Hailakandi
Encyclopedia
Hailakandiis a town and a district in Hailakandi district
Hailakandi district
Hailakandi district was one of the 27 districts of Assam state in north-eastern India. It was constituted as a civil subdivision on 1 June 1869. Subsequently, it was upgraded to district in 1989, when it was split from Cachar district...

 in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...

.The Hailakandi district is one of the three districts of Southern Assam i.e. Barak Valley.

Geography

Hailakandi is located at 24.68°N 92.57°E.The area of Hailakandi town is 4.55 km2 according to the 2001 census.It has an average elevation of 21 metres (68 feet). It has an area of 1326.10 square kilometres. Out of this, more than 50% is reserve forest. The district has got inter-state border with Mizoram on its south having a length of 76 km besides inter district border on other sides with Karimganj and Cachar districts. In year 2006, it is estimated to have a population of 5,47,003. There are total of two reserved forests in Hailakandi District viz. Inner line reserved forest and Katakhal reserved forest. These were once rich in wildlife but now vanishing due to human onslaught. rare species found are Hoolock gibbon, Phayre's leaf monkey, Pig-tailed macaque, White-winged Wood Duck, Purple Wood Pigeon, etc., have been recorded. The southern part was also recommended as 'Dhaleswari' wildlife sanctuary.
The main language of the town is Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...

 using a local dialect, which has some resemblance to Sylhet's dialect. There are some Bishnupriya Manipuri
Bishnupriya Manipuri language
The Bishnupriya or Bishnupriya Manipuri is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of the Indian states of Assam, Tripura, Manipur and others, as well as in Bangladesh, Burma, and other countries.-History and development:...

 and Manipuri (Meitei).

It comprises three notified towns viz. Hailakandi (district headquarters),Lala and Algapur and one industrial town ship viz. Panchgram. A Municipal Board governs Hailakandi town & a town Committee governs Lala. It has five development blocks viz. Algapur, Hailakandi, Lala, Katlicherra & South Hailakandi development Block. There is a Mahkuma Parishad named Hailakandi Mahkuma Parishad covering these 5 Development Blocks. There are total of 62 Nos. of Gaon Panchayat under these five blocks. The district is divided into four revenue circles comprising a total of 393 villages (including 27 forest villages). Nearly half the district consists of forests. Out of the remaining half, 33.2% is under cultivation. Rice is the main crop. District has got 17 tea gardens. The District has 4 Police stations, 2 Police out-posts, 4 Colleges, 43 H/E, H/School, 247 ME/ MV Schools and 937 LP schools.

History

It was constituted as a civil subdivision on 1 June 1869. Subsequently, it was upgraded to district in 1989. It is to be noted that according to some scholars,the name "Hailakandi" has been derived from the Sylheti word "Hailakundi". The later history of Hailakandi is intricately linked to Abdul Matlib Mazumdar (1890–1980). In 1946, when India was still under British rule, he became an MLA and also Cabinet Minister of Assam. He was one of the prominent Muslim leaders of eastern India to support Hindu-Muslim unity, opposing the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...

 on communal lines. Mazumdar along with Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was the fifth President of India from 1974 to 1977.-Early life and background:Fakhruddin's grandfather, Khaliluddin Ali Ahmed, of Kacharighat near Golaghat, Assam, married in one of the families who were the relics of Emperor Aurangzeb's bid to conquer Assam Ahmed was born on...

 (who later became the 5th President of India) became the most prominent Muslim opponents of the demand for a separate Muslim state of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, especially in the eastern part of the country. Mazumdar took Master of Arts Degree in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....

 from Dhaka University in 1921 and B.L. from Calcutta in 1924. He started legal practice at Hailakandi Bar in 1925. He rose to prominence as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 serving the people of Hailakandi. The then government offered him the post of a Magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...

, which he refused. He joined the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

 in 1925. He founded the Hailakandi Congress Committee in 1937 and became its first President. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited Hailakandi in 1939 and 1945 respectively at the invitation of Mazumdar to strengthen the freedom movement as well as the Congress party in southern Assam. It was Netaji who initiated establishment of contact between Moulana Abul Kalam Azad and Matlib Mazumdar for gearing up nationalist Muslims against a growing Muslim League in the region. Mazumdar became the first Chairman of Hailakandi township in 1939 and in 1945 he became the first Indian Chairman of the Hailakandi Local Board, a post always held by the European tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...

 planters.

The Muslim League proved its might in the Muslim-dominated areas of India in 1937 elections. To counter the rising popularity of Muslim League, he successfully organised the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind
Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind or is one of the leading Islamic organizations in India. It was founded in 1919 by Abdul Mohasim Sajjad, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Ahmed Saeed Dehlvi, and Abdul Bari Firangi Mehli...

 movement in Assam. Jamiat was an ally of the Congress having a mass following among the nationalist Muslims. In the very crucial 1946 General Elections just on the eve of India’s independence
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...

, he wrested the Muslim majority Hailakandi seat from the hold of Muslim League. That victory virtually sealed the hopes and aspirations of the Muslim League to include southern Assam in Pakistan. It may be mentioned here that in that election, the bulk of the Muslim nominees of the Indian National Congress including Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (5th President of India in later years) had lost to their Muslim League rivals miserably.

Assam's Surma Valley (now partly in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

) had Muslim-majority population. On the eve of partition, hectic activities intensified by the Muslim League as well Congress with the former having an edge. A referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...

 had been proposed for Sylhet District
Sylhet District
The district of Sylhet consists 6754 mosques, 453 temples, 96 churches and four Buddhist temples.-Places of Interests:-Historical:#The Shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal#The Shrine of Hazrat Shah Paran#Shahi Eidgah#Gour Govinda Fort#Kean Bridge...

 (now in Bangladesh). Mazumdar along with Basanta Kumar Das (then Home Minister of Assam) travelled throughout the valley organising the Congress and addressing meetings educating the masses about the outcome of partition on the basis of religion. On 20 February 1947, Moulvi Mazumdar inaugurated a convention – Assam Nationalist Muslim's Convention at Silchar
Silchar
Silchar 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. It is south east of Guwahati. The city of Silchar has tremendous commercial importance and is the second largest city in the state of Assam...

. There after another big meeting was held at Silchar on 8 June 1947. Both the meetings, which were attended by a large section of Muslims paid dividend. He was also among the few who were instrumental in retaining the Barak Valley
Barak Valley
Barak Valley is situated in the southern part of the Indian state of Assam.It's another name is East Bengal or Northeast Bengal 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...

 region of Assam with India. Mazumdar was the leader of the delegation that pleaded before the Radcliffe Commission that ensured that a part of Sylhet (now in Bangladesh) remains with India despite being Muslim-majority (present Karimganj district
Karimganj district
Karimganj District is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Karimganj.-Early period:...

).
[11].

Moulvi Mazumdar joined as a Cabinet Minister of Assam in 1946 with the portfolios of Local Self-Government, Agriculture and Veterinary. In 1947, India became free from British rule, when Mazumdar again took charge of the same departments in Gopinath Bordoloi
Gopinath Bordoloi
Gopinath Bordoloi was the first Chief Minister of the Indian state of Assam, and also a leading Indian independence activist. He was a follower of the Gandhian principle of non violence as a political tool...

's cabinet as the only Muslim minister (Moulana Tayyebulla was inducted in 1948) and also the lone member from the entire Barak valley region. The entire eastern India was swept by violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...

 just after India's partition and independence on 15 August 1947, scores of Hindus fled the newly created East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...

 (now Bangladesh) for India, and Muslims fled Assam for East Pakistan. A large number of people lost their lives owing to violence, which resurfaced with more ferocity in 1950. Mazumdar, the only Muslim in the cabinet, along with his cabinet and party colleagues took up responsibility for the safety of both Hindus and Muslims in Hailakandi, touring affected areas and arranging camps and rehabilitation for the refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...

s, organizing supplies and security.

He continued as a Cabinet Minister in Bishnuram Medhi’s cabinet till 1957. His last election was in 1967 when at the age of 77, Mazumdar reached Assam Assembly victorious. He then became the Minister for Law, Social Welfare and Political Sufferers in Bimala Prasad Chaliha
Bimala Prasad Chaliha
Bimala Prasad Chaliha was a leader of Indian National Congress and the Chief Minister of Assam state. He was in office from December 28, 1957 to November 6, 1970...

’s cabinet. As Law minister, he initiated the separation of executive and judiciary at the district level. During the Bangladesh’s war of liberation in 1970-71, he was in charge of relief-&-rehabilitation of the thousands of refugees who fled the then East Pakistan. He resigned from active politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...

 in 1971. Other posts held by him during his long career are the Chairman, Assam Madrassa Board; Chairman, State Haj Committee and the Pro tem Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly (in 1967). He was instrumental in setting up the hajj house [haji musafir khana] at Guwahati. As Chairman of Madrassah Board, he initiated modernization
Modernization
In the social sciences, modernization or modernisation refers to a model of an evolutionary transition from a 'pre-modern' or 'traditional' to a 'modern' society. The teleology of modernization is described in social evolutionism theories, existing as a template that has been generally followed by...

 of these theological schools and is also credited for the introduction of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 and science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

 in the curriculum of madrassas of Assam. He was the key person to set up centres of higher education at Hailakandi.

Economy

In the organized sector, tea is the main industry of the district. It has 17 Tea estates with 55.70 square kilometres under tea plantation employing more than 1,30,642 persons as per 1991 census. Production of tea was 87.62 tonnes. The Hindustan paper mill Panchgram comes to the second place where large number of people get employment opportunities in the district. The predominant income generating activity for the district is the agricultural sector and its allied enterprises.

Demographics

India census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, Hailakandi town had a population of 29,634 and the district had a total population of 5,47,003. Males constitute 51% of the district's population and females 49%. Hailakandi has an average literacy rate of 78.5%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 75%. In Hailakandi, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Religion: 57.63% of the population follows Islam,rest of the 42.37% are followers of Hinduism along with a small Christian population.It is to be noted that according to some scholars, the actual population of Hailakandi town is 52 thousand.

Education

In this district there are 4 colleges. 48 High & Higher Secondary Schools, 253 Middle Schools, 1019 Primary/Pre Primary Schools,1 Navodaya Vidyalaya, 1 Kendriya Vidyalaya & 1 Basic Training School.
  1. Srikishana Sarda College : Srikishan Sarda College was established in 1950 with eminent educationalist Late Sisir Kar Shastri as the founder Principal. The College land was donated by educationalist late Pratap Ch. Nath. Late Shrichand Sarda donated the 1st building of the College. The College was affiliated to Gauhati University in 1956. Since 1994,it is affiliated to Assam University. There are about 1300 students studying in Arts and Science stream. It has a strength of 55 Lecturers and 24 non teaching staffs. The Subjects taught here are English, Bengali, Manipuri, Sanskrit, Persian, Economics, Political Science, Philosophy, History, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology & Statistics. The College is imparting education up to Degree Honors level in all subjects except Manipuri and Chemistry.
  2. Abdul Latif Choudhury College :(Algapur) was established in 1996 and is affiliated to Assam University .The College's infrastructure & facilities are laudable. It has four floors and all of them are well equipped and maintained. It is located 8KM away from the main town Hailakandi. The College has two streams Arts and commerce. Since 1996, there are about 1500 students studying in Arts and Commerce stream. Staff strength comprises 35 Experienced Lecturers and 14 non-teaching staffs. The Subjects taught here are English, Bengali, Manipuri, Sanskrit, Persian, Economics, Political Science, Philosophy, History, Mathematics, Financial Accounting, Business Organization and Management, Computer Applications, Office Management, Business Law, Cost Accounting, Audit, Operations Research and Statistics. The College is imparting education up to Degree Honors level in all subjects except Commerce stream.
  3. Sashi Bushan Institute of Open Learning College: This College started few years ago, is now functioning in the Community Hall, constructed by DRDA. This Building/Hall was established from the EAS Fund of 98-99 with an amount of Rs. 7.50 lakhs. It is situated at Lakhirbond, Hailakandi Badarpur PWD Road. It was inaugurated by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam on 15 December 1998. Besides the construction of building of the College, the DRDA has also constructed the bounding walls of the College with an amount of Rs. 6.00 lakhs from EAS fund.
  4. Sanskrit College: The building of Sanskrit College was constructed by DRDA from United Fund 1996-97 for an amount Rs.5.02 lakhs. At present nearly two hundred and above student are being benefited by this college.
  5. ETC, Hailakandi(Boalipar): Extension Training Centre, Hailakandi was constructed in the year 1998. There are (four) ETCs in the state of Assam. The ETC, Hailakandi covers the whole of Barak Valley & Hills districts. To arm up the rural youth both with the modern technique method, culture, veterinary, fishery, small scale Industries and other subjects with the hope of providing self employment in the rural areas with the help of D.R.D.A and other Govt. sectors are its main objects. So far 1391 unemployed youth were imparted training on Agro based sectors for self employment. Apart from this computer operation training is available in ETC.
  6. Govt. V. M. H.S. School : The School was first established after the name of Queen Victoria as Victoria Memorial Middle English School in 1903 to spread education in this locality. The foundation stone was laid down by Her Majesty the Queen Victoria of England. The School was upgraded to High School stage in 1913 with Babu Raj Kumar Sen as the first Head Master. The School was undertaken by Govt.Presently, roll strength of the School is > 1000 and the admission is strictly on merit basis. The teaching in H.S. section is imparted both in English and Bengali medium. The School has a dedicated team of teaching and non teaching staff. The School has a glorious history of remarkable results and a large number of students are currently serving in high posts in different fields in India and abroad.
  7. Hailakandi Govt.Public High School

Computer Institute

  1. NAC: National Academy of Computer is the first computer institute of Hailakandi established in the year 1996. It was inaugurated by the then Registrar of Assam University Mr.P.S.Bhattacharjee. The institute is the member institute of Computer Society of India. NAC has branches in Lala, Kathlichera and Kumarghat(Tripura). Many successful students of this institute are well placed in various sectors. National Academy of Computer is the milestone in the computer education of Hailakandi district.
  2. NIIT: (Hailakandi) NIIT in 2001 has set up its branch, to give training to IT professionals, students and Executives. It provides world class IT training along with the course content. The mission is to provide computer literacy in this Town and to provide employment opportunities. The faculty member were hired from different part of India. The successful students are now working in different MNCs and IT companies.
  3. LCC
  4. ADOVE : ADOVE, Ashram Road, Hailakandi in Estd. 2008, to give training to career guidance courses. It provides best IT training along with the course content. The mission is to provide computer literacy in this Town and to provide employment opportunities. The successful students are now working in different Government & private companies.

Constituencies

Hailakandi is part of Karimganj (Lok Sabha constituency)
Karimganj (Lok Sabha Constituency)
Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam state in north-eastern India. This constituency is reserved for the candidates belonging to the scheduled castes.-Assembly segments:...

.Hailakandi has 3 state assembly constituencies-Hailakandi,Algapur and Katlichera

External links

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