The
historic town of Gauripur at the western end of Assam is a microcosm in itself.
Caught at the crossroads of culture and geography, this small town is home to a
diverse population. One such is the huliyas or the bepari (businessman)
community. They had migrated from parts of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal as
early as the mid 19th century. Many families trace back their roots
to Magrahat in South 24 Parganas. Traditionally this community had engaged in
manufacture of bindis that women use and selling these products along with
bangles, earrings, anklets as well as cosmetics. Interestingly it was the women of the
community who used to carry these products in a big round basket and take them
from village to village.
When Women Lighted Hearths
For a long time, for village women
removed physically from markets and bazaars, the ‘Churi libe Fita libe’
(the huliya women pronounce these words while ferrying their products) opened
their gateway to beautiful trinkets. The huliya woman was their sole source of
getting a hand at beautifying cosmetics like cheap skin creams, lipsticks,
kajal et al. Our parents often recall buying something called Afghan Snow cream
or Plaza Snow Cream from huliyas for as cheap as 50 paise some 50 years back.
Traditionally it was the women who
would undertake economic activities. This is even marked in an interesting
tradition which is a part of their wedding ceremony. A day after the wedding, the
bridegroom climbs on the rooftop of the bride’s home and enacts a drama. He
pretends that he will commit suicide. He quotes many reasons which makes him
want to end his life. Then the newly wedded bride pleads him not to kill
himself and promises that she will look after him for his entire life. The
bridegroom then comes down and from the next day the bride starts her activity
of economically providing for herself as well as her husband.
The Community Has Undergone Sea Change
Many of these families trace back
their roots to Hindu Bengalis who converted for different reasons. After coming
to Gauripur, these people settled in an area near the town which came to be
known as Bepari patty. Close to 5000 people from the community live
currently in Gauripur. Many have moved to other parts of Assam owing to
education, business etc. Over the decades, this community which had a distinct
language, tradition and economic culture, greatly assimilated with the dominant
Deshi muslims of Gauripur.
The community eventually
intermarried and became a part of the larger populace in Gauripur. While
traditionally their women enjoyed an economic liberty as well as economic
independence, the assimilation redefined their role and the greater patriarchal
society limited their earlier independence. The huliyas are still there. But it
is no more limited to the women of the huliyas community. Men from other
communities have also taken up this work. In fact huliya women in Gauripur are
no longer engaged in these economic activities. Nowadays men would carry their
fare in wooden boxes with glass frames and travel to interior villages on their
bicycles. They would also set up their stalls in the local fairs during eids.
The community has also undergone
much change. While the preferred mode of income continues to be business, there
are some families which have witnessed social mobility due to education. Such
families have gotten into government jobs. However the majority continues to be
involved in the informal sector. The newer generation has set up shops which
cater to the needs of the upcoming youngsters.
The community has no doubt become an integral
part of the larger population of Gauripur. But their socio-economic
backwardness is still very prominent. There is also a social hierarchy that
tries to put them on a lower rung. Many tend to look down upon them owing to
their traditional work. Education for many and specially education of women
continues to have a lower priority. All these work as obstacles for the overall
upliftment of the huliyas.
The Diversity of Muslims in Assam
The huliyas remind us of the
internal diversity of Muslims in Assam. While others from the community living
in South 24 Parganas and areas near Maruganj have maintained their traditional
occupation of making and selling trinket jewellery, the huliyas of Gauripur
have largely left behind their unique culture and tradition. Inter marriage and
co existence has diluted many such traditions. However a community which
earmarked a stronger role for women is losing its identity due to lack of any
proper research and documentation.
These issues become more pertinent with heated
discussion about who is an indigenous and who is an outsider? There is a need
to acknowledge how much the larger Assamese community has absorbed and in turn
become enriched. It is this diversity that makes Assam and its people
beautiful. This community should also remind people of women’s freedom and
mobility which has eventually been curtailed owing to a revival of religious
conservatism.
In an age of competitive Puritanism, there was a
Muslim community which challenged popular stereotypes about Muslims – its women
had greater independence, it indulged in music etc. A detailed well designed
research can bring to focus alternative ways in which women’s role in society
and specifically Muslim women’s role in Assamese society could be historically ascertained.
(This piece was published in the December, 2017 issue of Eclectic Northeast)
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