Rupai is a small town in Assam’s tea country—green, languid, peaceful. Winter here is beautiful. In the gentle sunlight, slivers of smoke billow from the chimneys of the massive tea factory. Ours is a quaint place—it comes to a halt by 8 pm, everyone knows everyone by name and nothing much stirs us. That’s our life.
But this tranquil town is no longer tranquil. I hear cries of protests. There is pain, there is rage, the voices keep getting louder. I was silent so far, but no more. I know we have lost, but I will document everything.
1. Rajya Sabha passed CAB sometime back. You have no idea how much anger I have seen. Today everyone is awake late into the night. It’s freezing, but people are out on the streets. Some are burning tyres. Many did not eat—as if there were a death in the family. People are mourning...it seems like we have lost everything. Women are at the forefront—they are leading along with men. This is what makes Assam special. We have seen the worst of insurgencies—my town was...
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