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Assam celebrates linguistic legacy as Bhasha Gaurav Saptah concludes

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HT Correspondent

DIBRUGARH, Nov 10: The Assamese department of DHSK Commerce College here organised a special oration on ‘Asamiya Bhasha aru Asamiya Adhunik Sangeet: Oitjya aru Uttaranar Parikrama’ on Saturday to mark the statewide celebration of ‘Bhasha Gaurav Saptah’ on the occasion of the recognition of Assamese as a classical language by the Centre.

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The oration, jointly conducted in association with the Heritage Club and the Students’ Union of the college, was chaired by Sailen Gogoi, principal in-charge of the college.

Participating as the chief orator in the function, Dr Chandanjyoti Chutia, assistant professor at the department of MDK Girls’ College, briefly but attractively described how modernity in Assamese music began with the lyrics of Satyanath Borah in his book ‘Geetawali’, and how it was subsequently enriched by contributions from the great trio of music maestros—Bishnu Prasad Rabha, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, and Parbati Prasad Baruah—as well as by the legendary Bhupen Hazarika and others. Dr Chutia noted how this musical heritage has evolved to include contemporary artists like Zubeen Garg. However, he also expressed concern over some artists’ incorrect use of words and other errors in Assamese song lyrics in recent times.

Anwesha Saikia, another invited speaker, a promising musical artist and assistant professor in the department of Economics at MDK Girls’ College, delivered a thought-provoking speech, urging greater awareness among artists to prevent a few mistakes from marring the beauty and legacy of Assamese modern music. Saikia also enthralled the audience—comprised of teachers, students, and employees of the college—by lending her voice to some evergreen Assamese songs in the context of Dr Chutia’s speech.

In his presidential address, Sailen Gogoi called upon all concerned to use the Assamese language correctly and consciously in music, literature, and daily life, while expressing gratitude to the Assamese department for organising such an enriching program. Dr Nabajyoti Dutta, head of the department of Assamese, also emphasised the importance of preserving the glory and significance of the Assamese language in literature and music.

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Dr Tulika Matack, coordinator of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of the college, and Dr Bidisha Mahanta, assistant professor in the Department of Economics, commended the organisers’ efforts and highlighted the need for the new generation to respect and use the Assamese language properly.

At the beginning, Nazrana Haque, faculty-in-charge of the Heritage Club, outlined the objective of the oration, stressing the organisers’ efforts to remind the audience of the importance of Assamese language and music on the occasion of Bhasha Gaurav Saptah. Sumon Das, president of the Students’ Union, anchored the felicitation program, while Nazrana Haque offered the vote of thanks at the end.

Our Hojai correspondent adds: Bhasha Gaurav Saptah, a week-long programme celebrating the recognition of Assamese as a classical language by the government of India, concluded at Bharat Tirtho Bhaban, Rabindranath Tagore University in Hojai on Saturday. Prof Kaushik Chanda, dean of RTU, graced the occasion as the chairperson of the event. Speaking on the occasion, Prof Chanda encouraged the organisation of similar programmes in the future. He commended the students, teachers, and university administration for smoothly organising the week-long event, which brought together students from all departments to showcase their talents and learn from each other. Prof Chanda added that the event fostered a sense of community and camaraderie among the students, highlighting the importance of language and innovation in education.

Assam celebrates linguistic legacy as Bhasha Gaurav Saptah concludes

In a conversation with this correspondent on the sidelines of the closing ceremony, Dr Sujit Ranjan Acharjee, associate professor of Chemistry and the convener of the programme, shared that Rabindranath Tagore University had the privilege of inaugurating Bhasha Gaurav Saptah at the Conference Hall of Bharat Tirtho Bhaban, RTU, on November 3, to celebrate Assamese language’s classical status conferred by the government of India. He mentioned that the opening ceremony was marked by a grand celebration, with vice-chancellor Prof Manabendra Dutta Choudhury presiding as chairperson and sharing his vision and goals for the programme. Dr Acharjee added that other departments played vital roles in organising the event.

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On November 5, RTU hosted centrally organised events, including a letter-writing and a speech competition. The topic of the speech competition was ‘Mur Bhaxa, Mur Gaurav’. In the letter-writing competition, participants were asked to write a letter expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister of India for conferring classical language status on Assamese. The winning entries in each language category were forwarded to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Hojai for submission to the government of Assam. Additionally, an exhibition celebrating linguistic diversity, ethnic attires, delicacies, and cuisines was held by the department of English on November 6.

Notably, Dr Acharjee pre-arranged the plans for the week in collaboration with all the language departments of the university, namely Assamese, Bengali, English, and Hindi. The opening day featured interactive sessions that offered attendees a preview of the events to come. The final day featured a prize distribution ceremony and a vibrant cultural programme in which students from all language departments participated enthusiastically. Tilak C Kalita (registrar i/c), Dr Amar Gautam (academic registrar i/c), and Dr Abhijit Kataky (DSW) also spoke on the occasion, emphasising the importance of language in effective communication and how learning one’s mother tongue aids in acquiring other languages.

Manisha Saikia, assistant professor, department of Assamese, anchored the event, and the vote of thanks was delivered by Dr Sujit Ranjan Acharjee.

Our Tezpur correspondent adds: In celebration of the auspicious moment of the Assamese language being recognised as a classical language, the Bhasha Gaurav Saptah was celebrated throughout the state from November 3 to 9. In Sonitpur district as well, it was observed with great enthusiasm. Thus, at the appeal of the district administration, inspired by Dr Palashmoni Saikia, principal of Darrang College, through the efforts of Dr Dhrubajit Sarma, head of the department of Sanskrit, and with the support of the faculty and students of the Sanskrit department, the Bhasha Gaurav Saptah was celebrated.

As part of the week-long celebration, on November 8, a captivating competition was held among the college students on the first ten verses of the twelfth chapter, i.e., the Bhaktiyoga of ‘Srimadbhagavadgitopanisad’, and also on the eternal poem ‘Asomia Dekar Ukti’ by Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala. Students participated from various departments, including Physics, History, Geography, and Commerce, not just from the Sanskrit department. Dr Nanda Nath, head of the Bangla department, was present at the program. The panel of judges included Khanindra Kumar Kalita, secretary of the Darrang College Teachers’ Unit and former head of the Assamese department, along with Dr Dhundi Raj Upadhyaya, a former student of the department and recipient of the Sahitya Akademy ‘Travel Grant’ 2023 and the ‘Asom Sahitya Bota’ 2023.

In the competition, Jialina Daimari, a first-semester student of the Sanskrit department, won the first prize; Rudraksha Bibhusan, a fifth-semester student of the department, secured the second prize; and Kaustabh Borthakur, a third-semester student of the Physics department, received the third prize. The prizes were distributed in the presence of Dr Sweta Mahanta, coordinator of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), along with IQAC members Dr Pallabika Sarma, Dr Rajib Basumatary, Gulap Sonowal, and others. Finally, a vote of thanks was delivered by Nil Kamal Pandit, faculty of the Sanskrit department, and concluding remarks expressing gratitude to all stakeholders were offered by Dr Dhrubajit Sarma, HOD of Sanskrit, marking the end of the program organised by the Sanskrit department of Darrang College.

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