ABSTRACT
Jogot Kama: (in Kocha) Koch-ara-Rabha (Koch and Rabha people) ... You have visited the forest villages in West Bengal, and you must have noted 'the identity, culture, language, and socio-economic conditions' of the Rabhas there. These conditions are the same as for the other Koch-Rabhas here in Dhubri district, Kokhrajahr district and other places. All Kochas are the same. The Rabhas belong to different religions, but they have the same language and culture. But, on the other hand, there appear to be differences, mainly due to influences of the geography and the political situation of the places they live in. We always introduce ourselves as Kochas, not as Rabhas. If someone asks me, I say 'I am Kocha, I am Rabha'. There are several different 'identities', but we are the same. Perhaps we sometimes make a mistake and introduce ourselves as something other than Kocha or Rabha. But since you do research among us Kochas, you should try to find (get ahold of) our real 'identity'. Yo u have to try find the real 'identity' so that it can be preserved in a proper way.
