7. The Trend of Settlement in Bam

 The trend of settlement in Bam:

Although we do not have precise information about when the Tripuri capital shifted from Bam's Rajghat to Kailashahar and then to Agartala, scholars have acknowledged that the Tripuri capital did indeed move elsewhere from Bam. With the relocation of the king's court, the bustling atmosphere of the capital also fell silent. The king's royal family, the guard force, and a significant portion of the gentry undoubtedly left with the king. As a result, ordinary people also left the area out of fear for their safety. This is why traces of human settlement were found later.

People started settling by clearing the forests. Consequently, the forest land became densely populated. Conversely, if a settlement is abandoned, the settled area can become covered with forests and turn into a deserted forest land. This is what happened in the case of Bam. What was once a bustling area became a deserted, deep forest.

After the British took over the administration of Cachar, they undertook the task of establishing new settlements to increase revenue. With the aim of increasing population in sparsely populated new areas, they began granting land settlements to farmer households.

Although a once densely populated part of the kingdom later turned into a forest, the British government's initiation of new land settlements led to a large number of villagers from various parts of the district, eager for agricultural land, settling in the Bam area in the hope of acquiring ownership of new, fertile, arable land. However, this settlement did not occur all at once or in a uniform manner.

From approximately 1885, the British government began granting land settlements to farmer households. In this system of granting land settlements with a fixed rent of 15 annas per acre, approximately 7000 acres of land were distributed among interested households until 1902. In 1903, a new pargana called Davidsonabad was established, and land surveying work was restarted. The settlement system was initiated by granting one hal (12 kear or 14 bighas: 1 kear = 1 bigha 4 kathas 4 chhataks) of fallow land, or rather, government-owned forest land, per family. This period is called Bonfara – a local pronunciation of the English word bonfire, meaning clearing the jungle by setting it on fire. The deep forests of Bam were densely covered with trees and vegetation. No laborers were hired for clearing the jungle. The land allottees had to clear the jungle themselves using simple tools like axes, machetes, and hoes. Even these simple tools were not made by local artisans. They were made by blacksmiths who came from Dhaka and Chatak. Therefore, it was easier to clear the jungle by setting fire to the remaining trees and vegetation. New settlements were established in other areas like Bonraj Pargana, Lakshmipur Pargana, and Katlichhara, almost simultaneously with Bam. They also refer to that period as the Bonfara period.

 

Besides saving labor, Bonfara had an added advantage. The deep forests of Bam were the natural habitat of ferocious wild animals like tigers, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, and elephants. The fire ensured the safety of the unarmed new settlers by driving away the wild animals. But this Bonfara or bonfire also destroyed much of the flora and fauna of Bam.

It is worth mentioning that due to the “Inner Line Regulation” system introduced by the British government in 1875, the Bam area was a protected zone. This 47-kilometer-long “Inner Line” ran from Rantila in Hailakandi through Ramprasadpur to Moynadar on the banks of the Barak River at the Cachar-Manipur border. To enter the area south of the ‘Inner Line’, permission had to be obtained from the government. This permission system was relaxed after the introduction of the new land distribution system. As a result, interested farmers and households from various directions started settling in Bam.

The British administration formulated some basic policies for land allocation in Bam, the main rule being that a family would be given as much land as could be cultivated with one plow. It was calculated that a farmer could cultivate 14 bighas of land with one plow and a pair of oxen (which is called a "hal"), which became known as "one hal of land". Each family of immigrant farmers was allotted one plough unit, or 14 bighas, of land for settlement. They would clear the jungle and establish their settlements.

 

Clearing the land, cultivating it, and residing there were mandatory for the allotted farmers. British revenue officials would then conduct inspections to ensure that the rules were being followed. If the farmer was present on the land, the land allocation was confirmed; if absent, the allocation was canceled.

There have also been instances where many farmers lost their land due to their absence. This situation gave rise to the local proverb in Bam, "Aghite Bam Jay," which means, "If you go to answer nature's call in Bam, you lose your land."

 

This proverb is based on an incident where a farmer, while inspecting his land, left to answer nature's call. Revenue officials arrived and, finding him absent from his land, canceled his allocation. Upon returning, the farmer realized he had lost his land and lamented, "Aghite Bam Jay." Since then, this proverb has been used for situations where you might lose something valuable if you are not present at the right moment.

At this stage of settlement, the new settlers in the Bam area began to rebuild it into a populated area, struggling against attacks from diseases like malaria, kala-azar, cholera, and smallpox, as well as deadly attacks from wild animals and poisonous insects and reptiles. As a result, 80 new villages were established in the area. Cholera and smallpox would reach epidemic proportions during the harvest season in Bam, wiping out large populations. People knew nothing about the causes or treatment of the diseases. They referred to it as 'Morki,' a corrupted form of 'epidemic.' It sometimes wiped out entire families. In early 1918, the Dhalai Abdul Majid Dispensary was established. The dispensary provided malaria injections and smallpox vaccinations. Gradually, the epidemics came under some control within about 15 years. The dispensary was established on land donated by the Abdul Majid Lasker Estate of Joynagar, and the government dispensary was named after him. This Abdul Majid Lasker Estate of Joynagar has Waqf property in Dhalai Bazar, and currently, the Mutawalli of the Waqf estate collects the rent.

The fertile land and forest resources of the area continued to attract households. As a result, settlements began even in the unsurveyed reserved forest areas under government control. This led to the establishment of one forest village after another. Thirty-five villages were established, which are called forest villages. These villages are spread across an area of ​​33.28 square kilometers. On average, each forest village covers an area of ​​approximately one square kilometer.

Thus, the Bam region, once a prosperous and glorious area with a royal seat, became covered with uninhabited forests and faded into oblivion after the capital was shifted. However, with the introduction of a new settlement project during the British rule, the Bam region became vibrant with people once again.

 

With the settlement of people from various races, ethnic groups, and tribes, the Bam region emerged as a diverse area inhabited by people of all communities and religions. The origins of the settlements in this region have already been discussed. The discussion indicates that Bam is essentially a historically renowned ancient settlement; it has developed a new characteristic through a new wave of settlements.

Among those who played a key role in creating this new characteristic, the Bengali Muslim and Bengali Hindu settlements appear to be the most prominent.

From a religious perspective, Muslims are a single religious community, but in terms of language and culture, there are cultural differences among them, such as Bengali-speaking Bengali Muslims and Manipuri-speaking Pangal or Manipuri Muslims. However, despite this diversity, the number of Bengali Muslims is the highest in the area.

From Hailakandi, traveling eastward through Dhoarbond and crossing the Rengti hills, the distance to Bam is only 30-35 km on foot. At one time, 30-35 km on foot was not considered a particularly long distance. It was the usual distance between neighboring areas. People easily traveled and maintained contact over this distance on foot.

Bengali Muslims and Bengali Hindus primarily migrated from various villages in the western Hailakandi subdivision (present-day Hailakandi district), Cachar, and Karimganj, and settled in this region.

Enthusiastic, enterprising, and courageous farmers and householders from villages like Bilpar-Dhumkar, Bhichingcha, Narainpur, Monachhara, Boalipar, Algapur, Bahadurpur, Saidband, Lala, Shahabad, etc., in western Hailakandi, cleared the uninhabited forests and established populated villages.

Following their lead, many adventurous farming families and people of other professions from established old villages in the northern region, such as Baghadar, Bagpur, Niyairgram, Dhanehari, Krishnapur, Kanakpur, Uttar Krishnapur, Sripur, Meherpur, Berenga, Madhurband, Tikarbasti, Ramnagar, Udharband, and Buribail near Silchar town, and Bhanga and Bundashil in Karimganj, went to new places, cleared the forests, built houses, obtained land settlements, and established new villages. Some Bengali Hindu businessmen came to the Bam region from then-East Bengal during the first phase of resettlement in Bam. They came from regions like Sylhet, Brahmanbaria, Baniachong, and Barishal.

However, a question might arise here: why did householders from Hailakandi town and the villages surrounding Silchar town extensively relocate to the sparsely populated, forested areas of Bam? There were several reasons for this.

Firstly, there was the hope of escaping the devastating floods that frequently ravaged the valley, causing immense damage to farmers' fields and crops. The higher lands of the Bam region were free from the ravages of floods.  Secondly, there was the government's easily accessible policy regarding new land settlements—which allowed small and marginal farming families to acquire larger plots of land and settle in the area. Due to the relatively lower land prices in the Bam area compared to the prices in the city, suburbs, or areas adjacent to the city, many people sold their old houses and purchased larger plots of land in Bam, subsequently becoming residents of the area. The population has increased day by day.

There is a significant Dimasa Barmon population in Bam. The Dimasa Barmons mainly reside in villages located in the deep hilly regions of South Bam, such as Kalarhaor, Dhalakhal, Tularthal Panchhara, Baghewala, Joynagar, and Barmonnagar, Sheorartal villages. Besides, many live in Gazalghat, Debipur, Sadagram, Lantugram, and Jibangram. The Barmon Dimasas of South Bam are internal migrants within Bam. The first settlers of the Barmon Dimasas in Sheorartal migrated from Debipur village near Dhalaibazar in Bam in 1916. They came from a revenue village and settled in Sheorartal Forest Village. Later, many came to Sheorartal and other villages in South Bam from Sadagram and other villages near Dhalaibazar. Previously, the Barmon Dimasas mostly came from Barkhola, Dolu, Bijoypur, Garer Bhitor Khaspur, Thaligram, and Bager Kona to Debipur, Sadagram, and other villages near Dhalaibazar.

 

There is a significant Hindi-speaking population in Bam, locally known as the Hindustani community. They mainly live in Tilanagar, Saraspur, Rajgobindpur, and Bishnupur near Bhagabazar. There are about three hundred families. Many Hindustani families also live in Dhalaibasti adjacent to Dhalaibazar. They came to Bam during the initial stages of settlement in the area. They were engaged in traditional family professions such as agriculture and milk production. In those days, there were no roads or vehicles for transportation of goods. Some members of the Hindustani community drove bullock carts, which were the only means of transport in the early days of Bam. Although they have retained their professions of agriculture and milk production, they are now also engaged in other businesses. They are also much more advanced educationally. The ancestors of the present-day Hindustani community migrated from the districts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The Mizos are the original inhabitants of this region. The Riangs may have come from Chittagong through Mizoram at some point. To counter frequent attacks by the Kukis, the British settled Manipuris in South Cachar from Manipur.

However, in the early stages of settlement, the area was inaccessible. Travel to and from this area was done on footpaths. Gradually, small footpaths were constructed under the management of the Local Board. Eventually, bullock carts and handcarts began to ply on these roads from the district headquarters of Silchar.

It may be recalled that until 1905, there were only two major roads in Cachar. One of these roads connected Badarpur-Silchar to Manipur via Banshkandi-Lakhipur-Jirighat. The other was the road from Silchar to Chatla Haor-Samarikona-Hailakandi. The remaining roads were rural unpaved roads built by the Local Board.