Barak Valley

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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/
Barak Valley is situated in the southern part of the Indian state of Assam. The main city of the valley is Silchar. The place is named after the Barak river. Barak valley mainly consists of three districts namely Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi. Karimganj, the district headquarters of Karimgnaj district, is the second largest town in valley. It is considered as the cultural center of Barak valley.

The official language of Barak valley is Bangla. However, majority of people speak a dialect, which is known as Sylheti Bangla. Religious composition of the valley population is Hindu:50%,Muslim:46%,and others 4%. Hindus are majority in Cachar (60)% while Muslims are majority in Karimganj (53%) and Hailakandi(57%).

Silchar
Silchar (Bengali: শিলচর Shilchôr, Assamese: শিলচৰ Xilsôr, Sylheti: শিলচর Hilsôr) is the headquarters of Cachar district in the state of Assam in India. It is the economic gateway to the state of Mizoram and part of Manipur. The town of Silchar has tremendous commercial importance. It consequently, witnesses the settlement of a sizeable population of traders from distant parts of India.

Being a peaceful place in the North-East earned it the bon mot of "Island of Peace" from India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The majority of natives in Silchar are Sylhethi, earlier a part of district under the erstwhile Sylhet district of undivided india. A sizeable fraction of the citizens also consist of people originally living here before the partition of Bengal. Silchar is situated by the banks of the Barak River in what is popularly known as Barak Valley.Rice is the staple cereal. Fish is also available. Shuţki (the local name for dried fish) tôrkari, shidal chutney, "chungar peetha" are some of the local delicacies.

Geography
Silchar is located at the southern part of Assam. Situated on the Barak River near the Bangladesh border, it is a trade and processing centre for tea, rice and other agricultural products. There is limited industry, principally papermaking and tea-box manufacturing. The city has an airport and lies on both a rail head and national highways connecting Guwahati, Assam; Agartala, Tripura; Imphal, Manipur and Aizawl in Mizoram state. It has an average elevation of 22 metres (72 feet).

Demographics
As of 2001 India census, Silchar had a population of 143,003. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Silchar has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 76%. In Silchar, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Major religion followed is Hinduism.

Climate
At Silchar the wind generally blows from the northeast in the morning and from the southeast in the afternoon. Summer is hot, humid and interspersed with rains and thunderstorms. Winter generally starts towards the end of November and lasts till February. Towards the start of the Bengali month of Baishakh (mid-April) rain clouds start covering the skyline. Silchar is inundated almost every year due to excessive rain fall and flooding by the river Barak.

Education
Silchar has some of the best educational institutes in the whole of North East India. One of the 20 National Institutes of Technology (formerly known as Regional Engineering Colleges), NIT Silchar is one of the oldest engineering colleges in the North-Eastern region. REC Silchar as it was known previously is now an Institute of National Importance in India.
Silchar also has Silchar Medical College, a Polytechnic Institute, B.Ed colleges, two Law colleges and an Industrial Training Institute (ITI).

After several years of persistent efforts Silchar got its own university Assam University a central university, which imparts education in both the general as well as professional streams. The university, which came in to existence in 1994, has 9 schools and 29 departments under them. The university also has 51 affiliated colleges under it.

Some reputed schools in Silchar include Adhar Chand H.S. School, Holy Cross School, Silchar Collegiate School, South Point School,Oriental High School,Maharishi Vidya Mandir, Narsing School, Govt. Boys School, Govt. Girls school and a couple of Kendriya Vidyalayas amongst others. Among the colleges the best known ones are Guru Charan College, Ramanuj College, Cachar College, Radhamadhav College etc. Guru Charan College is one of the most respected and reputed colleges in the whole of Assam. On the other hand, Ramanuj College is known to be the most successful institution for +2 level studies, now-a-days, in the entire Barak valley. The colleges are credited with producing some of the best intellectuals of the region.
Recent years have seen Silchar emerge as a potential educational place where denizens from the trouble-torn North-Eastern region come to the town for their children's education. Today a large number of professionals from Silchar are to be found around the globe in almost all countries and regions. Students today can educate themselves in almost all fields.

Connectivity
Silchar is connected by road, rail and air to the rest of the country.
Silchar is connected through meter gauge rail network with Lumding and this is currently being updated to broad gauge lines. The railways station is located at Tarapur, Silchar. There are regular inter state bus services connecting Silchar with Guwahati, Shillong, Aizawl, Agartala and other places. The airport is located at Kumbhirgram, about 22 km from Silchar and there are regular flights connecting Silchar with Kolkata, Guwahati and Agartala.

Historical Background

Cachar district records
"The management of the affairs of the district was entrusted after annexation, to Lieutenant Fisher, an officer of approved ability and great local experience. for some months Cachar continued to be administered from Cherrapunji, the head quarters of the Agent to the Governor General, but in consideration of practical difficulties early in 1833 Fisher had his head quarters at Dudputli which however were soon shifted to Silchar for the sake of convenience."
In the 1850s, British tea planters re-discovered the game polo in Manipur on the Burmese border with India. The first polo club in the world was formed at Silchar. The first competitive modern form of Polo was also played out in Silchar and the plaque for this feat still stand at the back side of the District Library, Silchar. Other clubs followed and, today, the oldest in the world is the Calcutta Club, founded in 1862.

Railway Link
The Assam Bengal Railway brought Silchar into the Indian railway map in 1899. The railway line from Lumding to Silchar is hailed as one of the most exciting pristine railway tracks of India. Built by the British during the colonial rule, the Meter Gauge line stands testimony to the grandiose of what was once a highly popular city in the North-East.

Language Martyrs
Silchar saw one of the uprising in favour of the Bengali language. When the Assam Government, under Chief Minister Bimala Prasad Chaliha, passed a circular to make Assamese mandatory, Bengalis of Barak Valley protested. On 19th March, 1961, Assam Police opened fire on unarmed protesters at Silchar Railway Station in which 11 agitators died. After the popular revolt, Assam Government had to withdraw the circular and Bengali was ultimately given official status in the three districts of Barak Valley.

External links
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Know more about Barak Valley

Karimganj

Karimganj District is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Karimganj.

Geography

The district occupies an area of 1809 km². It is bounded on the northeast by Cachar District, on the east by Hailakandi District, on the south by Mizoram state, on the southwest by Tripura state, and on the west and northwest by Bangladesh. Karimganj Town The administrative headquarter and main town of the district also bears the same name, that is, Karimganj. Location Karimganj town is located on the northern fringe of the district adjoining Bangladesh, by the river Kushiara. Its distance from Guwahati - the state capital of Assam - is approximately 330 km by road and about 350 km by rail. Distance of other important places are : Silchar - 55 km, Shillong - 220 km, Agartala - 250 km. Communication Karimganj town has communication links with both rail and road with the rest of India. Karimganj town is a railway junction and meter gauge lines connecting Tripura with Assam pass through this station. The most popular mode of passenger transport, however, is by road. A good number of buses - mostly night services - ply between Karimganj and Guwahati daily. Direct long distance bus services are also available to Shillong, Agartala, Aizawl and so on. Communication with Silchar, Badarpur, Patherkandi and other nearby places is also mainly dependent on road transport, with services by all sorts of light and heavy vehicles available a frequent intervals. The nearest airport is Kumbhirgram (85 km) near Silchar - the headquarter of the adjacent district of Cachar. Karimganj town is also an important river port and has seasonal cargo and freight transport link with Kolkata through river ways via Bangladesh. Geography Flanked on two sides by the rivers Kushiyara and Longai, Karimganj town is located just on the Bangladesh border with the river Kushiara flowing in between. One prominent feature of the place is a long and winding canal called Noti Khal meandering across the town. Earlier, it used to be a connecting river way between Kushiara and Longai facilitating river communication and also balancing of water-levels between the two rivers. Now, however, this canal has been blocked at several places through embankments and land-fills to pave way for road transport and construction works.

History
In 1878, the British administration designated Karimganj town as the headquarters of the newly created sub-division of Karimganj. Before Partition of India in 1947, Karimganj District was a sub-division of greater Sylhet DistrictThe estate of the earstwhile zamindars of Hasanpur,in Badarpur is also situated in Karimganj. After partition, most of Sylhet District joined East Pakistan, which eventually became the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971.
Since 1947 Karimganj town continued to be the headquarter of a truncated Karimganj sub-division, now attached to the Cachar district of Assam.
In 1983 this town was re-designated as the District headquarter of the newly upgraded Karimganj district.

Trade and Commerce
Karimganj town is an important centre of trade and commerce in the North East India. Its river port, with elaborate infra-structures like cargo-terminal, jetty, warehouses etc., is capable of handling large volumes of cargoes carried by steamers plying through river ways via Bangladesh. Karimganj is also a borders trade centre and import-export business worth crores of rupees is carried out through the custom trade point at Kalibari Ghat in the town.

Demography
The district has a population of 1,003,678 (as of 2001). The district's litaracy rate is 55.78%. Muslims form a slight majority in the district, at 52% of the population, with Hindus comprising 47% according to the 2001 Indian census.
Karimganj is one of several districts in Assam where Bengali is spoken by the majority of the population, as also in some other districts such as Cachar, Barpeta, Halaikandi, Dhubri and Goalpara.

Administration
Karimganj District has one sub-division. The district has 5 tehsils or development circles (Karimganj, Badarpur, Nilambazar, Patherkandi and Ramkrishna Nagar), two urban areas (Karimganj and Badarpur) 3 towns (Karimganj, Badarpur, and Badarpur Railway Town), 7 community development blocks (North Karimganj, South Karimganj, Badarpur, Patherkandi, Ramkrishna Nagar, Dullavcherra and Lowairpoa), 5 police stations (Karimganj, Badarpur, Ramkrishna Nagar, Patharkandi, Ratabari), 96 gram panchayats, and seven anchalik panchayats.

External links
About Karimganj

Hailakandi

Hailakandi is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Hailakandi. The district occupies an area of 1327 km², out of this 50% is resere forest and the district has a population of 542,978 (as of 2001). As of the 2001 Census, over all literacy rate is 59.80. The figure for Males is 68.47% and for females, it is 50.64%. The main language of the District is Bengali.

External Links:
Hailakandi

Cachar

Cachar (Assamese and Sylheti: কাছাড় Kasaŗ, Bengali: কাছাড় Kachhaŗ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Silchar. The district occupies an area of 3786 km² and has a population of 1,442,141 (as of 2001).Bengali has a status of Official Language in this district.

Silchar is one of the most important business centres of Assam. It is also one of the 6 cities of Assam to have an airport. NIT Silchar is one of best engineering colleges in India.
Though Indian states are formed based on language, surprisingly Cachar continued to be a part of Assam instead of being merged with Bengali speaking Tripura. Barak is the main river of this area.

Barak River

The Barak River is the major river of northeastern India and part of the Surma-Meghna River System. It rises in the Manipur hills and enters the plains near Lakhipur. Downstream of Silchar town and before entering Bangladesh the Barak bifurcates into the Surma River and the Kushiyara River. The principal tributaries of the Barak in India are the Jirl, the Dhaleshwari, the Singla, the Longai, the Sonai and the Katakhal.

Course
From its source in the Manipur Hills near Mao Songsang, the river is known as the Barak River. It flows west through Manipur State, then southwest leaving Manipur. The principal tributaries of the Barak in India are the Jirl, the Dhaleshwari, the Singla, the Longai, the Sonai and the Katakhal.

In Mizoram State it flows southwest then veers abruptly north when joined by a north flowing stream and flows into Assam State where it turns westward again near Lakipur and flows west past the town of Silchar where it enters Bangladesh.
In the upper part, the river receives a lot of little hill streams, namely, Gumti, Howrah, Kagni, Senai Buri, Hari Mangal, Kakrai, Kurulia, Balujhuri, Shonaichhari and Durduria.

Assam

Assam pronunciation (help·info)) (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm [ɔxɔm]) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a suburb of the city Guwahati. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra and the Barak river valleys and the Karbi Anglong and the North Cachar Hills. With an area of 78,438 square kilometres (30,285 sq mi) Assam currently is almost equivalent to the size of Ireland or Austria. Assam is surrounded by the rest of the Seven Sister States: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. These states are connected to the rest of India via a narrow strip in West Bengal called the “Chicken's Neck”. Assam also shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh; and cultures, peoples and climate with South-East Asia—important elements in India’s “Look East” Policy. Assam along with rest of the seven sisters states became part of India in 1828 when the British invaded.

Assam is known for Assam tea, petroleum resources, Assam silk and for its rich biodiversity. It has successfully conserved the one-horned Indian rhinoceros from near extinction, tiger, numerous species of birds and provides one of the last wild habitats for the Asian elephant. It is increasingly becoming a popular destination for wild-life tourism and notably Kaziranga and Manas are both World Heritage Sites. Assam was also known for its Sal tree forests and forest products, much depleted now. A land of high rainfall, Assam is endowed with lush greenery and the mighty river Brahmaputra, whose tributaries and oxbow lakes provide the region with a unique hydro-geomorphic and aesthetic environment.

Sylheti language

Sylheti (native name সিলটী Silôţi; Bengali name সিলেটী Sileţi) is the language of Sylhet, the north-eastern region of Bangladesh, and also spoken in parts of the North-East Indian states of Assam (the Barak valley) and Tripura (the North Tripura district). It is also spoken by a significant population in the other north-eastern states of India and amongst the large expatriate communities in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and the Middle East.
Sylheti is often either considered a dialect of Bengali (Bangla) or an Assamese language due to many similarities between the languages, and also often considered a separate language due to significant differences between them all. Given that Sylhet was part of the ancient kingdom of Kamarupa,[1] the language has many common features with Assamese, including the existence of a larger set of fricatives than other East Indic languages. According to Grierson,[2] "The inflections also differ from those of regular Bengali, and in one or two instances assimilate to those of Assamese". Indeed it was formerly written in its own script, Sylheti Nagari, similar in style to Kaithi but with differences, though nowadays it is almost invariably written in Bengali script.

Sylheti is distinguished by a wide range of fricative sounds (which correspond to aspirated stops in closely-related languages such as Bengali), the lack of breathy voiced stops seen in many other Indic languages, word-final stress, and a relatively large set of loanwords from Arabic, Hindi and Persian. Sylheti is spoken by about 10 percent of Bangladeshis, but has affected the course of standard Bengali in the rest of the state.

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About Karimganj
About Cachar
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About Assam