Kokrajhar, Dec. 5: For the battle-weary Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) cadre, it is the moment for mixed feelings as life as a ?soldier? comes to an end. On the eve of their formal surrender to the authorities with a vow to lead normal lives, BLT cadres from different backgrounds spoke about their past and future aspirations.
Twenty-two-year-old Sanjib Basumatary and his two friends from Ambari Surubera in Nalbari district want to resume the studies they had discontinued to join the ?freedom movement? some years ago.
?We want to stand on our own feet now,? they said.
Recalling his weird past, Sanjib said, ?We had no other option but to join the group as regular raids by the security personnel and harassment of Bodo youths had made our lives miserable. I was in Class IX then (1998).
?Now I would like to go back to my village and resume my studies so that I can clear the Class X examination and enrol in some technical institution,? he said.
?I have made up my mind not to join the army or police even if I get a chance,? the youth, now weary of military life, said.
Moshish Soren, an Adivasi cadre of the outfit from Balatali of Nalbari, said he would continue working towards maintaining peace and harmony among the two communities.
Soren and 11 other Adivasi youths joined the BLT in 1996 following the bloody Bodo-Adivasi clashes.
?The two communities had been living like a family since we can remember. But one spark of hatred by vested interests was enough to burn the two communities. So to prove that no force can disturb the communal harmony, we joined the BLT with help from our Bodo friends and have been working together in development work and we would continue doing so even after the surrender,? Soren said.
Twenty-four-year-old Deepak Basumatary from Kaijamat under Barpeta district will have to pick up the lost threads of his life anew. Youngest of three brothers, he joined the BLT in 1996 and was one of the 15 cadres assigned to guard the outfit?s chairman Hagrama Basumatary since 2001.
?I have been following the order of my seniors, so it will take a while for me to forget these. Of course, I will return to my village. Maybe I will help my family in the fields or perhaps I will look for other alternatives.?
He said he had joined the BLT ?to serve my people and it will be an insult to my conscience if we ask something in return.?
Thirty-five-year-old Daoharu Swargiary of Balopara in Dhemaji district, who joined the outfit in 1996, said he would revert to life as a farmer so that he could feed his wife and three children, the eldest being 10 years old.
Sukumar Basumatary ?hailing from Sugrengbari of Dhemaji ? who joined the BLT in 1996, wants ?good wishes and inspiration from the people? so that he can pursue his interest in music.
Basumatary, who had carved a niche for himself in the world of music before he joined the ?movement?, took out a Bodo album Nwngkou Lamanainawinw in 2000 which received mixed responses.
The lone Nepali cadre in the outfit, Rishiraj Upadhaya from Subankata in Nalbari, yearns for ?all-round development in his area. ?It is not possible for the government to aid all the cadres. I would be happy if development takes place under the BTC,? the 40-year-old said.