Southern Assam Research Articles

Revolt of 1857 in Cachar District of Assam: A Re-emphasis

The revolt of 1857 had a significant impact in the Cachar district of Assam like other national allied activities. Many national historians asserts that the Cachar as well as Assam remained largely unaffected by the great revolt. But there are evidences which suggests that the echoes of the revolt felt in the Cachar district of southern Assam. The British administration, under figures like Captain Stewart, remained vigilant against potential uprisings, indicating an underlying tension despite a facade of tranquility. The common folk of Barak valley composed innumerable ballads and songs on the incident of the revolt which occurred in this region. There are also official documents to prove that the revolt affected the Cachar district. The revolt in Cachar emerged primarily as an extension of discontent from Bengal, with the local populace largely indifferent to the mutineers. The mutineers of 34th Native Infantry regiment marched to Cachar from Chittagong and the British army tried to suppress them. while the revolt of 1857 marked a pivotal moment in Indian history, its impact in Cachar was characterized by a lack of local support for the mutineers and minimal involvement from the common people. This paper aims to explore the nature and implications of the revolt in Cachar, detailing its limited but notable manifestations. The study indicates that while Cachar did not experience overt mutinies like other parts of India, it was not entirely insulated from the turmoil. The paper also discusses how the British forces managed to suppress potential uprisings, with notable incidents involving the 34th Native Infantry Regiment. Encounters between mutineers and colonial troops led to casualties and highlighted the region's precarious situation, exacerbated by the presence of tribal populations and discontented soldiers.

Metagenomic insights into traditional fermentation of rice-based beverages among ethnic tribes in southern Assam, Northeast India.

Traditional fermented foods have long been recognized for their numerous health benefits along with their potential to aid in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. These fermented foods have been shown to promote gut health and contribute to a longer, healthier life. The high-throughput sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform was employed to investigate the microbiome communities of rice-based fermented beverages consumed by ethnic tribes in Southern Assam, namely Zeme Naga, Dimasa Kachari, Hmar, Karbi and Tea tribes. The fermented rice-based beverages were highly predominated by Firmicutes, Bacteroides, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria exhibiting the highest relative abundance across all tribes. At genus level, significant abundance of pediococcus, lactobacillus, bacillus, leuconostoc, acetobacter, staphylococcus, delftia, erwinia, klebsiella and chrysebacterium were found amongst these ethnic tribes. Understanding the fermented food microbiome will help to know the relationships between microbial communities and their effect on health of humans amongst the tribes. Furthermore, the use of these fermented products could provide enhanced health benefits to southern Assam region of India.

The Status of Elected Women Representatives in Rural Assam, India: Their Performance in Local Self Government

One of the important agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations is gender equality. Despite possessing constitutional privileges like 50 percent seat reservation for women in panchayat elections in Assam, India, their actual performance is still up for debate in many discussions. So, using the TOPSIS approach composite index on the performance of elected women representatives has developed. Then, using the ordinary least square method, their performance was assessed against key variables based on primary data collected from the Hailakandi Development Block of Hailakandi District of Southern Assam, India for identification of factors influencing their performances for policy changes.

An overview of Mask Making at Khatpar Satra

Sivasagar district is a historically important district in Assam. There are many ethnic groups in the area and people of different ethnic groups have built bridges of social, cultural and religious harmony in this place. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Mahapurusha Sri Sankaradeva pioneered the Neo-Vaishnavism in Assam. He first preached in central and southern Assam and later came to southern Assam. His close associate was his student Madhaveda. Apart from Sankaradeva, Madhavadevas, Damodardevas and Haridevas also preached Vaishnavism in their own way in southern Assam at that time. After Sankaradeva, the Dharmacharyas founded by Banshigopalder, Gopal Ata, Badula Padma Ata, Keshavcharan, Yadumanidev, Purushottam Tagore, Chaturbhuj Tagore, Ai Kankalta etc. took the lead in spreading this neo-Vaishnavism in southern Assam. There are more than seventy satras in Shivsagar at present. These satras have been promoting religion as well as literature, culture. These satras have contributed significantly to the society through songs, nam-prasangas, dances, bhaonas, puppet dances, observances etc. The research book contains details of some of the prominent satras, especially the festivals celebrated at Khatpar Satra. The masks used in the bhaonas created by Sankardev have now gained international acclaim. This is an overview of the heritage of mask art of Khatpar Satra, one of the satras that made this mask art. The names of the ancient treasures preserved in the satras are also mentioned. It is hoped that this discussion will reveal at least some new information about the social and cultural aspects of the Satras in Shivsagar district. This discussion also provides some information on how masks have been used in different parts of the world outside Assam. There are many different types of masks available in the market. Field study methods and various books, histories, charit puthi etc. related to satras have been used to study the subject.

Isolation, identification, and molecular characterization of potential keratinolytic fungus sp. from Southern Assam: relevance to poultry wastes and its biological management.

Feather waste is a highly prevalent form of keratinous waste that is generated by the poultry industry. The global daily production of feather waste has been shown to approach 5 million tons, typically being disposed of through methods such as dumping, landfilling, or incineration which contribute significantly to environmental pollutions. The proper management of these keratinous wastes is crucial to avoid environmental contamination. The study was carried out to isolate the keratinolytic fungi from the poultry disposal sites of different region of North-East India to evaluate its potential in bioremediation of the feathers wastes. Out of 12 fungal strains isolated from the sites, the fungus showing the highest zone of hydrolysis on both the skim milk and keratin agar medium was selected for the study and the molecular identification of the isolate was performed through DNA sequence analysis by amplifying the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The sequence results showed higher similarity (above 95%) with Aspergillus spp. and was named Aspergillus sp. Iro-1. The strain was further analyzed for its feather degrading potential which was performed in submerged conditions under optimized conditions. The study showed that the strain could effectively degrade the feathers validated through weight loss method, and the structural deformations in the feathers were visualized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Aspergillus sp. Iro-1 was obtained from the southern region of Assam. It would be of great importance as the implementation of this sp. can help in the bioremediation of feathers wastes in this region. This is the first study of identification of feather degrading fungus from southern part of Assam (Barak).

A Brief History of Mising Language Studies

The Mising language is one prominent language among the ethnic languages spoken in Assam. It is spoken by about five lakh people in twelve districts of southern Assam. The Mising language belongs to the Tibeto-Burmese branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family, the second language family in the world. There is no long history of discussion or practice of this unwritten Mising language. It is seen that the study of Mising language began in the late nineteenth century. It was introduced through the efforts of some Christian missionaries and some officers of the British bureaucrats. From the early twentieth century, the language was revived by some local people. Subsequently, various people have discussed various aspects of the Mising language. It has been studied through grammar, dictionaries, basic linguistics, scripts, edited books etc. Recently several researchers have received doctorate degrees on the Mising language. This paper attempts to present a brief introduction to the development of the Mising language from the late nineteenth century to the present.

Altered Terrain: Colonial Encroachment and Environmental Changes in Cachar, Assam

The beginning of colonial policy in the area was signaled by the British annexation of the Cachar district in southern Assam in 1832. The region became an alluring investment opportunity for Europeans after British rule over Cachar, especially after the accidental discovery of wild tea in 1855. Within this historical context, this study explores three major stages that characterize the evolution of nature. First, it examines the distribution and growth of tea plantations, examining their size and rate of expansion. The second aspect of the study examines the consequences of land concessions, which led to the initial loss of native forests. Finally, the study investigates the increased strain on forests caused by migrant workers' demands. It also highlights the crucial role that the Forest Department plays in protecting these natural habitats from the invasion of tea planters. This study aims to analyze the intricate relationship between colonialism and the altered landscape of Cachar, Assam, by means of a thorough investigation, shedding light on the environmental, economic, and societal aspects of this historical transformation.

Macro Moth (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) Diversity in the Southern Assam Region: A Study in Cachar District, India

Macro Moth (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) Diversity in the Southern Assam Region: A Study in Cachar District, India

A study on the effect of Anti- VEGF on retinal venous occlusive disease with macular edema in a tertiary health care centre of southern Assam

Macular oedema is considered to be the primary reason for significant visual loss and impaired visual recovery in patients with retinal venous occlusion and rise in VEGF is strongly implicated in macular edema and as such there is a good rationale in treating these conditions with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factors. Aim of this study was to assess the effect of anti-VEGF (Bevacizumab) on retinal venous occlusive disease with macular edema.This was prospective open label hospital based interventional study done from June 2021 to May 2022 in fifty eyes of fifty patients diagnosed with macular edema secondary to retinal venous occlusion and Snellen’s visual acuity at presentation of less than 6/12 were included in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria.The results shows statistically significant improvement in mean central macular thickness and mean Snellen’s visual acuity at the end of 12 months and factors like Hypertension, Diabetes mellitus, Dyslipidemia and smoking are found to be highly associated with retinal venous occlusive diseases. The intravitreal anti-VEGF (Bevacizumab) has been found to be effective in improving the macular edema and visual acuity in the study population with retinal venous occlusive diseases to a statistically significant level and that it was more pronounced in cases of BRVO, at the completion of the study period.

This World and the “Other”: Muslim Identity and Politics on the Indo-Bangladesh Border

This article investigates the “othering” of Muslims in two Northeast Indian states: Assam and Tripura, in a region known for its ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity, and long history of militancy and civil unrest. Northeast Indian politics thrives on disagreement between “Us” and “Them” and tensions over illegal migration, drawing on overlapping or intersecting frames of “othering.” This study asks why and how the political “othering” of Muslims persists, and why the religious frame, or the Hindu–Muslim divide, is more salient in some parts of the region than in others. Drawing on fieldwork on the Indian side of the Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura and southern Assam, historical records and contemporary print media archives, this study compares the role of Hindu–Muslim contention in the politics of the two neighboring states and finds reproduction of the Hindu–Muslim divide in Assam and resistance to Muslim “othering” in Tripura. The theoretical contribution of this article is to confront the concept of “othering” with colonial and post-colonial frameworks of representation to understand how contemporary non-Western “worlds of difference” capitalize on, reproduce and resist vestiges of colonial representations.

Carnivores in Peril in the ‘Valley of Extinction’: A Review on Diversity, Distribution Status and Conservation in Southern Assam, India

Southern Assam (in Northeast India), also known as Barak valley, is a part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. With some magnificent species already extinct from the region, and some on the verge of extinction, the valley is rightly called the ‘Valley of Extinction’. The region has two wildlife sanctuaries (WLS): Barail WLS and Barak-Bhuban WLS; one proposed WLS (Patharia), and a network of reserve forests (RF) which serve as strongholds of several wild species. However, due to rapid deforestation and decrease in their suitable habitats, encroachment into the wildlife sanctuary and RFs, depletion of prey and food trees, expansion of agriculture, changes in land use and land cover, road kills, etc., most of the wildlife are severely threatened, while others have now adapted to human dominated habitats thereby becoming pests, and vulnerable to prosecution. Moreover, research on the wildlife of the region, excluding a few species, is extremely limited, more so in the case of carnivores owing to their elusive and nocturnal behaviour. The present article focuses on the diversity, status, distribution, threats and conservation of the carnivores of southern Assam. We hereby report a total of 33 species of carnivores from the region, of which 2 are extinct, 2 are probably extinct with only stray individuals. Of the species reported hereby, three are ‘Endangered’, ten are ‘Vulnerable’, and another three are ‘Near threatened’, as enlisted by IUCN. In the beginning of the last century, most of these carnivore species were abundant in southern Assam, which is however decreasing alarmingly. Thus, strict enforcement of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Indian Forest Act, 1927; along with awareness campaigns, research on ecology, and population censuses of these species should be carried out to save the remaining populations in the region.

Prey Selection by Pitcher Plant, Nepenthes khasiana in Meghalaya, India

Nepenthes khasiana, an endangered pitcher plant endemic to Meghalaya and southern Assam, India seems to develop a pitcher for trapping small animals as their prey to supplement the nutrient deficiency which occurs in the soil. A study on the enigmatic meat-eating choice of N. khasiana is scarce. Hence, this study was conducted to find out their prey species covering all three hills of Meghalaya, India. A total of 90 pitcher samples (30 from each hill) were collected randomly and preserved in 70% alcohol which was further identified at the lower taxa level. A total of 71 species were identified up to the species level while another five were identified up to their genus level. Among this, 90.8% of species were insects (69 species) while the remaining 9.2% (7 species) were non-insect species. All these seven non-insect species belonged to single order Arachnida. The majority of them (71.1%, 54 species) were capable of flying while the remaining 28.9% (22 species) were incompetent to fly. Those species which were incompetent to fly belonged to orders Araneae, Dermaptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, and Odonata. The prey constituted the highest 23 species belonging to the order Hymenoptera followed by 11 species under Coleoptera, 9 species under Diptera, 7 species under Araneae, 6 species each under Hemiptera and Blattodea, 5 species each under Orthoptera and Lepidoptera, 2 species under Odontata and 1 species each under Mantodea and Dermaptera. The orders Hymenoptera and Diptera together contributed 83.3% of the total feeding spectrum. This further indicates the sustainable management of biodiversity securing the abundance of animal prey species for the conservation of pitcher plants in this landscape.

Heavy metal bioaccumulation triggers oxystress, genotoxicity and immunomodulation in head kidney macrophages of Channa punctatus Bloch.

Studies on heavy metal induced toxicity have been conducted in many water bodies across the globe and such effects have been evaluated in various fish species. The present study was designed to determine the load of some heavy metals in select sites in Southern Assam, India, along with estimating their concentration in tissues of Channa punctatus Bloch. inhabiting those niches. The effect of heavy metals in oxystress generation, genotoxicity and subsequent immune response in fish was also evaluated. In all of these sites, the concentration of Hg, Cd, Pb and Cr were above the permissible ranges while their concentrations were several folds higher in the piscine tissues due to bioaccumulation and possible biomagnification. Kidney showed the highest metal pollution index followed by liver and gills. Generation of ROS was significantly elevated and that in turn triggered oxystress, as is evident from enhanced lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation and respiratory burst activity. These were in association with the compromised antioxidant enzyme levels with concomitant damage to DNA as evident from Comet parameters. The innate immune potential was significantly impaired as evident from the compromised cell adhesion, phagocytosis, intracellular killing activity in head kidney macrophages (HKM) along with decreased release of nitric oxide (NO) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Immunosuppression was further validated at protein levels where compromised release of cytokines viz. TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12 and cell signaling molecules iNOS and NF-κβ were noted. Thus the present study indicates genotoxicity along with a compromise in immune status of Channa punctatus Bloch. living in a habitat laden with heavy metals.

A Decomposition Analysis to Understand the Wealth-Based Inequalities in Child Vaccination in Rural Southern Assam: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The socio-environmental aspects of southern Assam reflect a general pattern of backwardness. Moreover, child healthcare resources in the region are inadequately used, leading to low vaccination coverage. Given this background, this paper attempted to comprehend wealth-based inequality in full vaccination in rural areas of southern Assam. Based on a multistage cluster sampling approach, 360 children of 12-23 months were selected from the study area. To identify the predictors of a child, a non-linear model was estimated by using the generalized linear model (GLM) approach followed by Erreygers decomposition technique to quantify the wealth inequality in the obtained predictors in explaining the disparity in full vaccination. The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination recorded the highest vaccination coverage, at nearly 90% and the lowest was observed for the measles vaccine, around 61 percent. Slightly more than half of the eligible children (54 percent) were vaccinated against all the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)-recommended vaccines. The decomposition analysis revealed that the occupation of the child's father, maternal age, birth order of the child, and health-seeking behavior such as antenatal care (ANC) were the prime factors related to inequality in full vaccination in the region. Vaccination coverage in the region has improved over time, however, full vaccination is concentrated towards the economically advantaged section of the society in rural southern Assam. Targeted, context-specific, and expanded government initiatives could aid in addressing the overall wealth-related full vaccination inequalities in the valley.

Significance of Immunohistochemical Biomarker in Breast Carcinoma from a Single Tertiary Care Hospital in India

Background: Breast carcinoma is the most common malignancy in female worldwide, leading cause of death in women. Immunohistochemistry plays a very important role in the prognostication and treatment determination of breast carcinoma patients. Objective: The objective of the study was to analyze the immunohistochemical markers in invasive carcinoma of breast and to correlate the expression of hormonal receptors with age of the patient, tumor size, histological grade, and lymph node metastasis. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 88 infiltrating ductal breast carcinoma sample in a tertiary care hospital of Southern Assam for a period of 2 year (January2018-December 2019). Data including age, tumor size, and histologic grade and lymph node status retrieved from pathology department. Chi-square was used to determine the statistical significance between estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors (ER/PR) status human epidermal receptor growth factor 2 (HER2/neu) status along with their correlation with various clinicopathological parameters with respect to infiltrating ductal breast carcinoma. Result: The mean age of the patients was 56.6 years. We observed correlation between ER and PR expression with age, tumor size, and tumor grade. There was correlation between HER2/neu expression and age only. None of the markers showed correlation with lymph node involvement (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings showed the importance of biomarkers (ER, PR, and HER2/neu) expression as prognostic factors for therapeutic decision.

Bacterial Co-Infections in COVID-19 Positive Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern Assam

Bacterial Co-Infections in COVID-19 Positive Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern Assam

Clinico-bacteriological study of acute and chronic dacryocystitis cases in tertiary eye care centre in Southern Assam

To identify the microbiological spectrum of acute and chronic dacryocystitis and to determine the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the isolates. A prospective analysis on 304 patients with acute and chronic dacryocystitis were conducted during the period from November 2015 to October 2019. The posterior lacrimal flap was used as the sample in operated cases and swab of the regurgitation fluid in un-operated cases. In cases where patients presented with acute form sample was collected from purulent discharge from ulcerated area or it has been collected after performing incision and drainage of lacrimal abscess. The specimens were cultured in Microbiology department of Silchar Medical College and Hospital and results were analysed. Data was recorded and analysed in MS Office 2007 Total of 304 adult patients were included in the study among them 116 were males and 188 were females. Of the 304 specimens received from the patients 116(38.16%) showed growth of organisms and 188 were sterile. The growth consisted of gram positive, gram-negative bacteria and mixed growth. Majority of chronic dacryocystitis cases in this part of the country are caused by Pseudomonas species and Staphylococcus aureus. Whereas the acute cases mostly showed infection by Staphylococcus and mixed flora in others. Majority of chronic dacryocystitis cases in this part of the country are caused by Pseudomonas species and Staphylococcus aureus. Whereas the acute cases mostly showed infection by Staphylococcus and mixed flora in others.

Habitat suitability modeling for the endangered Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) in the Indo-Chinese subregion of India: a case study from southern Assam (India).

The Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) is an endangered nonhuman primate distributed in Southeast Asia, including India. The species is facing sharp population decline throughout its range, largely due to acute habitat loss and fragmentation. IUCN revised the threatened status of the species from vulnerable to endangered in 2020. In the present study, habitat suitability modeling was conducted in southern Assam (India) to analyze the suitable habitat for the Bengal slow loris. The modeling analysis was performed using MaxEnt software. Using a reconnaissance field survey and questionnaire, data on the presence of 30 Bengal slow lorises were collected and run along with seven biophysical factors. The area under the curve (AUC 0.825) indicated high predictive performance of the model. A jackknife test revealed that all seven biophysical factors were important (scores greater than 0.1). The contribution of forest pattern, normalized difference vegetation index, elevation, slope, distance from cropland, normalized difference built-up index and distance from roads were found to be 35.3%, 34.9%, 9.3%, 5.9%, 5.7%, 4.6%, and 4.3%, respectively. Based on thresholds including minimum training presence, tenth percentile training presence, and equal training sensitivity and specificity, this model indicates that 49.91%, 38.30% and 20.37% of the land, respectively, was suitable for the slow loris in southern Assam. This finding regarding habitat distribution and suitability is essential for identifying priority areas for future research and for focusing survey efforts for the long-term conservation of the species.

Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors for Mortality in COVID-19 Patients at a Tertiary Care Centre in Southern Assam, India: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection can cause a wide range of symptoms, from asymptomatic infection and mild upper respiratory tract disease to severe viral pneumonia with respiratory failure and multiorgan malfunction. Through this study, effort was put forward to know the COVID-19 in terms of clinical characteristics, risk factors and laboratory parameters which in turn may serve as predictors of severe sickness and negative outcomes of COVID-19. Aim: To study the clinical characteristics, risk factors and laboratory parameters of COVID-19 patients in a part of North Eastern India, and also to compare these parameters between survivors and non survivors. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Silchar, Assam, India. Study included all patients of COVID-19 diagnosed by Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) or Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) admitted from 1st July, 2020 to 31st December, 2020. The data included demographic parameters, presenting symptoms, significant medical, surgical or drug history etc., and laboratory parameters including complete blood count, Random Blood Sugar (RBS), chest x-ray, renal and liver function test, C-reactive protein, Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), serum ferritin, troponin I etc. Data were statistically analysed by unpaired t-test for continuous variables and chi-square test was used for comparing proportions. Results: Out of a total 2262 study subjects, 2066 (91.34%) were discharged from the hospital after recovery and 196 (8.66%) had expired. The various parameters contributing significantly to mortality were male gender, age >60 years, various co-morbid conditions like diabetes mellitus, hypertension and cardiac illness. The laboratory parameters observed to be significantly associated with mortality were thrombocytopenia, leucocytosis, hyperglycaemia, raised value of lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine, D-dimer, ferritin, C-reactive protein. Radiological findings including ground glass opacities and pleural effusion also were more common in the non survivor group as compared to the survivor group. Conclusion: More than half of the deceased patients were older than 60 years of age. The prevalence of co-morbidities and mean level of laboratory parameters were significantly high among non survivors as compared to those who recovered.

Distribution and diversity of algal communities in rice terrace agroecosystem of a hilly district of southern Assam, North-East India

Distribution and diversity of algal communities in rice terrace agroecosystem of a hilly district of southern Assam, North-East India