Women and Wanderlust!

::: For my Travel column in the Horizon, The Assam Tribune
::: Published: 29March, 2008
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Angling in the countryside on a summer afternoon, with a pint of beer, smoke and John Denver’s classics for company, is something I can never do. Not because I would sip a glass of Mojitos instead, but because I am a woman. At home (being the only child), in the school, college and later during my years at work, I was quite convinced of the privileges of being born into the female form, till I was stung by the travel bug. Doses of Feminism (thanks to Delhi University) and a little digging into the Da Vinci Code further cemented a logic that we, women, are superior creatures, but physically not as strong and hence, subdued. Male readers may lower your spears – discussing the “war of sexes” is the last thing I would do on a weekend column. I was only brooding over those countless instances when my travel plans got shredded or had to be accommodated with dummy fellow travellers – just because it is “not safe” for me - a woman - to travel to such and such place, alone! Will the world ever change? Travelling solo, therefore, grew on me more out of necessity than of choice and I would very often by-pass advises, never tell my parents (I hope they miss this one) and venture alone just where I want . But to tell you the truth, there have been so many instances when I thought I would be punished for "disobedience" by being sold off to some one-eyed badmash across the border.
I almost gave up travelling and decided to concentrate on parenting Boomer (my 2 month old lab) instead, when I heard of Sumitra Senapaty’s WOW (Women on Wanderlust) Club. It is an exclusive travel club that hosts all-women tours across the globe. It seemed godsent! No, it is not a travel agency. The Club is what is called the “one-stop-shop” that arranges for everything right from your Visa, insurance, air/train tickets to hotel bookings et al – just what travel agencies do. But unlike contemporary travel agencies, they do not charge you the 60-70% extra just because you are without a partner (now you know why they always promote trips for two!). Sumitra analyses the profiles herself and places like-minded duos together. Which means you are not only saved the hassle of travelling solo as a backpacker, but you get a ready-made, like minded travel buddy. Though tagged a Club, it does not have any membership filtering and all you need to join a tour is stand upon your itchy feet and load your wallet a little.
Are you ransacking your brains where did you last heard “Sumitra”? You must have read some travelogue about kayaking in South China Sea, camping at African jungles, or snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef in the travel sections of Times of India, Verve, Marie Claire or Femina and found a “By Sumitra Senapaty” bolded and highlighted. Simply put, Sumitra is a travel writer and after years of globe-trotting, she finally decided to start her own travel club. Whether it was a realisation of the limitations as women travellers or just the need to share her travel experiences, that inspired WOW, I can’t say, but her concept was a revolution of sorts. The WOW dashboard has trips ready for the year and it reads: Best of Egypt (14th Feb), Turkish Delights (19th April), Best of Italy (13th May), 3 country tour of Czech Republic, Hungary & Poland (9th June) and Leh Ladakh Tour (14th June and 15th August). The departures, however, are mostly from Delhi and Mumbai. The list was wanting in trips within India and Sumitra explained how women travellers with WOW prefer overseas destinations to those in India, because the latter mostly has families or friends to accompany them. Her WOW Club has one traveller from Guwahati so far and sounded enthusiastic when I declared my lineage.
Feel an itch under your feet already? You can reach Sumita at me@wowsumitra.com or 09891655054/080-26658025 for detailed itineraries, tour cost and departures. A warm voice awaits you at the other end, ready with her ‘wow’ ideas to inspire you to live your dreams, and this time, more so because you are a woman!
Next time your boyfriend/husband or your friends yawn at your travel gusto, you know who to call! And for your regular travel queries, you know who to mail (yours truly, that is!).
Post Script: On behalf of my Kolongporiya bodhu xokol, I thank you for your mails. Must say, you readers are amazing! For those who are wondering what I am talking about – a group of NRAs (non-Residential Assamese) from Nagaon, have volunteered to career counsel the aspiring lot in the fields of Travel Writing (me), Engineering (Amar Saikia, Gaurav Dey). Reach us at: kolongporiya@gmail.com.
WOW UPDATES:
1. Trip to Bhutan ((5 Nights, 6 days) :
> Takes off on 7th September 2008, ex Kolkatta.
> Total package cost: RS 39,500 per person on twin share / Single Occupancy – RS 10, 000 extra
>>> Contact Sumitra for Package inclusions and further details

Rev. Dr. Nathan Brown (1807-1886) - a tribute

For The Assam Tribune (Published on: 25th June, 2007)
Foreword: Wrote it on my Uncle's (Mr. Dilip Thomas') behest on the occassion of the the 200th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Nathan Brown.

The advent of the Christian Missionaries in India has been both valorised and criticised. Keeping the political inference aside, there's no denying the fact that we Indians have profited greatly from them. Take Rev. Dr. Nathan Brown, for example. An American Christian Baptist Missionary, he pioneered the establishment of vernacular schools in Assam, was the founder Editor of the first Assamese newspaper periodical - "Orunodoi", translated the New Testament and many significant literary works into Assamese. One of the most versatile Missionaries of that period, Dr. Nathan Brown's gamut of Missionary activities encompassed three countries (Myanmar, India and Japan) and of which, he laid the foundation of Baptist Missions in the North-East India.

Rev. Brown was an enthusiastic Evangelist and was committed to spread the word of the Gospel and in the process got involved with Assamese language and culture. It was actually the then Commissioner of Assam who was so impressed by his work, that he sent Dr. Brown an official invitation to come and help 'civilize' the warrior tribes of Shan, Khamtis and Singphos, who were threatening the smooth functioning of the British administration. Little did they expect then that the Brown's arrival would usher in a new era of literary development in the region. Brown discovered the uniqueness and popularity of the Assamese language in "its open aggreeable vocation, its picturesque Sanskritic characters, its quaint inflexious idioms", chose its purest form [as spoken in Upper Assam] as his language of teaching and preaching. He therefore started learning Assamese, Khamti and Singhpho languages, and very soon (by July 1837), he had prepared spelling books in English, Assamese and Khamti languages.

Rev. Brown laid the cornerstone for the publication of Arunudoi Sambad Patra (later Orunodoi), the first Assamese newspaper periodical in January 1846 and with illustrative articles on Geography, Astronomy, History and many other topics, it soon found an encouraging readership amongst the Assamese intelligentia, fueling an intellectual awakening of sorts. He played a pivotal role in retaining Assamese as "the vernacular dialect of the people". In his Journal dated October, 1838, Brown writes: "From the last papers we learnt that the Government has resolved on establishment of 21 schools in Assam, in which the bengali language only is to be taught. This makes it pretty certain that Assamese as a distinct language, will, in course of a few generation become extinct, and Bengali supply its place". He forwarded his objection before the Inspector of the Government of Schools stating that Assamese is more indigeneous to Assam than Bengali and that "..It [Assamese] never came from Bengali...[and] has much greater affinities with other branches of Sanskrit then with Bengali. It is more easy flowing, agreeable language and not less copious, and is fully entitled...to be considered as the vernacular language of the people".

Towards the end of 1844, Dr. Brown travelled some 200 miles on foot, from Sibsagar to Guwahati, visiting the villages to ascertain personally the racial elements of the inhabitants. Under his able editorship, the periodical published its first "Chutia Buranji" (1850) and "Purani Asom Buranji" (procured and translated by Rev. brown himself). His array of contributions include - A Spelling Book in english, Assamese and Tai; Catechism in Assamese, Tai and Khamti scripts; The Alphabet and Spelling lessons; A Hymn in Assamese; Worcester Primer in Assamese and many more. Rev. Brown was the first to publish "History of Assam", compiled by a learned Assamese Pundit Kashinath Tamuli Phookan in early 1842 and printed at Mission Press, Sivasagar. The most outstanding literary publication of this Press was the booklet, "A few Remark on the Assamese L and on Vernacular Education" (1855), by Ananda Ram Dhekial Phukan. Rev. Brown's original papers include: "The Alphabet of the Tai Language", "Comparison of Indo-Chinese Language" and "Specimen of Western Languages". He chanced on the translated Assamese Bible by Atma Ram Sharma of Koliabor, and seeing it so full of Bengali and Sanskrit terms, volunteered to transtlate the New Testament into pure and simple Assamese, intelligible to the common people. Next he took up "The Life and Gospel of Christ" for translation into Assamese. By the time Brown left Assam, he had translated a considerable part of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and handed over the responsibility to Nidhi Levi, the first Assamese convert, to assist Rev. Danforth in completing it.

Inadequate assistance, domestic and financial worries, and tribal aggression (of the Khamits in 1839), compelled Rev. Borwn's Mission to shift bases several times within Assam, while his Missionary and educational activities continued undaunted. Due to acute financial constraints, the Home Board decided to cut down on their missionary activities and Assam, being remote and recent, Dr. Brown doubted, would probably be one of the first fields to be abandoned. He appealed to the Board, saying, "The call of the RETURN is one which we could never obey, so long as life and a moderate share of health is granted to us". But fresh problems cropped up between the Home Board and the Missionaries pertaining to the educational work the latter was doing, instead of concentrating completely on Conversion work. Rev. Brown, on the other hand, was crippling from within with every passing day owing to the work-load, several deaths in the family and ill health. On his doctor's advise and due to his long due furlough and disagreement with the Home Board, Rev. Brown, heart-broken and hurt, left Assam on February 12th, 1855. On his parting, he wrote: "One of the hardest partings I ever expereinced. If God in mercy restores my health so that I can again be useful, I will return and labor till life ends with all my heart". Unfortunately, this was not to be and though he gathered himself up for the service of humanity and spread of Christianity, he never came back to the land he so loved and cherished.

Rev. Brown's next destination was Japan. Within no time he learnt the language, translated the New Testament and part of the Old Testament into Japanese, composed religious hyms, founded the Yakohama Church in Japan and so on. He became so much a part of the land that the inscription on his tombstone had a: "God Bless the Japanese", so requested by the genius himself before he died. This 22nd June, 2007, we celebrate the 200th Birth Anniversary of one of the most influential and humble Missionaries the world has known and reminisce with gratitude his unparalled contributions to Assam - its people and culture.