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The Barak Valley (Bengali: বরাক উপত্যকা Borāk Upotyokā, Sylheti: ꠛꠞꠣꠇ Borāk), a region at the southern fringes of Assam, consists of Cachar, Hailakandi and Sribhumi districts. Culturally close to Sylhet, the valley is home to Bhuban Hills, tea gardens and the former capital of the old Cachari kingdom of Khaspur.
Cities
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- 1 Silchar (শিলচর Shilchor) — division headquarters
- 2 Badarpur (বদরপুর Bodorpur) — home to a fort.
- 3 Sribhumi (শ্রীভূমি Shrībhūmi) — a border town.
Other destinations
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Understand
[edit | edit source]The Barak Valley (Bengali: BAW-rahk OO-poht-taw-kah) is bounded on the north by the Barali and Jayantia hill ranges, on the south by Mizoram. Cachar district was created in 1830 after annexation of Kachari Kingdom by British. In 1854, North Cachar was annexed and tagged to the district. In 1951 erstwhile North Cachar Sub-Division was made a separate district and taken out of Cachar. In 1983 erstwhile Karimganj Sub-Division and in 1989, Hailakandi Sub-Division was made a separate district.
The valley is famous for the Bengali language movement in Assam. In 1961, the state government issued a circular making Assamese mandatory, prompting protests from Bengalis in the valley. On 19 May 1961, the Assam Police opened fire on unarmed protesters at Silchar station, resulting in 11 deaths. The state government later withdrew the circular, and Bengali became an official language in the Barak Valley. The people in the region still remember the moment.
Talk
[edit | edit source]Unlike rest of Assam, most Barak Valley residents understand Bengali, the language mostly associated with Bangladesh and West Bengal. People in rural areas speak Sylheti at home, which is very different from Bengali. Bengali and Manipuri (Meitei) are two official languages of the valley. However, as it is in the state of Assam, Assamese is the state official language that is used in state government offices.