Makum: The forgotten past of the Chinese community of Upper Assam
Makum: The forgotten past of the Chinese community of Upper Assam
Transcript
00:00The Makum Chinese community exists on the fringes of Indian history, its narrative overshadowed
00:07by the broader events of the 1962 Indo-China War and the surge of nationalism it provoked.
00:14Despite being Indian citizens, many members of this community were forcibly sent to China
00:20amid the fervor of wartime nationalism.
00:23During British rule, tea was discovered in the Singapore Kingdom, adjacent to British
00:28occupied Assam.
00:29To cultivate this new-found resource, the British needed skilled labour and turned to
00:34neighbouring China.
00:35Chinese workers experienced in tea plantations migrated to Assam in 1838, drawn by better
00:42wages than they could earn in their homeland.
00:46These Chinese labourers were not alone.
00:48Workers from various parts of India also came to the tea gardens.
00:52Despite their diverse origins and cultural differences, these communities intermingled.
00:59The Chinese men often married local women, and over generations, they became more Assamese
01:04than their original ethnicity, many even forgetting their ancestral language.
01:10Known as the Assamese Chinese, they became an integral part of the region, contributing
01:16significantly to its prosperity.
01:19Several small Chinatowns or Chinapatis emerged across Assam, with Makum being the largest.
01:25These communities established Chinese clubs, schools, and restaurants, leading comfortable
01:31and integrated lives until everything changed abruptly.
01:35The Indochina War transformed them into aliens in their homeland, which their founder referred
01:41to as Janam Jaga.
01:43The Indochina War of 1962 was a tumultuous period in India's history, severely impacting
01:50the Chinese-Indian community in Makum.
01:52Primarily of Hakka descent, this community had migrated to India in the late 19th and
01:58early 20th centuries, thriving in trades such as tea plantations, tanneries, and restaurants.
02:06However, as tensions between India and China escalated, they found themselves under intense
02:12scrutiny.
02:42As you all know, I am Bijoy's sister-in-law, her name is Janki.
02:58I don't know much about my mother, but I have heard a lot about her.
03:07I have heard a lot about her, but I don't know much about the Chinese-Indian community.
03:19Many Chinese-Indians were detained under trial under the Defense of India Act, with reports
03:25suggesting that between 2,000 and 3,000 were interned in camps, the most notorious being
03:32the Diori internment camp in Rajasthan.
03:34In Makum, Chinese families faced arrest, forced relocations, and the confiscation or vandalization
03:42of their properties and businesses.
03:45Intense interrogation and surveillance isolated and marginalized the community, which had
03:51once been a vibrant part of Makum's social fabric.
04:21The
04:44intermittent and persecution had lasting economic and social repercussions.
04:51owned by Chinese Indians was shuttered or taken over leading to financial ruin for many.
05:21the government.
05:22I have been living in this house since I was a child, and I have been taking care of the
05:28baby.
05:29I have been taking care of the baby since I was a child, and I have been taking care of
05:30the baby since I was a child, and I have been taking care of the baby since I was a child,
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