HT Correspondent
TEZPUR, Jan 25: “Assam has a long and distinguished tradition of Prāchya Vidyā (Oriental studies), a scholarly stream that has shaped the literature and culture of medieval Assam. The literary works and philosophical vision of the Vaishnavite saints were firmly rooted in this tradition,” observed historian and litterateur Kanak Chandra Sharma, keynote speaker at the Tezpur Sahitya Sabha’s monthly lecture series on ‘Asomot Prachya Vidya Charcha Aru Dhireswaracharya’ on Sunday. Sharma described Kaviratna Dhireswaracharya as one of modern Assam’s foremost Oriental scholars, placing him alongside Anundoram Borooah and Krishna Kanta Handique.
Referring to the colonial period, Sharma noted that British administrators sought to educate Indians in English to alienate them from their own traditions, disparaging India’s rich literary and cultural heritage. Institutions like the Asiatic Society, he said, played a key role in preserving Oriental scholarship. He highlighted the need for a fresh critical evaluation of scholars like Dhireswaracharya, who pointed out errors even in the Sanskrit interpretations of figures such as Swami Vivekananda, to showcase Assamese literature nationally.
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The programme, presided over by Tezpur Sahitya Sabha president Dhruba Jyoti Das and conducted by Mahendra Kumar Nath, included addresses by Dr Pallab Bhattacharya, senior public figure Mahendra Nath Keot, novelist Dr Bhupen Saikia and retired professor Dr Satish Chandra Bhattacharya, who detailed Dhireswaracharya’s life and works. Prominent writers and intellectuals including Chidananda Goswami, Bipul Chandra Bhattacharya and Bhupen Kumar Sharma attended the lecture. Rupjyoti Sharma Borthakur and Sabha member Chiranjib Baruah donated valuable books to the Sabha library, receiving certificates of appreciation from Dhruba Jyoti Das and Kanak Chandra Sharma.
