GUWAHATI: The roots of Cho Yuet Meng's family go much deeper in Assam than in Hong Kong where she lives now. Born of a Chinese father and an Indian mother at Makum in Assam's Tinsukia district, she was uprooted from her place of birth along with her family during the height of Sino-Indian war in 1962 on security grounds.
Fifty years later, Cho is about to undertake a journey to Makum again and relive her childhood memories.
Cho, who was christened as Anjali Gawala then, and her family were first taken to Deoli camp in Rajasthan and subsequently deported to Hong Kong. Cho was in eighth standard when she and her parents were deported.
"I am very excited to be in the land of my birth. I still remember my childhood friends athough I don't remember how many days I spent at the deportation camp. I worked at an insurance company in Hong Kong and had to struggle quite a bit initially. But it was the pangs of nostalgia and memories of Makum that pained me more than the struggle. I have retained my original name besides my Chinese name," said Cho, who will head for Makum on Tuesday.
Eight other Chinese, who like to refer them as Chinese Assamese and had suffered a similar fate, are also embarking on a journey to their place of birth at Makum.
Litterateur Rita Choudhury's socio-literary organisation Adharshila played a pivotal role in bringing them back to Assam again. Choudhury, author of a highly acclaimed novel titled 'Makam', said it was one of the most tragic episode in the country's history because the government deported those people who were born and brought up in Assam. She said despite their Chinese ethnicity, they were Indian citizens.
'Makam' is a poignant depiction of the sufferings the Indian Chinese in Assam had to face during the thick of 1962 war.
The origin of Chinese settlement in Assam goes back to the British era when they were brought as migrant labourers from China about 170 years ago to work in state's tea gardens. In course of time, the Chinese migrants assimilated with Assamese society and married local women, resulting in a thriving culture.
Choudhury said everything for the 'Chinese Assamese' changed in 1962 when paranoia and betrayal had shattered the community.
"They (Chinese Assamese) were uprooted and deported to a land where they had no organic connection. It is an ugly episode in Indian history. The Chinese labourers married women from here and formed a new community. They accepted our culture and way of life. But they were given a raw deal just in the name of ethnicity. It is time the Indian government looks into the matter seriously," said Choudhury.
