ASSAM is a miniature India, a varitable melting pot of diverse races, creeds, cultures and religions making it an anthropologist's delight. Many of the principal races of the world migrated to this region in course of time. But due to its geo-political remoteness, the rest of world know very little of Assam. It is in this state the famous game reserve at Kaziranga is located, where people from the world over come to meet the celebrated one-horned India rhinoceros. Manas is another such location famous for the last bastions of the Golden Languor (now on the verge of extinction). Its tea, of course, is very famous all over the world. The mighty Brahmaputra, the holy temple of Kamakhya, oil fields etc. are few images conjured up whenever Assam is mentioned. Culturally Assamese Bihu and Satriya dances are a part of great Indian national heritage. This state, along with Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram,Meghalaya and Tripura; with which it has close cultural and other affinities; forms the eastern most sector of india, having borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh. Its physical geography is one of the most fascinating in the country, with its extremely rich landscape, endless tracts of dense green forests, its blue mountains, lush grassy plains, and its deep, wide, rapid rivers. Nature is wild and virgin here. Its beauty has a pristine freshness unmatched elsewhere. The monsoon forests are among the world's richest sources of interesting flora and fauna. Its vegetation is composed of trees and plants which represent all climatic zones from tropical to temperate. The orchids and lilies are of the most enchanting hues. Its wild life includes elephant, tiger, wild buffalo and rhinoceros.
          In such a magnificent setting dwell people whose dress makes a most interesting study for students of design. It is interesting because there are so many tribal groups and subgroups inhabiting the state, that a number of distinctive costumes appear. Because of the great diversity of the dresses of the numerous tribes of Assam, it is possible only to note the colorful features of some principal tribes. There is one ensemble that can be called the traditional costume of the Assamese women. It is known as the "mekhala and chadar". The dresses of most Assamese women, whichever tribe they may belong to, can be called variations of the mekhala and chadar.

          Geographically Assam is a shadow of its former self. It has been reduced to one third of its original size in thirty years of time. There are different opinions on the origin of the name "Assam". Some say that Assam is called so because of its unequal terrain - that is hills interspersed with valleys. They rely on a similar-sounding Assamese word "Axom" meaning unequal. This explanation appears to be far fetched. A more acceptable version is that Assam is only the anglicised version of 'Asom' - which was the name the Ahoms gave to the country, when they conquered it.

          Assam is described as the eldest of the 'Seven sisters' comprising the seven North Eastern States of the country. It is close to India's international borders with China, Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh. It is surrounded on almost all the sides predominantly by hilly or mountainous tracts -- Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh on the north; Monipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh on the east; and Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura on the south.

          During the epic period, Assam was known as "Pragjyotisha", which was later known as "Kamrupa". The kingdom of Kamrupa finds earliest mention in the Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta. Prior to its annexation by the British, Assam was ruled by the Ahom kings for almost six hundred years. It has a rich and varied legacy of culture and civilization and the Auistric, Mongolian, Dravidian and Aryans who came to live there long ago have contributed to its composite culture. The advent of the Ahoms in the 13th century was a major turning point in the history of Assam. They fought the local Moran, Kachari and Chutia kings and inflicted an ignominious defeat on them. Thus, in course of time, they became a mighty power in the whole of Brahamaputra valley and for the next six centuries they held their survey over the land. Intrigues and dissensions in the Ahom Court led the Burmese enter through the eastern border and over-run the territory. It became a British Protectorate in 1826 when the Burmese ceded Assam to the British under the Treaty of Yandabu. The administration of the territory was then handed over to an agent of the Governor General. The British annexed Cachar to Assam in 1832 and the Jaintia hills were made part of it in 1835. Assam was annexed to Bengal in 1839 and again it was detached in 1874 as a separate province under the administration of a Chief Commissioner with Shillong as its capital. It was again united to the eastern districts of Bengal under the partition of Bengal in 1905 and in 1912 the Chief Commissionership of Assam was revived.

          Assam has a gross cropped area of about 85 lakh hectares with more than 78% accounting for areas covered by food grain crops. Jute, tea, cotton, potato, sugarcane, oilseed etc. Are the major cash crops. Orange, banana, pineapple, arecanut, coconut, guava, mango and jackfruit are major horticulture items. About 74 per cent of the states working force is engaged in agriculture and allied activities.

          Assam is dominated by the Brahmaputra river. Its total drainage area is roughly 935,500 sq km. So far, as total of 4,77,163 hectares of irrigation potential have created in Assam. The installed capacity of power generation is at present 534.4MV. Major power stations are Chandrapur Thermal Project and Namrup Thermal Project and a few Mobile Gas Turbine units along with a mini hydro-electric projects.

          Tea is the prominent agriculture based industry of Assam. Assam contributes to 55 per cent of India's tea output, and 15.6 per cent of world tea production. The only big industry in the state is the agro-based tea industry earning substantial revenue. Other agro-based industries are sugar, jute, paper and rice. Assam is fairly rich in petroleum, natural gas, limestone and coal. The state has three oil refineries and the fourth refinery at Numaligarh with three million to ninemillion capacity was commissioned in December, 1998. Cottage industries include handloom, sericulture, cane and bamboo articles, carpentry and manufacture of brass utensils. Assam produces Eri, Muga, Tassar and Mulberry silks and also Muga is distinct to Assam only as it is produced nowhere in the world.

          The Legislature consists of only one house - the Legislative Assembly (126 members). Present government is run by Congress(I) under the leadership of Sri Tarun Gogoi as the Chief Minister of the State.

          Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat (a remarkable and premier Institution of its kind and considered as 'Jewel in the Crown' in the whole of north East), Assam University, Silchar, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, Guwahati University, Guwahati, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Tezpur University, Tezpur. Tocklai Experimental Station, the world famous tea research station located in Jorhat city. Number of schools in the state : 37,652. There are 3 medical colleges and 3 Engineering Colleges.

          Guwahati - Kaziranga - Sibsagar and Guwahati - Manas are two travel circuits promoted by the Union Government. Kamakhya Temple, Umananda, Basistha Ashram, Gandhi Mandap, Sukleswar Temple, Sankardev Kalashetra, Balaji Temple are some of the important tourist places in and around Guwahati. The Kaziranga National Park is famous for its unique one-horned rhinos. Other wild - life sanctuaries that attract tourists are Manas and Orang sanctuaries. Other places of tourist interest are Sibsagar, Tezpur, Bhalukpung, Haflong, Jatinga Hills, Majuli island (largest river inland), Chandubu lake and Sualkuchi 'Majuli', the greatest river island in the world and also the seat of a large number of Vaishnava Monasteries or 'Satras' is located just across the mighty river Brahmputra. Thus, Assam is an ideal meeting ground for d iverse races. Assam gave shelter to streams of human waves carrying with them distinct cultures and trends of civilization, as if the number of tiny streams emerging from the hills are getting intermingled with the mighty river Brahmaputra. The great and precious asset of a state is its people who exploit all the natural resources and potentials and forms wealth of a nation. Assam has now produced a prospective plant or vision based on its culture, aspiration and resources of this region. Our life is what we make it by our thoughts and deeds. This is true not only of individuals but also of states and regions so definitely Assam will gain a ignominious miracle with organisational skill, talent and indomitable spirit of its people.