Sandwiched between the great Himalayan foothills to the north and the plateau of Meghalaya to the south, the lush valley of Assam state is dominated by the mighty Brahmaputra river.The stunning grandeur of its dense tracts of tropical forests, interspersed with emerald patchwork quilts of paddy and verdant tea gardens showcase the life giving largese of the mighty Brahmaputra. An attractive state to drive through with miles of smooth, flat roads coursing through dense forests or vibrant villages.The name ASSAM has been used for more than eight hundred years from the time the Tai people first came to Assam. the state covers an area of 30285 sq mi and is bordered by Bhutan and Bangladesh. In the mythical past, Assam was known as `Pragjyotishpur`. During the Ramayana age and the later Mahabharata age, Asaam was known as `Kamrup`. Today there are two names for Assam; the official English name ASSAM and the Assamese local name OXOM.

Let us discuss in brief how the name was evolved. When the Shan invaders first came to Assam from upper Burma in the thirteenth century, they called themselves as Tai, which meant glorious. When these Tai people settled in Assam, they came to be known as Ahom while the name of the country became known as Oxom. The prefix `a` is used, like typical Assamese words, simply to give accent on the sound `ch`. It is clear that the origin of the term `Acham` or `Asam` is from the Tai people.

The name Acham or Asam was used to designate not only the ruler but also the country itself, and since then the country had been known by the name Asam by all the people outside Assam. Because of the Assamese pronunciation of the sibilants as guttural X, the names used to be pronounced as Oxom, Axam or Axom by the Assamese, dropping the S pronunciation from the original name Asam. And that was how these Tai people were eventually became known as Oxom or Axom to the local Assamese people. The name Oxom however got further phonetic transformation to Ohom and finally to Ahom. Upto the seventeenth century the name of Assam was known as Asam or Acham even inside Assam and not as Oxom. The phonetic shift from Acham to Axam or Oxom happened later. And that is how both the names emerged OXOM as pronounced and written in the Assamese language, and ASSAM as pronounced by outsiders and finally written in English by the British.

This shows that the phonetic name Asam or Acham came first which eventually gave rise the words OXOM and AHOM. Thus the dual names for the state as OXOM as well as ASSAM developed in parallel, and phonetically, both the names are local Assamese names. It is said that when the Europeans named the country as Assam in the sixteenth century, they used the spelling Asham. The British later on changed this to Asam and finally they adopted the spelling as Assam, which is pronounced as Asam. Actually, the British did not coin these spellings, as they could not pronounce the Assamese words.

Today the Government of Assam hurriedly made a resolution to change the name of the state to ASOM. The people are not ready to accept the new name because for the last two hundred years the name Assam gained global currency. The people are of the view that this change of name will only create chaos and confusion. The people are happy with the name Assam.

History of Assam
In the Epics, Assam was known as `Kamarupa` or `Pragjyotish`. In the Mahabharata, the Puranas, the Tantras there are references of the kingdom known as Kamrup. The inhabitants of Assam comprises of the migrants from Burma and China who came from Punjab through Bihar and North Bengal. Assam presents a fusion of Mongol-Aryan culture. The renowned king Narakaxura ruled Kamrupa from his capital at Pragjyotishpura. The early history of Assam is believed to be of the Varman dynasty. Among the early sources there are references of the visit of Hiuen-tsang, who had visited the court of King Bhaskar Varman.

Geography of Assam
Assam comprises an area of 78,523 square kilometers (30,318 square miles). Assam is composed of plains and river valleys. It can be divided into three principal geographical regions: the Brahmaputra Valley in the north, the Barak Plain in the south, and the Mikir and Cachar Hills that divide the two regions. The Brahmaputra Valley is the dominant feature of Assam. It enters Assam at the extreme northeast corner and runs westward (nearly 450 miles) before turning south to enter the plains of Bangladesh. The river valley is studded with hills and ridges. The valley is surrounded on all sides except the West by mountains.

Economy of Assam
The economy of Assam is mainly agricultural. There is a widespread practice of traditional farming techniques and low practice of modern techniques. About seventy five percent of the population depends on agriculture and sixty nine percent of the work force in the state is engaged in agricultural activities. Rice is the staple diet of the people. Most of the people are engaged in the cultivation of rice. Other agricultural products cultivated are pulses, jute, tea and fruits. Sugarcane, potatoes, cotton, oil seeds, coconut and areca nut cultivation is also practiced on a substantial scale.One of India`s few oil regions, Assam produces more than half of the nation`s Tea. There are around right hundred tea estates in Assam. Sixty seven percent of the area is cultivated by rice. The fruit crops cultivated are oranges, bananas, pineapples and mangoes.

Government and Politics of Assam
The Governor heads the political structure of Assam. He is assisted by a council of ministers headed by the Chief Minister. The legislative structure of Assam is unicameral and consists of 126 members. The members are elected for a period of 5 years. The Assembly is presided over by the speaker. The political parties of Assam are: Asom Gana Parishad, Asom Gana Parishad (Progressive), Autonomous State Demand Committee, Bharatiya Janata Party, Bodo Peoples Progressive Front, Communist Party of India, CPI (Marxist), Indian National Congress, Purbanchaliya Loka Parishad, Trinamul Gana Parishad and the United Monitary Front.

Since the Indian Independence, Congress has been in power from 1947 to 1978. After which the Janata Party came to power but this government did not last for two years and again Congress came back to power and ruled till 1985. They were again succeeded by the AGP (Asom Gana Parishad). Since then (1985) the Congress and the AGP had been in power alternatively. Sadly the state has suffered from political violence since the Untied Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) began am armed struggle for independence in 1985. In the early 1990s, Assamese nationalism sparked opposition from minorities giving rise to further insurgence. However though bombings, bandhs and in-fighting still continue, the situation has vastly improved and tourists are not a target. In the 2006 elections Congress retained power. There are twenty district courts in Assam. District and session judges head these courts. A number of subordinate courts at the district and subordinate levels come under these district courts.

Districts of Assam
A district is an administrative geographical unit headed by the Deputy Commissioner, which consists of the offices of the District Magistrate and the District Collector. Usually an officer belonging to the IAS cadre becomes the Deputy Commissioner but occasionally officers belonging to the Assam Civil Service are also appointed. The Superintendent of Police is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order. There are twenty-four districts in Assam. They are: Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Dhemaji, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Sonitpur, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Marigaon, Darrang, Kamrup Rural, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, North Cachar Hills, Cachar, Hailakandi, Karimganj and Kamrup Metropolitan.

Transport in Assam
The Assam state transportation corporation provides facility of transport to different cities of Assam and also to the neighboring states as well. There are different types of busses ranging from the regular ones to the luxury coaches. The newest brand known as the Rihno buses are also available. The major airports of Assam are Balipara Assam Airport, Guwahati Assam Airport and the Tezpur Assam Airports.

Demography of Assam
The population of Assam consists of an inter mixture of Mongolian, Indo-Burmese, Indo-Iranian and Aryan origin. The tribes of Mongolian origin occupy the hilly areas. According to the 1991 census, the population of Assam is 22 million. The Hindus represent two-thirds of the population and the native Tibeto-Burman tribal groups make up another 16 percent of the total population. The Native Assamese, Mymenshingy settlers (from Bangladesh) and tea-garden laborers are also included in this coverage. The state has the presence of largest number of tribes and each tribe has their own language.

In 1824 the British entered Assam as tea planters, which was the starting point of the destruction of Ahom dynasty. Along with them, the immigrants entered Assam with their traditional beliefs as caste system and dowry system. Although the caste system exists it is not prominent as in other parts of India. The majority of the Assameese are Vaishnavas. The other important religions of Assam are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims represent the largest minorities, followed by Nepalis and populations from neighboring regions of India. The national festival of Assam is the Bihu festival, which is celebrated in three parts during a year with great pomp by all Assamese, irrespective of caste, creed or religion.

Culture of Assam
The men folk living in the plains wear dhotis and shirt and vest. Some men wear khaddar. In villages rich men use head-gear. Men wear hats while working in the fields. The young boys prefer wearing western dresses. The boys on occasions wear headgears with their gomacha (they tie to their hip when they are dancing). The Assamese go bare foot. The women wear long skirts, which lie up to their ankles, which are known by the name riha-mekhela-Sadar. The long skirt is the mekhela and the upper garment is the riha. Some women wear long black sari. The brides of the lower class wear sari for marriage. Married women cover their head with the one end of their riha-sador. The Hindu women put vermilion on the parting of hair on their forehead and wear bangles made of shell. Muslims also wear the same dress except that they do not put vermilion.

Flora and Fauna
The important national parks of Assam are; Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Nameri National Park, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and the Rajiv Gandhi National Park.

Education in Assam
The schools in Assam are striving to impart education that remains for life. The entry of private schools in Assam has resulted in healthy competition among schools. As a result there are improvement in the infrastructure, quality of teachers and so on. All schools do not follow a uniform pattern. Some schools concentrate not only in developing the cognitive skills of students but also in the emotional needs of students, which help students to face the world with confidence as education is the all round development of an individual.

Parents prefer to send their children to residential schools because of the quality of education and discipline imparted there. Two of the important residential schools are the Sainik School and the Assam Valley School. Across the country people come to attend the colleges in Assam. There are different colleges as: Engineering Colleges, Medical Colleges, Ayurveda colleges, Arts colleges, Science Colleges Commerce Colleges and business schools. The Universities in Assam provides a peaceful academic environment to the students. Students from different parts of the country and also from abroad come here for study. There are qualified professors and good infrastructure facilities in the universities.

Media in Assam
The different newspapers in Assam are Assam Chronicle, Asomiya Pratidin, Assam Tribute, Dainik Agradoot, The Northeast Tribute, and The Sentinel. Although the regional language of Assam is Assamese, the radio stations in Assam broadcast in English and other languages. The radio stations in Assam by location are Didhu, Guwahati, Haflong, Jorhat, Kokrajhar, Nagaon, Silchar and Tezpur radio.

Sports in Assam
People of Assam are interested in a variety of sports as Golf, Tennis, Football, Boxing, and Swimming. Golf is played at Dhansiri Polo Club near Bokakhat. Golaghat boxing club is one of the important boxing clubs of Assam, which is situated at the Amolapatty area. In the heart of Golaghat town, there is an indoor stadium having two badminton courts and four table tennis boards. In the field of sports, Golaghat occupies an important place in Assam. The Golaghat tennis club is one of the oldest of Assam. It has produced several National and International players of repute in Athletics, Table Tennis, Boxing and Football. There are two lawn courts at kushal Kunwar Memorial Trust Complex. Next to the indoor stadium of Golaghat town, there is a swimming pool, which is managed by District Sport Office. One of the important stadiums of Assam is the Nehru Stadium, which is a multi use stadium managed by the board of sports. The stadium holds twenty five thousand people and was built in 1962. It is used for playing both football and cricket matches.

More on Assam
Assamese Films
Assamese Literature
Cities of Assam
Costumes of Assam
Festivals of Assam
Folk Dances of Assam