From revenge to reconciliation: Bodoland happiness mission heals old wounds

When violence erupted in Bodoland on July 20, 2012, lives were shattered in a matter of days.

- ABHIJIT DEB

Jugamai Boro (name changed) saw her home go up in flames and lost her brother in the first wave of rioting.

More than 110 people were killed, over 400,000 displaced from nearly 400 villages, and 270 relief camps were set up to shelter the victims.

The entire Bodoland region was caught in the whirlpool of ethnic violence, and survivors like Jugamai, Mantu Soren and Ruhul Amin carried both grief and anger for years.

For a long time, reconciliation seemed impossible. Families who had suffered devastating losses spoke of living with fear and carrying what they described as the "weight of revenge."

Yet today, many of those who once dreamed of vengeance speak a different language. They have begun to forgive, to seek peace, and to rebuild their communities. The reason, they say, is the Bodoland Happiness Mission.

The programme was launched in 2022 across the four districts of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri, and Chirang by Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) Chief Executive Member Pramod Boro.