When the pen proved mightier than the gun

As a hardcore militant, Hemanta Jamatia was, in his heydey, one of those who terrorised Tripura. But the musician in him overpowered the insurgent, leading to him being selected for a Sangeet Natak Akademi award.

Hemanta Jamatia, former extremist turned folk music artiste, has been selected for his contribution to diverse fields of performing arts.

Jamatia, a top militant of the All Tripura People's Liberation Organisation, surrendered before the state government in the early eighties and later established a cultural organisation "Trishabari Symphony" along with many tribal youths and former militants.

He took part in the state's developmental process and was recently elected vice-president of the West Tripura zilla parishad.

"Music often triumphs over guns," says Jamatia who bade farewell to arms 14 years ago. But the lines he composed during his underground days still haunt him. "I do not want to forget my songs," he said. And they have now been together in a book by the Kok Borok (tribal language) Literature and Cultural Board.

"Whenever I sang in the deep forest hideouts, my other rebel brothers would leave their arms and join me," he said.

" A dreaded extremist and area commander of erstwhile militant outfit ATPLO, Muktahari Jamatia, often threw away his guns to take up the harmonium whenever he heard my songs," Hemanta told a press of journalists recently.

Interestingly, Muktahari surrendered to the government with his arms and ammunition along with a harmonium.

Hemanta, along with Muktahari, during the underground days, had also formed a cultural organisation -- the Symphony Cultural Troupe.

Expressing unhappiness over growing militancy in the state, Hemanta said that while the tribal masses were the main victim of militancy, the militants had a good time, watching Hindi films and listening to music.