
When World War II virtually ended in favour of the allies, the British government decided to abdicate sovereignty of India with a pledge to give the Muslims a homeland – Pakistan. Lord Wavell sat in conference at Simla to accord an Interim Government -July, 1945.

     Finding independence and partition of India inevitable, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peoples Association (Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samity -PCJS) of which I was General Secretary, sent me to the Wavell conference to meet the Congress high command and other leaders with a memorandum. I held long discussions with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad on CHT.

A memorandum containing political demands of CHT was again sent out on 15 Feb 1947. (Annexure-2).
Myself (Sneha Kumar Chakma) was co-opted in the All India Excluded Areas Sub-Committee of the Constituent Assembly of India for CHT (vide No.CA/38/Com/47) dated 20.3.1947 and I sat in committee at Rangamati on 3rd April, 1947 (Annexure-3). When crucial and decisive moments were fast approaching and the PCJS demanded bold and vigorous actions to meet all contingencies, our president, Kamini Mohan Dewan showed physical as well as mental depression and therefore the organisation contracted in May 1947, into an Action Committee with Pratual Chandra Dewan as chairman and Ghanasyam Dewan as field commander.

Bengal Boundary Commission was announced by the Governor General on 30th June, 1947 with erroneous and ambiguous terms of reference (Annexure-14 para 2 & 3). I, as General Secretary, PCJS, and representative in the Indian Constituent Assembly, was sent to do the needful.

1. I consulted Pandit Nehru who said that the Commission had nojurisdiction over CHT. (Annexure-12 B Para 1and Annexure-13para1-5). 

2. On 14th July, 1947 I submitted a memorandum to the Bengal Boundary Commission. (Annexure-4).

3. Bengal Boundary Commission held hearings on 16th July, 1947 and onwards without its Chairman, Sir Cyrill Radcliffe. The CHT memorandum had a roaring hearing of 91 minutes on 19th July, 1947. I was terribly apprehensive of the Commission’s trespassing into CHT on the following grounds :

1. The trump card, Sir Radcliffe, was not there to listen to the arguments of CHT.

2. The Congress and Hindu Mahasabha Memoranda did not talk a word on CHT.

3. The two Muslim members of the Commission and theMuslim League lawyer fought tooth and nail with the non-Muslim members of the Commission and my lawyer.

      So I ran to Delhi and reported my despair to Pandit Nehru who reiterated his old conviction, and to Sardar Ballavbhai Patel who swore to write strongly to the Chairman Sir Radcliffe.

In the meantime, the Indian Independence Actof 18 July, 1947(Annexure-15) came to my hand and also the rumours that Sir Cyrill Radcliffe had squashed the seven-page arguments of Justice Bijan Mukherjee and Justice Charu Biswas (non-Muslim members of the Bengal Boundary Commission) and that the honourable chairman of the commission had crumpled Sardar Patel’sletter on CHT and threw it down to the bin in gigantic wrath.

I hastened to Sardar Patel one dark morning and swore – “I am flying back to CHT to declare it INDIA AND RESIST if it happens otherwise! Will you stand behind me, Sir?”

“Certainly, I will be with you, behind CHT! Go back, hurry back”! Sardar Patel was truly a Sardar! (Annexure-5).

I arrived back to Rangamati and on 4th August, 1947 alerted Shri A.V. Thakkar, chairman of my sub-committee regarding CHT.(Annexure-6)

      At 00.00 hours between 14th and 15th August, 1947, the Action Committee with a gathering of 10000 people led me to the Deputy Commissioner’s bungalow. Col. G.L. Hyde, the D.C., came out and received us.

“Sir, is not India independent now”?
“Yes, you are independent now and on”.

“Is not, Sir, CHT a part of India under the

Independence Act of India”?

“Yes, according to the Independence Act of India 1947 Chittagong Hill Tracts is a territory of Indian dominion”.

“So, should we not hoist our national flag”?

“Yes, but we the British people generally hoist flags at sunrise. Please come at dawn and hoist the Indian national flag publicly in the football ground, and I will go and salute it. Thereafter I shall flourish the Indian flag in my office and residence where I invite you all.Please come here to attend my flag hoisting ceremony.”

Our veteran leader, Kamini Mohan Dewan,declining all our requests to do the job, the Action Committee forced me to hoist our national flag at sunrise on 15th August 1947. We followed the D.C. in procession and attended the governmentflag hoisting ceremony. Messages were sent out everywhere. Little did I know that while I was hoisting Indian flags in Rangamati, CHT, Pandit Nehru was sending a crucial (but belated?) note of B.N. Raw to Sardar Patel, on CHT.(Annexure-7)  In the evening on 17th August 1947 the Radcliffe Award dated 12th August 1947, was heard over the radio implying CHT within East Bengal Boundary. Early next morning the ActionCommittee summoned an emergency meeting to be held on 19th August 1947 in the Deputy Commissioner’s residence.

    Chakma Raja and all dignitaries were invited. Chakma Raja attended, Kamini Mohan Dewan attended and many others. Everybody subscribed to the resolutions –

1. CHT shall not abide by the Radcliffe Award.

2. Resistance be put up and resistance squads be immediately set upwith indigenous weapons.

3. Sneha Kumar Chakma shall immediately set out in quest of arms and support from India. He must avoid immediate arrest. After dispatching the news to relevant quarters, at 3 p.m. on 19th August, 1947, I left Rangamati to cross the borders of CHT, on foot track, towards Ramgarh-Sobroom (CHT- Tripura) with Indramoni Chakma (colleague) and an armed bodyguard of seven captained by Girish Dewan. I crossed to Sabroom on 20th August, 1947 and was at Agartala on 21st August, 1947.

     I went to Shillong and reached Calcutta on 25th August, 1947 and touched Sardar Patel by wire (Annexure-8).

Within a few days I was talking to Sardar Patel. “We are resisting. I am sent to you for arms & ammunition”.

“Only arms & ammunition”?

“Yes. Only arms & ammunition. People of

CHT are ready to fight out their own field. They can adopt to all weapons necessary at present.”

“I am quite ready to supply arms & ammunition. But you know I am a deputy? Have I not a ‘Prime’?”

“Do you not push me to Pandit Nehru”?

“Yes. You must meet him first”.

“Then am I to see you again”?

“Come and report”.

It took me about 50 days to engage myself to the Prime Minister in his office. “I am fighting Pakistan to bring back CHT to India. Will you kindly supply me only arms & ammunition”? Pandit Nehru, the great Prime Minister of India, jumped up from the Prime Ministerial Chair and thundered – “Do you propose to bring India again under foreign rule”?

I dared not embarrass the Sardar with a ‘report’ and returned to my Calcutta camp to tap private resources. On 24th January, 1948 – I sent a cable to the U.N.O. (copy not available), I sent a telegram to-

1. Mahatma Gandhi

2. Hon’ble Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

3. Hon’ble Sardar Patel

4. Hon’ble Dr. Shyamaprasad Mukherjee

5. Editor, Associated Press of India NEW DELHI (Annexure-9 & 10a) On 29th January, 1948, I confirmed the cable and the telegram in (1) & (2) above (Annexure-10b)and sent a memorandum to the United Nation’s’ Organisation (Annexure-11).

Probably during the last week of August and first week of September, 1947, the two non-Muslim members of the Bengal Boundary Commission (Justice Bijan Mukherjee and Justice Charu Biswas)so journed New Delhi with Indian leaders trying revision of Radcliffe Award in respect of CHT.

But they must have heard as I did from Nehruji, My lawyer in the commission, Shri Apurbadhan Mukhopadhyaya, also visited Delhi with the same mission but Ghandhiji plucked out the word “CHT” from his lips. (Annexure-10C)

With Sardar Patel and many others, the people of CHT thought the Government of India had locus stand to rectify the injustice upon CHT. And I brought the same again to the notice of India.

1. On 19th November, 1949 (Annexure-12-ABC)

2. In 1981, in the National Convention of Buddhists New Delhi, Ch.1 Introduction, of(Annexure-13). In order to facilitate a juridical study of the documents that pushed CHT to problem, I beg to enclose copy of the following:-

1. Bengal BoundaryCommission & Radcliffe Award (Annexure-14).

2. Indian Independence Act 1947 (Annexure-15). The Muslim homeland of Pakistan naturally held CHT as a Muslim homeland with an alien pro-Indian population. By steadily infiltrating Muslims of the plains and evicting indigenous people, i.e. through the Kaptai Hydro Project, colonization steadily grew as a matter of administrative device. The Sovereign H.Q.s were oceans apart from CHT and neighbourly hatred was not too sharp. It was a slow poison, a long term policy. Even General Ayub had occasion to declare CHT a ‘Tribal Area’.

Chakma Rulers turns to refugees

Brief note on the Chakmas

I. origin: The Chakmas forms part of the great Tibeto-Burman language family. Regrettably, there is no authentic record of the origin of the Chakmas. It is popularly believed that they have, several centuries ago, migrated from Arakan hills of Burma to the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. It is noteworthy to mention that the Chakmas ruled the CHTs which at that time also consisted of a part of the Lushai hills, present day Mizoram. 
II. Partition of India: Injustice done to the Chakmas During Partition (14 August 1947),India was divided on the religious line. Muslim-majority areas went to form Pakistan. Surprisingly, Chakma- dominated Chittagong Hill Tracts of present day Bangladesh formed part of Pakistan even though Muslims were only meager 2 %. The Chakmas are Buddhists and wanted to remain as part of India, where they thought their future would be more secure and independent. The Partition axed the Chakma’s destiny.The Chakmas have been patriots. They fought against the British, and did not allow the conquerors to conquer them.

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. No wonder, the Pakistani troops immediately pull down the Indian flag and made a few Chakmas captive. The Chakmas could not give a united stand against the injustice done. Indian government remained mum. It did not recognize the Chakmas’ contributions and sacrifices during the freedom movement. It did not respect their aspirations and dreams either. 

III. Persecution under Pakistan and Bangladesh rule Given the communal division between India and Pakistan, that the Buddhist Chakmas would be persecuted in Muslim Pakistan was a foregone conclusion. Chakmas were brutally killed, tortured, attacked and their women folk raped under the Pakistan rule. In 1964, the Kaptai Dam reservoir was built that submerged around 44% of the CHT’s agricultural lands and made tens of thousand Chakmas homeless and foodless.

Those displaced were neither rehabilitated nor compensated nor treated well. Thousands became IDPs and refugees. 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, no mercy. The precarious situation of the Chakmas of Bangladesh could be summarized in a line – “Life is not ours”, they say. The Chakmas have turned from rulers to refugees.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 ofIndiain 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.

IV. The present crisis but the conditions didnot improve in India. 

Arunachal Pradesh, India between 1964 and 1969, about 30,000 Chakma and Hajong tribals had migrated to India from the Chittagong Hill Tracts in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and were rehabilitated by the Government of India in the then North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), now Arunachal Pradesh. Their present population is stated to be around 70,000.The Chakma tribals did not face any trouble when Arunachal Pradesh was a Union territory and they were getting every facility that was available for an Indian citizen. Only after 1979, when Arunachal Pradesh was given State status, Chakmas were harassed and treated as refugees. Since 1980, no Chakma has been given employment in the state. Government of Arunachal Pradesh vide their circular CS/PR-154/89/99, had banned the issue of ration cards to Chakmas and Hajongs of Changlang district. Again in 1994, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh asked them to surrender all the ration cards.The AAPSU activists regularly harassed the Chakmas and burned schools, houses,and denied them medical facilities. Even some of them died out of hunger. Since 1991, the Chakmas and Hajongs have been fighting for citizenship rights under the leadership of the Committee for Citizenship Rights of the Chakmas of Arunachal Pradesh (CCRCAP). On 9 January 1996, the Supreme Court of India in its historic judgement in the case of National Human Rights Commission Vs State of Arunachal Pradesh and Anr (Civil Writ Petition 720 of 1995) directed the State government of Arunachal Pradesh to process the citizenship applications of those who migrated between 1964 and 1969 and directed to protect the life and personal liberty of each and every Chakma residing within the State of Arunachal Pradesh.

(Access SC’s judgment here http://www.aitpn.org/StatelessIPs/SCjudgement.pdf ) National Human

Rights Commission (NHRC) of India had moved the Supreme Court. The Delhi High Court in its judgment of 28 September 2000 (CPR no. 886 of 2000) directed the authorities to enroll all eligible Chakma and Hajong voters into the electoral rolls.

(Read the judgment here: http://www.aitpn.org/StatelessIPs/DelhiHCjudgement.pdf ) But the State Government and its agencies including the State Election Commission have been bias and discriminatory towards the Chakmas. The question is “how long”? Further reports on human rights violations of Chakmas of Arunachal Pradesh: Asian Centre for Human Rights,New Delhi: http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/AR07/arunachal.htm#_Toc166925350b. On 17 September 2015 The Supreme Court of India directed the Central and state government to process the citizenship of the migrated Chakmas of Arunachal Pradesh within 3 months. But the process is yet not complete. Meanwhile AAPSU (All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union) distracting the state government with their baseless campaigns.
Mizoram, India

 The Census of India 2001 put the Chakmas’ total population at 71,283 in Mizoram, and constituted the second largest tribal community in the state with 8.5% – only next to the Mizos who constituted 77%.The Chakmas have distinct culture, dress, language and follow Buddhism while Mizoram is a Christian majority state (90.5% are Christians). The Chakmas face discrimination in all spheres of life for being “different”. The Chakmas are the original native of their places living there since before British came to India ( not like the Mizos who are said to be migrated from the European Countries). They live in a contiguous belt along Indo-Bangladesh border, covering the three districts of Mizoram, namely Mamit, Lunglei and Lawngthlai. Though the Chakma population has been inhabiting this contiguous area of Mizoram, they have been under four separate Administrative units, namely, Mamit district, Lunglei district, Chakma Autonomous District Council and the Lai Autonomous District Council. As a result, the cultural, social and political unity oft the Chakmas has been disrupted leading, to gross under- development of Chakmas inhabited areas. The Chakmas gained the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) in 1972 to protect and promote their distinct culture and identity and freely choose their own political, social and economic goals. But the District Council covers only one-third of the Chakma population in the state. The Chakmas living outside the District Council (including Sajek Valley area) are subject to regular harassment and discrimination by the State government in various forms. Moreover, the state government has been conspiring to dissolve the CADC by hook or by crook. Life is no less painful in Sajek area of Mizoram. The Chakmas have been living in acute poverty and without access to basic healthcare, education and infrastructure such as roads, electricity connectivity. Most Chakma household is engaged in traditional Jhum cultivation. As forest cover is diminished and production scanty, another name for life has become “struggle for survival”. Hundreds have already been deleted from voters list arbitrarily. Although Mizoram’s overall literacy is 88.49%, the rate of illiteracy of the Chakmas is very high. According to Census of India 2001, the Chakmas are the most illiterate community in Mizoram.
A large Number of Chakma can be found in Tripura and some in 3 district of Assam mainly Karbi Anglong, Nagaon and Kamrup. The economicalcondition of Chakmas in Karbi Anglong must worst then the Chakmas of Arunachal Pradesh. Thought Assam government gave them the citizen status of its state.