Northeast: Observing Republic Day amid militants' boycott call

In the nineties, when I joined an Assamese daily as a news-desk employee, the separatist militants enjoyed a significant support base among the common people, and so it was a difficult task to defy many diktats of those gun-toting youths, including the one restricting any celebration relating to the Republic and Independence Days across northeast India (which they termed as the western part of the southeast Asian region).

- NAVA THAKURIA

The armed militants, while arguing that the far eastern part of Bharat was not a part of India till the Yandabo peace treaty was signed on 24 February 1826 and hence there was no meaning of observing both the days, tried to forcefully impose a general strike in this part of the world.

The rhetoric still goes on, even though the civilians started defying their diktats, thanks to the growing awareness among Northeast dwellers, initiatives from the government administrations, and some freedom-loving Guwahatians, including the journalists, who dared to observe both the sacred days in the city press club premises since the late nineties.

The 76th R-Day also witnessed an increasing participation of northeastern people in both the government and community-level celebrations in unfurling the tricolour and paying homage to the known and unknown martyrs of India's Freedom Movement against the colonial British forces.

Existing resentments against the Union government in New Delhi and respective state governing authorities, never-ending anti-Bharat propaganda, and also the diktat from the separatist elements could not deter them from joining the celebrations.

Their aspirations for a powerful nation, defined as a Biswa Mitra (if not immediately a Biswa Guru) preaching as a guiding light for the human race with its legacy, culture, and environment-friendly behaviour, live on.

The celebration across the region passed off peacefully, except for some unfounded reports of bomb blasts in Guwahati, which the authorities had rejected outright.

Many areas of Imphal valley in Manipur, however, looked deserted as the marketplaces were closed, and only a few people seemingly came outside their residences on 26 January 2025.