Custom Search

Camouflage by Juri Borah Borgohain

by Prarthana Gogoi
(Tinsukia, Assam)

One of the most prominent novelists of contemporary Assamese literature, Juri Borah Borgohain has penned down two novels, namely ‘Camouflage’ and ‘Netri’ weaving real tales of tumultuous periods of Assam. Both novels cover the real sagas of the Ulfa (United Liberation Front of Assam) uprising and its impact on the social and cultural psyche of the Assamese community. Besides, the novelist paints the bitter truths of the social unrest in the remote villages of Assam where Govt's harsh Army operation violates the basic human rights leading the victims to live a life of horror and terror.

Ulfa Uprising in the 80s of twentieth century is a major social and political issue in the state. The Centre declared Ulfa (United Liberation Front of Assam) as a banned terrorist organization in 1990 following its violence and killings of civilians whereas the Assamese prefers to call them as ‘Muktibahini’ at first or militant rebellion.

Nira is the central protagonist in the novel-Camouflage. She, a destitute woman living with her ailing father waits for her lover who is a member of the militant organization. Her waiting is not romanticized, instead she is broken mentally and got humiliated several times from her own people. As a mother of the young boy ‘Satyabrata’ she had to bear the burden of raising an illegitimate child who grows up at her father's house without knowing his father's identity. Satya bears this pain till college life, he left college due to identity crisis, felt humiliated and marginalized through his life and eventually he decided to join Ulfa and is being shot down on his enroute to the camp. One day, the father of her son, Rudra’s dead body is found near a river, and members of the Ulfa are suspected to be his killer.

Nira is being harassed physically, mentally, and emotionally by the Indian army for her involvement with the militant organization. Her only allegation is she provides shelter to a leader of the militant organization. Her inner turmoil is more than her outer conflict with societal norms and armed men. Despite losing all her strength and esteem, Nira stands for her people, marching with them to the police station and army camps demanding for their rights as a human.

The novel is set against the backdrop of the war-torn situation in Kakpathar, Dirak, Philbari, Lakshipathar, which has not changed for decades. Generations have changed, but people's anger and frustration, discrimination and conflict, doubt and fear have not changed day and night. This story is therefore not just about Nira and Satyabrata. This is not just the story of idealist Anurag Mohanta, Rudra Gogoi, who one day became a violent militant in the cycle of events, or Padma Mohan, the opportunist Ratan, who shot a calm innocent boy in the chest and suddenly became an encounter specialist. People of these areas had to suffer a lot for their alleged support to the militant organization. The young men and women, the unfortunate families of missing revolutionaries can truly claim Camouflage as theirs. The title of the novel serves as a metaphor both for the militant organization and Indian army.

The novelist depicts a dark and bloody history of that time not taking any side either of Ulfa or the Indian Army.
The book tells the heartbreaking stories of the bloody times of Assam, the armed struggle and the people in danger of state terror.

"We have boys born here who become members of the organisation, boys from the fields, from fishing, from cutting firewood in the yard become violent terrorists.” (A quote from ‘Camoflauge’)

This novel is not a political review of the national issues raised by the armed struggle ULFA in the context of Assam. But it is an informative account of the shivering life struggles of the marginalized and lower classes who were devastated by the civil war and lost all human rights and values. The novel is also a strong presentation of how the generation of the 21st century is still a victim of the times given by the two old decades.

‘Camouflage’ is a widely read novel in Assam. The novelist takes her courage to depict the brutal truth criticizing some activities of the militant organization as well as the Indian army. Jyoti Prakashan, one of the prestigious publishing houses of state , publishes this novel.

***

Click here to post comments

Return to Book Reviews.