guwahati assam. the name brings before one’s eyes the picture of a state ravaged by insurgency, progress marred by instability, fear haunting the visitors, protests against alleged police brutality, demonstrations against armed forces special powers act (afspa), etc. however, if one visits assam today, one finds that all these are fast becoming things of the past. in fact, assam has come a long way since its identity as insurgency-ravaged state to a tourism-wise ‘awesome assam’ stage.