Assam: Miya Museum inaugurated in Goalpara amid political debate and controversy

After stirring controversy on the demand for a ‘Miya Museum’ at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, a centre in Guwahati showcasing the state’s cultural heritage, the Miya Parishad under Goalpara district inaugurated a ‘Miya Museum’ today on October 23..

The ‘Miya Museum’ was inaugurated at Lakhipur in Dapkarvita under the Goalpara district. 

The minuscule museum has been arranged for the preservation of old items that the Miya community in Assam has been using since time immemorial.

Today's inauguration was attended by hundreds of people from the Miya community as well as invited guests, and officials of the Miya Parishad.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had rejected the proposal of former Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed, of setting up a ‘Miya Museum’ in Kalakshetra in the year 2020.

The proposal from Sherman Ali Ahmed had even stirred a debate in Assam the same year. 

In a letter to the Director of Museums on October 18, Ahmed sought the establishment of a museum at the Kalakshetra reflecting the culture and heritage of the people living in the char-chaporis (river islands or sandbars).

He also referred to the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Art and Culture presented to the 126-member Assembly on March 24.

“As the people living in char areas are mostly referred to as Miya, I have proposed to the government to establish a museum that would highlight and reflect the culture and heritage of the Miya people,” Sherman said while forwarding his proposal for the establishment of a 'Miya Museum'.

Reacting to the Congress MLA, Sarma said that there is no separate identity and culture in the char areas of Assam as most of the people there had migrated from Bangladesh. In the Kalakshetra, which is the epitome of Assamese culture, the government will not allow any distortion of any kind.

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