Unique protest through art work staged in Lakhimpur district

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: At a time when the payers and petitions submitted for drawing the attention of the administrators to implement due development in neglected places are never coming into effect, the people have no alternative but to stage protest programmes. Even if the moderate methods of staging such protests go in vain, they are compelled to adopt unique methods to get their message across in order to attain the benefits of their judicious right to protest.

On Sunday, such an unique protest was staged at No. 2 Bhogman Silikhaguri village under North Lakhimpur Revenue Circle of Lakhimpur district against the elusion of due development in the village during the long 74 years of post independent period. Notably, the village is located just a few kilometers away from the district head quarter in a critical geographic area of the Subansiri river Valley. This village under Azad Gaon Panchayat continues to be deprived of any kind of development year after year. The people of the village have to co-exist with flood for six months in every year, simultaneously battling against various problems caused by lack of pure drinking water, accessible road communication, sanitary household latrines, river erosion and so on. The problems of the village are not exception to them this year too and the village is reeling under flood at present.

Demanding the permanent resolve of all these multifaceted problems, a protest through art work was demonstrated in the village on Sunday. Five noted artiste of Lakhimpur named Raju Das, Nilim Mahanta, Miftaul Rahman, Bidyut Kalita and Mino Patir represented the protest and pent-up resentments of the victim villagers by drawing ten paintings on the day.

By selling the paintings, the collected fund will be utilized in the distribution of flood relief among the affected villagers. In a view to this, Rs. 3000 is fixed as the price of the each painting and thus Rs. 30,000 will be collected. In the meantime, four paintings have been already sold at the spot.

The programme was initiated by Dikpal Lahon, a young social activist of the district who has been adopting the village at present with a galaxy of magnanimous persons. He was assisted by five noted Youtubers of Lakhimpur named Bitopan Saikia, Rajib Duwori, Ikramul Haque, Riponjyoti Das and Bikram Gogoi and rapper Kuldeep Saikia. They will campaign online for the permanent resolve of the long-lasting problem of the village with a view to redeem the villagers from their miserable plights. Notably, a detailed report on the miseries and problems of the village was published in October 21 issue of The Sentinel, last year, after this correspondent had visited the village.

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