Debasish Paul

Education and Chakmas in India Debasish Paul

On 15.08.1947, the Indian tri-colour went up a flag post in Rangamati, the capital town of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. CHT is primarily inhabited by Chakmas & other tribal groups who are either Buddhists or pro-Hindu religious believers. The Chakma believed that given the religious composition of the CHT & the foundation of partition, their district would be within the territorial jurisdiction of India, which they too desired. But not so decided Sir Cyril Radcliff, head of the Boundary Commission, who awarded CHT to (East) Pakistan. The Chakmas had to pay a heavy price for this arrangement, a price which cost them so dearly that even the present generation & may be many generations in future have to suffer. Chakmas were considered as an antithesis of the State sponsored religion & thus efforts began to size the Chakmas in a place where they are extra-large. The state sponsored atrocities, plundering burning of houses forced Chakmas to migrate to adjoining border areas, particularly in Burma & in India. This book is an effort to describe the anthropological history of the Chakmas & the implication of their migration to India with respect to their status as citizen & education