Recently, a proposed Miya museum reflecting the culture and heritage of the people living in char-chaporis has stirred up a controversy in Assam.
Important value additions
Miyas of Assam
The ‘Miya’ community comprises descendants of Muslim migrants from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) to Assam.
They came to be referred to as ‘Miyas’, often in a derogatory manner.
The community migrated in several waves — starting with the British annexation of Assam in 1826, and continuing into Partition and the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
Their Migration has resulted in changes in demographic composition of the region.
Years of discontent among the indigenous people led to the six-year-long (1979-85) anti-foreigner Assam Agitation to weed out the “illegal immigrant”, who was perceived as trying to take over jobs, language and culture of the indigenous population.
Char-chaporis
Char-chaporis are shifting riverine islands of the Brahmaputra.
These are primarily inhabited by the Muslims of Bengali-origin.
A char is a floating island while chaporis are low-lying flood-prone riverbanks.
While Bengali-origin Muslims primarily occupy these islands, other communities such as Misings, Deoris, Kocharis, Nepalis also live here.
