< Previous 39Chapter 3 has augured peace and harmonious co-existence in previously disturbed areas of Northeast India. The efforts to build trust and all-round development has won over most of the insurgent groups to repose faith in the Constitution of the country and the policies of the government. Thousands have laid down their arms and became partners in the peace and development journey of the North East. Hence, this dream of a peaceful, prosperous and developed North East has been a sure winner— decades-old problems are being resolved amicably in a steady manner. For instance, the historic signing of Bodo Peace Accord on the 27 th of January, 2020 addressed the five-decade old Bodoland Movement of Assam. Giving equal space of development to all people including the people from the ten Sixth Schedule areas through the Constitution (one Hundred and Twenty-Fifth amendment) Bill, 2019 is a welcome proposition. This Bill seeks to provide greater autonomy for social, cultural and economic development of marginalised tribal and indigenous communities within the constitutional framework of India. It aims to augment legislative, administrative and financial powers of the 6 th Schedule Councils of India by making necessary constitutional amendments. The streamlining and calibration of various institutions, processes and mechanisms through this Bill will ensure strengthening of democratic institutions in far-flung and often-overlooked tribal areas in peripheral India. Further, it will ensure greater appreciation of the rich diversity of languages, faiths, creeds and cultures by providing autonomy in several transferred subjects. Even though the 125 th Amendment Bill is not going to fulfil all aspirations of the tribal-indigenous communities, it serves as yet another milestone on the offer for ensuring development and smooth functioning of administration in the Sixth-Schedule Regions. While it will foster and provide the impetus to positive changes in Northeast India, this Bill is key to connecting the region with the hearts of rest of India!I appreciate the observation of the International Day of Peace today. Peace is simply a very powerful word. In the past Centuries, we witnessed the power of guns, canons, nuclear bombs, muscle, money and politics. We also witnessed that when all these powers failed to resolve the issues of humankind, non-violence and dialogue were able to restore peace and normalcy. In this way, peace is very precious in the history of humankind. However, as someone said, “… [we] human beings are naturally selfish,” we forget and fail to comprehend the values that we cannot buy with money. For, instance, it did not occur to humankind in different epochs of time across the centuries and millennia, that peace is a power which could have solved many of our problems. Instead, violence and hatred feature prominently in our histories. Unfortunately, we are seeing the repeat of this failure in the contemporary times too. It took two catastrophic events- the First World War and the Second World War, and several other episodes of violence-filled global altercations, for the United Nations (UN) to be formed, and later on for the UN to promote the value of/for peace by declaring the International Day of Peace. The aforementioned violence-filled global events had already destroyed human lives and degenerated the human values to such an unprecedented extent, never imagined in our earlier times. By declaring the International Day of Peace in 1981, and by unanimously voting to designate the 21 st Day of September to observe the day as a period of non-violence 4 Peace and Love The sure remedies in a fragmented world 42Chapter 4 and cease-fire, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) once again sought to reposition peace as fundamental to human survival and wellbeing. The UNGA’s adoption of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace recognized, also, that peace “not only is the absence of conflict, but also … a positive, dynamic participatory process where dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation.” Now, we the peace-loving people realize that had everyone understood the importance of peace, and had it been the tradition of human societ(ies) to celebrate peace like the way people celebrated New Year’s Day or Christmas, there would not be crises such as the ones we have had, in any place on our Earth, in the past centuries or present times. In this context, the observation of the International Day of Peace reminds us today, more than ever, about the need for respecting life, human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons, groups, communities and nations. There is a need to engage in holistic promotion of non-violence and harmonious co-existence through education, dialogue and cooperation. We can avoid further damage to universal human values of peace, love, generosity and compassion by peaceful settlement of world conflicts as advocated by India under the leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the sure way to promote “justice, democracy, tolerance, solidarity, cooperation, pluralism, cultural diversity, dialogue and understanding at all levels of society and among nations” as declared by the United Nations General Assembly. When there are wars, violence, riots, killings and mass displacements, we feel the need for change of behaviour and transformation of degenerated human morality in our societies. In the recent times too, there has been continuous and widespread activity of killings and counter-killings of lives. Oh! What a misfortune it is that peace itself is so easily displaced by violence 43Chapter 4 in our society. This, in spite of the fact that, in the contemporary human society, we have modern world-class institutions where subjects of humanities, and science and technologies are taught! Today, when we reflect on peace, we fail to draw a line of distinction or see any marked difference between the so-called ‘educated’ and the ‘non-educated’, and so also among the ‘schooled’ and the ‘non-schooled’— the minds of people, irrespective of their background, by and large conform to the idea of violence as a solution. This mole in our thinking has been a total failure, a total disaster, and completely against humanity. This has led to one human catastrophe after another till date. Particularly, the poorest people, women and children have been worst hit by the spread of unreasonable violence and brutality in our societies. As on date, millions have become victims of violence and are reduced to the status of refugees in relief camps. This, in spite of our claim that we are at the pinnacle of human civilizational achievement: status of being an economic, technological and nuclear superpower. It is crystal clear that if we do not have a foundational value of/for peace in our collective vision for creating a human-friendly and ecologically sustainable earth, we will always engage in ‘othering’ processes, and perceive ‘the other’ as a threat. Our celebrated philosopher of peace— the Non-Violence Guru of the World— Mahatma Gandhi had said, “There is enough for everybody’s need.” And here we are. We fight. The insecure/ fighting mind comes from our greed he had said— the greed for power, wealth and the audacity to exhibit one as more superior to the other. In such a scenario, could there be a cure? Could we hope for a permanent peace in our world of today and tomorrow, for ourselves and our future generations? What are the ways in which we could prevent future violence and establish peace? These are some difficult questions of our times. Daunting but not impossible, I must say. For instance, the celebration of International Day of Peace by the people of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) is a clear signal that they are fed-up with decades of conflict and 44Chapter 4 violence. Better late than never, they have chosen well to talk and walk the path of peace: bridge the gaps between and among communities, hold hands and walk together as one, irrespective of their linguistic, cultural and historical differences. One may draw from this experience and say that it is possible not only for the people of BTR to shed the differences and work on each other’s strengths, but also for all the societies of our world to realize that there is no alternative to peace and love, and that peace is a sure possibility. In contrast to how armed movements— both small and big breed on violence, peace thrives on love, kindness and generosity. For peace to exist, it is essential to treat all people with love and kindness, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, creed and religion. In order to replace violence with peace, it is essential to teach ourselves and our future generations on peace and love, the two most potent values of human beings. Some of our educational institutions have done well to start happiness curricula in their academic programmes. It is my belief that happiness exists when there is love and peace— within the self as well as in the society. Catch them young, they say. Therefore, the need to move a step further towards introducing peace and love as regular curricula in our schools. Inculcating the sense of awareness that the unfathomable power of love and peace are but every human being’s innate capacity among our children could be the best starting point. Cultivating a culture of peace in our fragmented world is fraught with challenges, but I see it as a definite possibility: a sure remedy. And the right time to begin is now— within our minds, homes, communities and nations. Fostering, promoting, educating one and all on peace and love is the sure path to human survival, wellbeing and prosperity. Ever since the signing of the Bodo Peace Accord on the 27 th of January 2020, there has been no looking back for the people of Bodoland Territorial Region. Like the rare “Aha” moment in one’s life, this Peace Accord came by as a true ‘moment of lift’ for the people of our region. Like the shriveled-up plants after a prolonged drought, our parents, children and youth relished the drops and torrents that came pouring in. Our parched and dry spirits were reinvigorated, hopes were rekindled and lives were defragmented for the first time in decades. All of a sudden, people saw a rainbow of possibilities for establishing peace and stability in our region. It came as a true blessing: a moment of time in our collective histories that beckoned the end of the old ways of violence and terror, and the dawning of a new epoch of peace, sustainable development and happiness. Social and psychological healing can take place only when a condition for peace is created and sustained. The Bodo Peace Accord 2020 has already created and sustained one. Strengthened by the goodwill of well-wishers and guided by our collective vision- Peaceful, Smart and Green Bodoland we were able to initiate a number of flagships aimed at sustaining peace, psycho- social healing, economic growth and social development in the last three years. We have been able to set the necessary momentum for delivering good governance in our region and march along with the rest of Assam and India. 5 Celebration of Peace on Bodoland thanksgiving Day 46Chapter 5 How true it is that in defining moments of history, such as the one we experienced in 2020, paths of individuals and communities are crossed, thereby providing the scope and arena for collective envisioning of a common destiny! While one may say that peace does not mean mere absence of conflict, it is also true that peace can prevail only when fear is absent from the minds of people. The people of the Bodoland Territorial Region have indeed chosen well: choosing peace in place of conflict and violence. Sink or swim, the people have hit the road running. In this way, within a couple of years, we have had rich dividends come our way: our children, young men and women have begun to walk their dreams, rebuild lives and revitalize communities. The Bodoland Territorial Region has always been full of potentials, hopes and bright futures. Unfortunately, the creative potentials and talents were horribly stifled and suffocated for generations as a result of the internecine conflicts that ruled the roost for generations. Bright dreams and visions came to a sorrowful waste as thousands of lives perished to bullets and mortar. Others spent the most productive phases of their lives in uncertainty and seemingly endless gloom. There was a dark cloud hovering permanently over our physical and mental spaces. One cannot but shiver and shudder to think about the bygone years when our pristine and undulating lands were stained by the blood of so many innocent lives. The horrors of those piercing wails and screams continue to haunt us to this very day. Every passing day had brought rueful news of arrests, kidnappings, rapes, death(s) and property damage through gunfire, bomb blasts or other forms of violence. We have had to weep continuously. On occasions when brothers and sisters from our communities fell, and also on occasions when our Jawans fell. How could we be immune to grief in sorrowful times. There was no rest and respite from pain for any one of us during conflict years. In Bodoland alone, we lost over 5000 persons. Many of our women continue to 47Chapter 5 live as widows and we have so many children who were orphaned during the conflict. However, on the eve of the successful completion of three years of the UPPL-BJP-GSP led BTR Council Government, our hearts are now filled with gratitude and our minds with reinvigorated hopes and dreams! Our BTR Government has tried to honour everyone’s faith in us by committing ourselves to everything that will retain Bodoland Territorial Region as a climate-resilient region. We have initiated missions to address long-pending issues that were kept in abeyance earlier. Our collective vision Peaceful, Smart and Green Bodoland seeks to sustain peace, healing, transformation and development. Our objectives are promotion of peaceful co-existence through innovative programming for social, cultural and economic development- down to the last mile. We have been joined by a number of collaborators for social and economic transformation: corporates, philanthropic agencies, CSOs, CBOs, etc. Our missions focus prominently on agriculture, animal husbandry and livelihoods. Our education officials have worked hard with the candidates of the Bodofa Super-50 missions and in turn our young people have responded with their hard work and phenomenal success. A similar enthusiasm is seen in the arena of sports, culture and literature. Erstwhile known for prevalence of violence and fear, Kokrajhar, now retitled as the City of Peace, has hosted several national and international events already. Thus, it behoves that we repay our benefactors with gratitude. Though, our journey has just begun and we have much distance to traverse, this occasion calls for celebration! Thus, thousands thronged to participate in the Thanksgiving & Celebrating Peace Programme on the 20 th of November 2023, at SAI Stadium Kokrajhar- the City of Peace. They gleefully and heartily wove their cell phone lights- gesturing gratitude to Prime Miniter of India Shri Narendra Modi, Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji, HCM of Assam Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma Ji and all our well- wishers and benefactors. 48Chapter 5 This opportune event provided us the unique platform to redeem our faith, hope and vitality. I can already see that this event will inspire all of us, particularly our youth and children, to hold unto peace even more dearly, thereby, building a happy, healthy and wealthy BTR.Next >