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A few decades ago, a sixth-grader stood in Guwahati’s Judges Field and delivered his first public speech before Atal Bihari Vajpayee, not yet India’s Prime Minister but already a towering personality in national politics.

That boy was Himanta Biswa Sarma, and his early political debut was symbolic of an entire generation of Assamese youth who came of age during what he calls “the most turbulent period of our history.”

The years between 1979 and 1985 marked a defining epoch in Assam’s history. The protest movement then was a collective cry that emptied classrooms into streets, turned homemakers into activists, and pushed the entire state into becoming a crucible of resistance. 

“Every Assamese household participated in that agitation,” recalls Sarma, now Assam’s Chief Minister, in an interview with YourStory’s Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma. “From grandfather to grandchildren.” 

Parents didn’t shield their children from politics—they ushered them toward it. The movement, led by the All Assam Students’ Union, began as a demand to detect and deport illegal immigrants but swelled into something larger: a fight for Assamese identity, rights, and political autonomy. 

Today’s Assam tells a different story. That fiery sixth-grader is now the architect of what he calls “a new Assam,” where development has replaced protest as the language of change. The revolutionary spirit hasn’t dimmed—it has found new expression in bridges, hospitals, and industrial corridors.

The change is visible in the statistics: from three medical colleges then to 14 now commissioned, with 13 more in various stages of completion. The state that once witnessed widespread violence has seen more than 10,000 former militants lay down their arms and join the mainstream. Today, Guwahati’s airport ranks as India’s seventh busiest, a far cry from when visitors would hesitate to venture into the state.

In today’s Assam, traditional industries anchor the new. The state contributes 14 percent of India’s crude production and houses four refineries. Its famed tea gardens and golden muga silk remain cultural touchstones. But alongside these heritage sectors, new ambitions take shape. Tata’s Rs 27,000-crore semiconductor plant signals a technological future, while plans for a defence manufacturing corridor reimagine the state’s strategic position from vulnerability to strength.

“The Indo-China border offers a concentration of defence equipment deployment and instead of sending it to the mainland for repair, Assam can be a potential defence corridor for equipment stationed here,” says Sarma, inviting private industries and PSU players to look at the potential. 

Infrastructure development tells its own story of transformation. “Unless you visited Assam in the 90s or 80s, you will not realise how much transformation has taken place,” Sarma says, his voice carrying both pride and a hint of challenge.

For 75 years, Guwahati’s north and south banks were connected by a single bridge across the Brahmaputra. Now multiple bridges span the river, with a fourth under construction and a fifth in tender. “We thought that’s the end of the story,” he says about the initial bridge projects.

“Then suddenly we got a sanction of another bridge. That bridge will be completed in July with 3000 crores. While we have not completed that bridge… we did a Bhoomi Pujan of another bridge with 3800 crores.”

According to the CM, the river Brahmaputra offers a huge potential for moving goods through inland waterways and as an export hub to neighbouring countries via Bay of Bengal to Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and others. The river also offers a huge potential to develop hydropower projects with neighbouring countries as a source of green energy.

The pace of development has surprised even its architects. The Chief Minister credits the progress to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support and grand vision.

“Sometimes, I tell our people… even [if] we don’t dream [about] something, but suddenly you see that [the]  project has been announced. No demand, nothing,” Sarma says about how the Prime Minister has gone above and beyond to help develop the state.

“We will have 27 medical colleges by 2029,” he projects. “Almost every district will have one medical college.” Electric buses now ply Guwahati’s streets, and broad-gauge rail lines reach places long considered inaccessible.

Looking ahead, Assam is positioning itself as India’s next investment destination. The state will host an investment summit this February, showcasing opportunities in manufacturing, exports, tourism, and hydropower. In a telling sign of changing times, the Chief Minister recently concluded a roadshow in Delhi, presenting Assam’s potential to 36 international ambassadors.

“Today Assam is in a position to offer all kinds of incentives which will be not less than any other advanced state of the nation. If some state is offering this incentive, Assam is in a position to match it. We can actually, maybe we can go one step more. Because we are hungry,” says Sarma.

What’s transformed isn’t the audacity of Assam’s dreams, but their direction. The pattern of protest has been broken and remade—a revolution that learned to speak the language of progress without forgetting its core values. “That’s our destiny,” Sarma says, and for once, the political rhetoric rings true.