It is a matter of great pleasure to bring out this scholarly regional study of much historical import, Dr. Haraprasad Ray's Northeast India's Place in India-China Relations and Its Future Role in India's Economy, studies at the regional level are vitally needed for a fuller understanding to add to the list of the Institute's standard publications. Such micro-of the history and culture of a vast country like India wih diverse geo-political, ethno-linguistic, socio-economic and cultural developments through the ages. Of course, the study of regional history ought to be pursued in a wider perspective to lead us towards a proper realisation of the historical goal of a meaningful constructive 'dialogue' between the past and the future through the present. While keeping in view the great strategic importance of Northeast India comprising one-fourth of the sub-continent with its immense economic potentialities as one of the 'richest segments' of the country in terms of natural resources, Dr. Ray has sought to deal with the subject in all its relevant aspects.
The present monograph, primarily based on data from Chinese sources, comprises the biennial Professor H. K. Barpujari Endowment Lectures (2001-02) delivered by Dr. Ray, formerly a Professor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, at the Institute in March this year. The publication may be deemed a tribute to the departed noble soul of Professor H. K. Barpujari, the doyen of Assamese historians and a great trend-setter in the field of historical research in Northeast India in the post-independence era. A close associate of the Founder-Director of the Institute, Dr. S. P. Sen, and a Fellow of the Institute since its foundation, Professor Barpujari greatly helped Dr. Sen in building up this all-India academic forum and remained a great benefactor of the body till death. The sad demise of this eminent devotee of Clio in April last is a great loss to the Institute as also to the scholarly world at large.
We must convey our grateful appreciation to Dr. Haraprasad Ray for presenting the manuscript of his learned treatise ready for publication within three months of his delivering the Endowment Lectures. Our thanks are also due to the printers for doing their job promptly and efficiently. We think the volume will be of great interest to both scholars and general readers.
In September, 2001, I received an invitation from Prof. B. N. Mukherjee, the then Director of the Institute of Historical Studies, Kolkata, to deliver the H. K. Barpujari Endowment Lectures for the year 2001-2002. I was extremely happy to accept the offer as it gave me the rare opportunity to repay my debt to my place of birth. It also afforded me the rare honour to offer my humble homage to Prof. Barpujari, the doyen of historians in Assam, and the inspiring figure for historical studies in Northeast India. It is sad that he is no more with us to see the book in print.
Two lectures were delivered by me at the Institute on 16 and 18 March, 2002. Based on primary data from Chinese records, these lectures were developed into the present monograph for publication by the Institute. I have substantially benefitted from Prof. Mukherjee's valuable comments and the suggestions and remarks by the scholars present at the lectures.
I am particularly beholden to the present Director Prof. Sukumar Bhattacharyya and the Registrar Mrs. M. Chatterjee for their constant encouragement and advice during the entire process of publication of this tome. The manuscript has been typed by Swarnali of the Datacom Institute at Santoshpur under the guidance of its bright and young Principal, Mr. Dilip Sengupta. I am grateful to them.
My primary obsession during the last two decades or more has been Indian Ocean Studies and Maritime trade between India and China with Southeast Asia as a nexus.
My family is settled in Assam for the last four generations. My link with Assam has undergone many vicissitudes. The wartime turmoil, the Indian evacuees from Burma, the famous Stillwel Road leading from Assam to South China through northern Burma (Bhamo), the Chinese soldiers evacuated from the Japanese-occupied China parading the streets of our small town all these images, ever fresh in my mind, fired my imagination about China, and I wanted to study the eastern route from India to China.
In 1993 the International Congress of Asian and North African Studies (ICANAS) during its 34th session at Hong Kong, asked me to organise a panel on "The Southern Silk Route" as it is known in China. As a result, two essays were prepared by me dealing with the Indian historical and literary evidence on this so-called Southern Silk Route. One of them was published in the China Report (31.2.1995). The theme has subsequently been expanded to include the Tibetan and Bhutanese routes of the traditional trade in the vast area comprising south and southwest China, Myanmar (Burma) and eastern and north-eastern India, i.e., the land of the 'seven sisters' this area being given the new denomination of Trans-Himalayan Region. Next, I concentrated specially on the economic potentiality and the importance of mutual cooperation for development of this vast Trans-Himalayan interface.
This is the raison d'etre behind the making of this monograph.
The strategic importance of Northeast India is incomparable. In some aspects it is more implosive than Kashmir. The inhabitants of this region suffer from the sense of alienation due to territorial estrangement.
Hindu (930)
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