HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Nov 23: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in presence of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Wednesday inaugurated the 3-day celebrations of the 400th birth anniversary of the 17th century Ahom Army General Lachit Borphukan at Vigyan Bhawan organised centrally in New Delhi on Wednesday.
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Speaking at the event, Sitharaman congratulated chief minister Sarma for making a comprehensive attempt for the first time in making the rest of the country aware of a personality as towering as Lachit Borphukan.
Referring to Lachit as a ‘total patriot’, she said it is important for every Indian to know about his indomitable display of valour and courage, along with strategy, in the battlefield.
Sitharaman, making an appeal to the government of Assam to organise similar events highlighting the Ahom era in various parts of the country, said that she would request the Union Ministry of Culture to cooperate with the state government in this regard.
Sitharaman also cut the ribbon to mark the inauguration of an exhibition displaying artefacts starting from the reign of Kumar Bhaskar Varman.
Appreciating the tradition of writing chronicles, called “buranjis”, and the architectural uniqueness as is found in the “moidams” of Charaideo, she requested the government of Assam to take all necessary measures for the preservation and protection of this cultural heritage.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, paying rich tributes to the great Ahom army general, said that the saga of courage, patriotism and sacrifice displayed by Lachit Borphukan is undoubtedly one of the most glorious chapters of Indian history.
“It was Lachit’s leadership and generalship in the battle of Saraighat of 1671 that ensured the continuation of Ahom rule, which in turn led to the preservation of indigenous Assamese identity and culture,” the chief minister stated.
Had the Ahoms succumbed to the invading Mughals, the unique cultural identity of not only Assam but that of the entire Southeast Asia would have been different. It is, therefore, important that Lachit Borphukan is accorded his due place in history in the manner other great warriors and monarchs of ancient and mediaeval period have been accorded.
The chief minister also lauded the Ahom rule for providing political stability and unity to Assam for the first time, that too in a period when instability and destruction of indigenous Indian cultural identity by the Islamic invaders had become the norm in other parts of the Indian subcontinent. Despite such a glorious saga, however, the Ahom rule and generalship of commanders such as Lachit Borphukan have not been discussed, written or researched upon by prominent historians, the chief minister said. He also expressed hope that the initiatives such as these would go a long way in reversing this trend.
The chief minister further said that the initiative to centrally organise Lachit’s birth anniversary in the national capital would make the people of India realise that “India had better kings and monarchs than Aurangzeb”.
The chief minister also spoke about measures such as the upcoming grand-memorial at the Maidam of Lachit Borphukan in Jorhat district, installation of a statue of the great Ahom general at the premises of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, among others.
Later in the day, a panel discussion on the subject “Ahom saga of hope, skills and courage”, moderated by former chief secretary Jishnu Barua and participated by eminent personalities such as Lt. General Rana Pratap Kalita, former Director General of Police Prakash Singh, Kapil Kapoor, Samundragupta Kashyap, Kuldeep Patowary and Chandan Kumar Sarma, was held at the same venue.
