च्रिस्तियन वर्क इन असम क/ओ ग्फा दिसम्बर २० 2007

Assam

The name "Assam" is the anglicized version of "Asom," the name given to the region by the conquering Ahom tribe in the 13th century. Assam lies at the foot of the Himalayas in northeast India. This state has an area of 30,294 square miles (slightly smaller than South Carolina) and a population of 26.6 million. Of this, less than 13 percent live in the urban areas. Main languages include Assamese, Bodo, Bengali, Nepali and Mizo. Hinduism is the majority religion (65%), followed by Islam (31%), Christianity (3.1%) and Buddhism (0.3%).
A land of hills and valleys, Assam is dominated by the Brahmaputra River, which is an important means of irrigation and transportation. Devastating floods result from some of the highest annual rainfall totals in the world (from 70 to 120 inches) concentrated between June and September. But these floods also deposit rich fertile soil, causing the river to be considered both a blessing and a curse.
Tea is a major industry in Assam, which has nearly 750 tea plantations. Assam contributes 16 percent of the world's tea production and 55 percent of India's tea output. Other industries include oil drilling, paper production and silk manufacturing.
There are three major groups of people in Assam: Hindus, Bengali Muslims, and tea estate workers. The 15 million Assamese Hindus are one of the least evangelized Hindu peoples of India; Christians make up only 0.07 percent. Eighty percent of Assam's 8 million Muslims are Bengalis (immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh). There is virtually no Christian witness among them, and only a few Bengali Christians are known to exist. There are 6 million tea estate workers in Assam; only 3 percent are Christian. They are open to the Gospel, but few missionaries are there to share it.
After two centuries of Christian work in Assam, the number of professing Christians is small. However, there is continuing growth of the Church among a significant minority of the tribal peoples. The Bible and other Gospel literature are available in both Assamese and Bodo.Gospel for Asia in Assam:Work began in 1996Personal evangelismChurch planting Bible schoolsMinistry to childrenMobile Gospel teamsRadio broadcasts in Assamese, Bodo, Nepali, Bengali and Muslimi Bengali