Sreehatta Sammilani at Mumbai

By Rebati Mohan Sinha, Mumbai

Sreehatta Sammilani came into being on 14th July 2002. Within six years of it`s existence, the Sammilani has become well known, not only to Bengalees and Bishnupriya Manipuris living in Mumbai, but also Kolkata and Delhi, because they are also having Sammilani by same name. Our`s is the youngest among all. We are not blood related but cousins only.

Here, I would like to bring to the notice of every one, whoever visits this blog as to how this Sammilani was formed. It was way back in the year 1998, when my daughter was working in Tata Memorial(Cancer) Hospital, where the patients or the relatives of the patients from North East, even from Bangladesh were sent to her for having a brief on prescriptions given, followed by obtaining of medicines from certain reliable medical stores etc, as they could not understand the language what the doctors and nurses would speak.

It became a routine affair for my daughter to listen to them not only about medicines but also about their woes which were heart wrenching, such as 'dui kiar jomi bechia puri re loya ono aisi'(selling two plots of land I brought my daughter here). In Mumbai, accommodation problem is the biggest one compared to treatment received. These patients used to stay in a dingy rented room, as long the cash brought along would last. Then there would be no options left but to come on to the foot path. Their duration of stay used to be uncertain as it depends on the treatment say, chemo-therapy.When they can not sustain, they are bound to leave the city without completing the treatment. It can be said here that since most of the patients are brought at their last stage for which their stay would always be longer than expected. As my daughter was of God fearing nature, she never used to bear their agonies. Quite often she would narrate about those patients at the time of dinner and used to ask me to think something about them as I am associated with certain NGOs in Mumbai.

During Durga puja celebration quite a number of Silcharites meet at the Shivaji park at Dadar. After Devi`s darshan we all sit on the ground nearby, spreading the mattresses carrying along. On such an occasion once, one among us stood up and suggested to have a Samiti or Sanstha, where we could celebrate cultural and religious functions forgetting about our differences, who is who. Once puja is over every thing is forgotten. Three years have already been passed and at the mean time my daughter also had gone to Singapore and back; but hardly could I progress in that direction other than having a few meetings with our miniscule B.M .community people.

One day, one of our Silcharites told me that the Sreehatta Sammilani was formed.

I was so happy to hear from him but also had a doubt of whether I would be accepted as a member, because I am not a Sylheti Bengalee. Later on it came in my mind that the undivided Sreehatta was spreading up to Badarpur in Cachar district, at the east and Patherkandi in Karimganj district, to the south where Bishnupriya Manipuris were in plenty. Before some one could talk about our community I had a chance to brief on undivided Sylhet, quoting the marriages those took place there in our Bishnupriya Manipuri community as Sylheti.

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