Embarking on a New Chapter – From the Old Morangi Ancholik Committee to the New Morangi Ancholik Committee

Jai Johar! Jai Adivasi!

On behalf of the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) Golaghat District Committee, it is a privilege and an honour to take this moment to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the outgoing leadership of the Old Morangi Ancholik Committee under the stewardship of President Tarsius Tigga and Secretary Luhit Sobor. Their dedicated service, tireless contribution and commitment have laid down an important foundation for community engagement, identity-affirmation, and collective upliftment. We thank them deeply, and we wish them a warm and bright future ahead.

From today onwards, we hereby officially declare that the Old Morangi Ancholik Committee will cease to function, and we introduce and assume charge of the New Morangi Ancholik Committee with immediate effect. This transition is not just administrative; it is symbolic of renewal, rejuvenation, and reaffirmation of our commitment to the Adivasi cause, our culture, our community and our shared future.

1. Why this transition matters

The decision to wind down the Old Morangi Ancholik Committee and inaugurate the New Morangi Ancholik Committee is not simply a change of names or office-bearers. It reflects a deeper aspiration: to revitalise our community’s organising mechanisms, align them to the present moment, reflect fresh energy and meet the demands of a rapidly changing social, economic and cultural context.

Over the years, our Adivasi communities in Assam and beyond have grappled with issues of identity-recognition, land and labour rights, cultural affirmation, educational access and economic justice. For example, AASAA has on several occasions highlighted:

• The demand for inclusion of Adivasi communities in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list rather than being lumped under broad “tea-tribes” or other categories.

• The push for land pattas, wage justice, prevention of evictions, especially in tea-garden and Adivasi-inhabited areas. 

• The need for transparent government schemes, correct categorisations (not reducing identity to “tea-tribes”), and greater representation. 

In that sense, while the Old Morangi Ancholik Committee served well, the evolving challenges require fresh structures, younger leadership, renewed energy, and renewed commitment. The New Committee is a signal to all: we are ready for the future.

2. The legacy of the Old Morangi Ancholik Committee

Under the leadership of President Tarsius Tigga and Secretary Luhit Sobor, the Old Committee did important work:

• They maintained a consistent presence in local Adivasi affairs, organising meetings, cultural gatherings, liaising with the district unit of AASAA and other allied groups.

• They upheld the dignity of Adivasi culture, identity, language and traditions in Morangi and surrounding areas.

• They served as the first interface for many young Adivasis to social-mobilise, access educational or social-justice resources, and feel a sense of collective belonging.

Their work has built social capital. Their efforts merit acknowledgement. As we move forward, we carry their legacy, learn from their work, and commit to building on it—rather than replacing it entirely.

3. The vision for the New Morangi Ancholik Committee

As we inaugurate the New Morangi Ancholik Committee, we lay out a vision anchored on three pillars: Identity, Inclusion and Inspiration.

Identity – We will reaffirm Adivasi identity, culture and heritage. We will resist reductionist labels, celebrate distinct languages, oral traditions, festivals, customs and art. We will strive to have our voices heard in decision-making, not merely as “tea-garden labour-communities” but as Adivasis with history, dignity and rights.

Inclusion – We aim to leave no one behind. Youth, women, children, elder-statespersons, remote hamlets, first-generation learners—all must find a place in our Committee’s work. We will actively seek to include those marginalised within our own community: women, persons with disability, those in remote areas and those lacking access to education or employment.

Inspiration – We will inspire new leadership, encourage education and skill-building, promote entrepreneurship, cultural expression and community pride. We will partner with other associations, government programmes and civil society organisations to expand opportunity.

Concretely, our agenda may include:

• Educational support/mentorship programmes for Adivasi youth.

• Cultural events and festivals that affirm heritage and bring community together.

• Workshops on rights awareness, government schemes, land/patta issues, labour laws.

• Engagement with local government and administration to ensure fair implementation of schemes, transparent beneficiary selection and correct identity categorisation.

• Promoting awareness around gender justice, health, drug-abuse prevention and general welfare, especially among tea-garden and remote families.

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4. What this means for Morangi and Golaghat District

The Morangi region holds both promise and challenge. As a sub-division/district area in Golaghat, it is home to many Adivasi families—settled perhaps for generations, engaged in agriculture, tea-garden labour, related occupations, but also increasingly mobile, educated and aspirational.

For Golaghat District Committee of AASAA, this transition means that Morangi becomes a renewed nodal point of mobilization. The New Committee will coordinate with district leadership to ensure:

• Outreach to all Adivasi hamlets in Morangi and the surroundings.

• Effective representation of Morangi’s concerns in district and state forums.

• Regular engagement (meetings, assemblies, consultations) that allow grass-roots voices to be heard.

• Collaboration with other Ancholik Committees, NGOs and the district AASAA leadership to share best practices, mobilise resources and amplify impact.

For the broader Adivasi community in Assam, initiatives in local Ancholik Committees matter significantly: they bring the national/state agenda into the local context, ensure grassroots presence, and make the abstract notion of “rights” into lived realities.

5. Challenges ahead – and our readiness

We cannot pretend the path is easy. The Adivasi community in Assam (and throughout north-east India) still faces structural challenges:

• Identity recognition: As repeated by AASAA, many Adivasi groups are still excluded from ST lists, partly due to “area restrictions” or peculiar categorizations.

• Wage justice and labour rights: Tea-garden labour wages, land tenure, access to benefits remain contentious. 

• Access to education, health and infrastructure: Many Adivasi localities remain underserved; there is a gap between policy intent and implementation.

• Internal diversity and inclusion: Within “Adivasi” as a broad category there exist many sub-groups, languages, geographies; ensuring inclusion and representation is complex.

• Youth engagement and leadership renewal: As younger generations grow up in a more connected world, they expect more than mere tokenism—they expect agency, technology, opportunity.

Recognising these challenges, the New Committee pledges to adopt a bottom-up approach, remain inclusive, transparent, accountable, responsive, and driven by community participation (not only by a small elite). We will use technology, social media, partnerships, local leadership training, and community forums to stay agile.

6. Call to action – for every Adivasi of Morangi and beyond

To every Adivasi individual, family, youth and elder in Morangi, in Golaghat district, in Assam: this is your Committee. The New Morangi Ancholik Committee belongs to you. Its strength, its success, its legitimacy will come from your participation, your voice, your commitment.

Here are ways you can engage:

• Attend the local committee meetings; invite a friend, neighbour, relative.

• Volunteer for a cultural or educational initiative—help a younger student, organise a heritage event, share your story.

• Raise issues: If you see local injustice, discriminatory practice, scheme-irregularity—bring it up. The Ancholik Committee is your platform.

• Support youth and women’s engagement: Encourage your daughter, nephew, niece to participate; support them in accessing opportunities.

• Spread this message: “Jai Johar! Jai Adivasi!”—affirm pride in our heritage.

• Stay connected: Follow our announcements, engage on social media, share information and keep the momentum alive.

7. A concluding affirmation

As we step into this new phase with the New Morangi Ancholik Committee, let us reaffirm our collective resolve:

• To honour our past and the service of those who came before us.

• To strengthen our present by building stronger bonds of community, leadership and participation.

• To create a future where every Adivasi in Morangi, Golaghat and Assam lives with dignity, equal opportunity, cultural respect and communal pride.

To President Tarsius Tigga and Secretary Luhit Sobor: thank you for your years of indispensable service. We honour your efforts. May your future be filled with success and peace.

To the New Morangi Ancholik Committee: may you carry the torch forward, guided by vision, passion and humility.

To every Adivasi of Morangi and Assam: our culture, our identity, our aspirations unite us. Let this transition be the beginning of a stronger, more connected, more empowered journey.

Jai Johar!
Jai Adivasi!