Silchar@yahoogroups.com is an initiative towards developing Barak Valley, a place: always busy in welcoming people from around the world.

Silchar is the headquarters of Cachar district in the state of Assam in India. It is the economic gateway to the state of Mizoram and part of Manipur. The town of Silchar has tremendous commercial importance. It consequently, witnesses the settlement of a sizable population of traders from distant parts of India.

Being a peaceful place in the North-East earned it the bon mot of "Island of Peace" from India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The majority of natives in Silchar are Sylhethi, earlier a part of district under the erstwhile Sylhet district of undivided India. A sizable fraction of the citizens also consist of people originally living here before the partition of Bengal.

Rice is the staple cereal. Fish is also available. Shutki (dried fish) tôrkari, shidal chutney, "chungar peetha" are some of the local delicacies.

Situated on the Barak River near the Bangladesh border, it is a trade and processing centre for tea, rice and other agricultural products. The city has an airport and lies on both a rail head and national highways connecting Guwahati, Assam; Agartala, Tripura; Imphal, Manipur and Aizawl.

Population: 143,003(2001) Literacy rate:79%

Language martyrs: Silchar saw one of the uprising in favour of the Bengali language, although the languages widely spoken are Cachari & Sylheti which are quite distinct from Bengali. When the Assam Government, under Chief Minister Bimala Prasad Chaliha, passed a circular to make Assamese mandatory, Bengalis of Barak Valley protested. On 19th May, 1961, Assam Police opened fire on unarmed protesters at Silchar Railway Station in which 11 agitators died. After the popular revolt, Assam Government had to withdraw the circular and Bengali was ultimately given official status in the three districts of Barak Valley: Cachar, Karimganj & Hailakandi.