Assam's Multicultural Identity

Who is an Assamese or what makes someone Assamese? These are loaded questions for the people of a state that has always struggled with identity politics. Journalist Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty tries to tackle them in her new book, The Assamese: A Portrait of a Community, published by Aleph.

In 14 chapters, the author discusses different aspects of the community, starting with appearance and physical diversity. She concludes in the first chapter: “This phenomenon of assimilation not only makes Assam a miniature India with people of diverse racial origins populating it, but it also makes the broader Assamese community somewhat unique. Nowhere in the current atlas of India will you find a group of people falling under one umbrella, at least culturally.