HT Correspondent
TEZPUR, Feb 21: “A language has to be raised like a kid to flourish; without this, it faces an existential threat,” said Sahitya Akademi Award-winning writer and noted journalist Manoj Kumar Goswami on Friday.
He said this while addressing the gathering in the programme organised by the department of Assamese, Tezpur University at at the screening hall of the department of mass communication and journalism to observe International Mother Language Day.
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Speaking on the occasion, he delivered a powerful message about the fragility of languages and warned about the threat posed by larger languages to smaller ones. He cited an example of Sanskrit, a language that, despite its age and importance, became “dead” due to limited access and usage.
The noted journalist also addressed the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the language landscape. He expressed concern that AI could diminish the human capacity for emotional expression and thought processes through language. He pointed out the lack of a prominent Indian counterpart to AI models like GPT (US) and DeepSeek (China). Goswami further highlighted the declining trend of conversations in the modern world, as the world became more engaged with newer tools.
Citing the importance of book reading, he said that prominent figures like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg read books to gain knowledge. Drawing inspiration from Israel’s revival of Hebrew, Goswami urged for the active love and use of Assamese. He said that even though it has been now recognized as a classical language, if it dwells on linguistic conservatism and was not open to new ideas, its use might shrink.
Professor RR Hoque, dean of academic affairs at Tezpur University, emphasised the global loss incurred when a language dies, stating, “When a language is dead, knowledge is lost, and it is a global loss.” He stressed the importance of education in the mother tongue for holistic development, aligning with the focus of the National Education Policy (NEP). Professor Hoque also underscored the intrinsic link between mother tongue and cognitive development. Professor Chandan Kumar Sharma, dean of the School of Humanities & Social Sciences, advocated for greater inclusiveness in the Assamese language, noting that the language can embrace vocabularies from various ethnic groups of Assam. He floated the idea of an all-inclusive dictionary featuring words from various multiethnic groups of Assam.
Juri Dutta, head of the department of Assamese, gave a brief representation of the works carried out at the department.
During the occasion, the department’s annual magazine, Kixoloi, was released. Several cultural programs were also organized. Sanjib Deka, a faculty member of the Department, offered the vote of thanks.
Meanwhile, along with various organisations here, Tezpur College also observed the day with a variety of programmes. Suresh Kumar Arjya, noted writer and retired professor taking part as chief guest in the lecture programme held for the occasion thoroughly analysed the importance of mother language and its role in the progress of a nation. The event started with an enthralling presentation of a Borgeet by Mayuri Tanti was moderated by Dr Ishanjyoti Gogoi. Principal of the college Manoj Kumar Hazarika also briefly addressed the gathering and insightfully highlighted the importance of mother tongue in shaping a nation as well as a person.
Rajlakshmi Basumatari, IQAC coordinator of the college introduced the chief guest to the august gathering while head, department of Assamese Mitali Saikia offered the vote of thanks. The programme concluded with presentation of the song ’Chiro Chenehi mor Bhasa Janani’ by a group of students from the Assamese department.
