Tuesday, January 08, 2013

A Sad Loss.

Yesterday was a sad day. A young Assamese boy from Jorhat lost his life crossing train tracks in the wee hours. In Mumbai, it is dark till 6:45 these days, and the local trains hardly make any sound.

I wonder why he had to die in Mumbai leaving his old parents alone.

He was one of the security personnel in my office premises. He was a graduate. Our office premise has 11 young Assamese boys. In the last 5 years, Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa are attracting a lot of young educated unemployed boys from Axom in the semi-skilled segment. They are mostly into security agencies and hospitality as waiters and helpers.

Unlike the migrants from rest of India, these Assamese youths are mostly 12th pass and graduates. They have no hope of a career in their motherland. They think it would be easier outside. In 1997, I thought so too.

This is especially hurting because Axom is rich in natural resources. Coal and Oil industry is flourishing. Its land is very fertile. Tea, Bamboo, Water Hyacinth etc are in abundance. Rice is a cash crop with varieties like Joha which can give Basmati a complex. Trading with other states and internationally have become easier. Tourism has tremendous potential. Axom is not only beautiful but also, is the gateway to the beautiful north east.

Still our youth are coming out for semi-skilled labour.

We as a community are failing. The Government and policy makers of the state machineries are failing. The intelligentsia is failing.

Why is it difficult to be self sufficient as a state? There is no dearth of avenues.

There is dearth of thinking and action at the upper layers of the society who can influence social and economic progress in the state.

I feel a lot of pain.

3 comments:

  1. Its very very pain full when a person die away from their home leaving behind the family lonely :(
    we can only pray to God give a strength to Parents

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TRUE. We can only hope for the next best for the family.

      Delete
  2. Aditi1:00 PM

    Its not very different about India. the country has seen brain drain since early 70's and is still bleeding. To a certain extent it has reduced because its difficult to get into UK/US now than upto 20 years ago.
    People who are willing to work will move on to better pastures when the same are lacking in their homeland. If similar job opportunities are created, nobody would be really keen in giving up on their family life, moving to a strange city, live in shanties and do menial tasks for 12 hrs a day for a paltry sum.
    Our government policies have miserably failed to create better life at grassroot levels.

    ReplyDelete

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