Why objectionable?
                                                    Courtesy - WBHS

The All Bodo Historical Society, Kokrajhar Bodoland (Assam), India, would like to inform the people in Assam in general that the verses 13 and 14 of Dwitiya Kirthan of the Kirthan-Gosha Aru Nam-Gosha composed by Mahapurusha Shri Shri Shankardeva and Shri Shri Madhav Dev in 16^th century which reads as follows:-

               

The sum and substance of the above verses is that the followers of Buddhism and the Mlecchas should be killed as they do not abide by the tenets of the Vedas.

             The dictate issued in the said verses of the Kirthan-Ghosha Aru Nam-Ghosha is unconstitutional, illegal and opposed to the principles of human rights, and secularism for reasons amongst others, as shown below.

2.1. Opposed to Article 25(1) of the Constitution

Article 25 (1) of the Constitution reads, ‘Subject to public order, morality and health and to the other provisions of this part, all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practices and propagate religion.’ While issuing the dictate to kill and annihilate all the Mlecchas and the Buddhists, the said Keertan-Ghosha Aru Nam-Ghosha has openly challenged the provisions of Article 25(1) of the Constitution thereby creating obstacles for the citizens of India freely to profess, practice and propagate religion of their own choice.

2.2. Opposed to Article 51-A of the Constitution

Article 51-A of the Constitution reads, inter alia, ‘It shall be the duty of every citizen of India –

(e) to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;

(f) to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;

(h) to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry reform.’

The dictate of the said books has ignored and undermined the direction of the Constitution issued under Article 51-A of the Constitution and has illegally proclaimed principles against the harmony, common brotherhood, heritage of our culture and humanism. Such a dictate cannot be a part of any book not to speak of a book on religion and the dictate is dangerous to the causes of humanism and national integrity.

3. The dictate of the said Keertan-Ghosha Aru Nam-Ghosha would also attract the related provisions of the Indian Penal Code in so far as it instigates and/or provokes to kill (murder) and annihilate the Mlecchas and the Buddhits. Therefore, the persons who have edited and/or published such books including the said Keertan-Ghosha Aru Nam-Ghosha together with the persons who have aided and participated in spreading the illegal and unconstitutional dictate are liable for prosecution under the law.

4. It may be pointed out that besides being illegal and unconstitutional, the dictate of the said books are directed to intimidate people belonging to other religions to adopt and/or convert into the religion propounded in the Keertan-Ghosha Aru Nam-Ghosha which is not permitted under any law. In States, like Orissa and Arunachal Pradesh, they have already the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967 and The Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 1978 respectively thereby stipulating that any person who converts or attempts to convert, either directly or otherwise, any person from one religious faith by the use of force or by inducement or by any fraudulent means or abetment shall without prejudice to any civil liability, be punishable with imprisonment to the extent of two years and fine up to ten thousand rupees.

The above verses were discussed in the Central Working Committee Meeting of the World Bodo Historical Society during its fourth Annual Session held at Kokrajhar Girls’ College Campus, Bodoland (Assam) on 17^th june 2012 and the Committee found the verses to be provocative and detrimental to the people who do not follow the tenets of the said religious book, particularly the Mech or Bodo people whom others describe as Mlecchas. After having a threadbare discussion on the matter the Meeting resolved to ask the Government of Assam and the concerned authorities to remove the said verses from the concerned book with immediate effect.

                                                                                           

                                                                                                           

          How the word “Mech’ originated?
                                                                   
                                               Courtesy - WBHS (World Bodo Historical Society).
 

According to scholars the word Mech has been derived from the Sanskrit word Mlecha. In the Mahabharata, the Puranas and other writings the word Mlecha has been distinctly mentioned as a race and the language spoken by those people. The word Mlecha is believed to be derived from the word Mech or vice-versa. Following are the quotations with regard to the derivation of the word Mech from the word Mlecha or vice-versa:

 

1. “These later Mongolians belong to the Tibeto-Burman family of the Indo-Chinese group and their representatives of the present day are the Kocharis, Koches, Rabha, Meches, Mikir, Lalungs, Garo,Nagas, Kukis and Chutias. Of these tribes speaking the Bodo(Bara) languages seem to have occupied the plains of Assam for a very long time. The Bodo people were no doubt the Kiratas and Mlechcha spoken in Mahabharata. The Meches of Assam still preserve traces of the opprobrious name “Mlechcha” apply to their forefathers by the earlier Aryans coming into Pragjyotisha.” ( Early History of Kamrupa, by Rai Bahadur K.L. Barua ; p-14).

2. “The Bodo folk who lived to the west of the Kamrupa district are called Mech by the Hindu neighbours. This word is probably a corruption of the Sanskrit, ‘Mlechcha’.” (Linguitic Survey of India by G.A. Grierson; Vol.-III; Part-I; page-111)

3. “From the records in the epics—the Ramayana and the Mahabharata dated c. 1000-800 B.C.) it is known that the north-eastern frontier kingdom of India a Mlecha territory ruled by the Boro Kings, referred to as Danavas and Ashuras by the Aryans of the Ganga Valley, was known as Pragjyotisha (the eastern land of Astrology) and later as Kamrupa with its central shrine of Mother Goddess Khamakhya on the Nilachal Hill overlooking the mighty Brahmaputra within the present metropolitan complex of Guwahati.” (Dr. T.C. Sharma, ‘ The Culture and Civilisation of Assam, in Assam and Assamese Mind, 1980. p-5.

4. ‘‘The Five Pandavas spent their years of disguise in the palace of Kirata King Virata in the Terai land of eastern Nepal. In the same way before the coming of Aryans towards the eastern India, North-Bengal and Assam no doubt, the Aryans heard the news of Kirata people of the east. They used to call the modern Assam and Lohit by the name of Mlechchadesh or the country of the Mlechcha or Mech people.’’ (Kirata Janakriti; Dr. S.K. Chatterji; page-63).

5. Epigraphs of ancient Assam as well as the Kalikapuran mention Bhagadatta as the son of Naraka. The Harshasarita , on the other hand describes Bhagadatta as being in the anvaya (line of succession) of Naraka. Legends state that Bhagadatta gave his daughter Bhanumoti in marriage to Durjyodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas and for this relationship participated in the great Mahabharata war on the side of the Kauravas. He is a well known figure in the Mahabharata, celebrated as powerful warrior king “not inferior to Chakra (Indra) in battle” and also skilled in welding the chariot. He is called ‘the mighty king of Mlechchas’ and described as “the best wielder of the elephant squad” among the kings participating in the war on the Kaurava side. He is dignified with the title “Siva’s friend” and is referred to in terms of respect and kindliness by Krishna, as evident from the following words which he uttered to Yuddhisthara. “Bhagadatta is the father’s aged a friend, he was noted for his difference to his father in word and deed and he is mentally bound by affection and devoted to, like a father. (A comprehensive History of Assam : S. L Barua). P-82.

6. “Inscriptional evidence it is stated that, ‘by the middle of the 8th century A.D the line of Salstambha as being of the Mlechcha, as in Borgaon Coper plate of 11th century, would appear to make it clear that he was a Bodo Chief of the Mech tribe (Sanskritized as Mlechcha), who followed Bhaskar Barman in assuming the rulership of Assam.” (Kiarat Janakriti: Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee; p-97),

7. Kacharis are believed to be very closely allied to Koches ….and also far at least as language is concerned, to the Chutiyas, Lalung and Morans of the Brahmaputra Valley, and the Garos and Tipperas of the southern hills. Having regard to their wide distribution, and to the extend of countries over which Bodo languages of a very uniform type are still current, it seems not improbable that one time the major part of Assam and North–East Bengal formed a great Bodo kingdom, and that some, at least, of the Mlechcha kings mentioned in the cooper plate inscription belonged to the Kachari or some closely allied tribe.(A History of Assam; Sir, A.E. Gait; p-300),

8. The earliest inhabitants of Assam were the Kiratas Chinas and other primitive tribes commonly designated as Mlechcha and Asuras. The Mahabharata referes to the army of Bhagadatta composed china, and Kirata soldiers (A Cultural History of Assam (Early Period) : by K. Barua; p-5):

9. Harupeswar king of Tezpur is stated by Mahmahopadhyay as Low Status origin. He is referred as Mlecch king from Bhaskar Burman dynasty. (Bhattacharya, MPN, : Kamrupa Sasonavali, p. 22),

10. According to N.N. Basu (Social History, 1992, Vol-I p-98). Meches and Kiratas belong to the Asura dynasty. (op. cit, p. iii). They were Mlechchas and so abbreviated into Mech.

11. In the Mahabharata king of Pragjyotisha has been called the Lord of the Mlechcha. (Kiratas in Ancient India, G.P. Singh, page-127).

12. But, the distinct mention of Sala-Stambha, as in the Bargaon copper-plate of the 11th century, would appear to make it clear that he was a Bodo Chief of Mech tribe (Sanskritized as Mleccha) : (Kirata Janakriti, Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee),

13 The Kiratas mean the Mongoloid or Indo-Mongoloid people (the Bodos) and the Chinas probably stood for the Bhutanese and the Tibetans. (A comprehensive History of Assam : S. L Barua). P-74.

14. “The Bodo folk who lived to the west of the Kamrupa district are called Mech by the Hindu neighbours. This word is probably a corruption of the Sanskrit, ‘Mlechcha’. (Linguistic Survey of India by G.A. Grierson; Voll-III; Part-1; page-111),

15. “During the time of Mahabharata, King Bhagadatta, son of Narakasura who had led his battalions of the Kirata and Chinese forces to Kurukshetra was the famous king of this Mlechcha Kirata or Mech Kirata tribe.” (Iman Singh Chemjong; History and Culture of Kirata People; page- 232),

16. “He had several sons and the descendents of each son also became famous kings in Assam in different times and at different places. King Vaskar Varma was the most famous Kirata King of Assam, Nepal and Burma in 7th Century A.D.” From 7th to 9th century A.D. Pralomba Dynasty from same lineage ruled in Assam. Bhagadatta Kirata Dynasty, Pal kings from Brahma Pala to Tingya Dev ruled up to 11th century. They are also ancestors of Mlechcha dynasty of Bhagadatta.” (Iman Singh Chemjong; History and Culture of Kirata People; page- 232).

 17. "The Boro folks who lived to the west of the Kamrup district are called Mech by the non-Bodo neighbours. This word is probably a corruption of the Sanskrit “Mleccha”, which means a foreigner or a stranger. Those of the Boro who live in and to the east of the district of Kamrup are called Kachari (pronounced Kosari) by the non-Bodos."  -Aspects of Social Customs of The Bodos, page no. IV by Dr. K. Brahma

                                                       Courtesy - WBHS (World Bodo Historical Society).