The President of India Ram Nath Kovind attended and addressed the 61st annual conference of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS), a regional language literary meet, in Tamulpur, Assam today. President Kovind became the first Indian President to attend the event.
While the three-day conference of BSS began on May 2 (Monday), the President attended the event on May 4 (Wednesday). The President was accompanied by Assam Governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other dignitaries at the mega event of the BSS.
Speaking on the occasion, President Kovind appreciated Bodo Sahitya Sabha for their invaluable contribution in the past 70 years to strengthen the Bodo language, culture and literature. 'He said that the Founder-President of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha, Joy Bhadra Hagzer and General Secretary Sonaram Thosen had made commendable efforts in recognition of Bodo language. This Sabha has also played important role in use of Bodo language as the medium of school education and place in the higher education,' reads a press release shared by the President's office.
The President further said that 17 writers so far have been awarded the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Awards for their works in the Bodo language. And out of those 17 writers, 10 have been given the prize for their poetry work. This shows Bodo writers' natural inclination towards poetry.
But he also noted while many women are writing in the Bodo language, only two senior women writers have received the Sahitya Akademi Awards for their works. Thus, President Kovind urged 'Bodo Sahitya Sabha' to encourage more women writers and young writers.
The President also said that the government and society should take it as their responsibility to conserve and promote local languages. And so, he appealed the Government of Assam to promote the Bodo language.
Inspired by the Assam Sahitya Sabha, the BSS was formed in 1952 for the development of literature, culture, and language. It is playing a leading role in maintaining coordination among different ethnic groups. It is noted that apart from Assam, a large number of people speaking the Bodo language live in Bangladesh, Nepal, Tripura, Nagaland and West Bengal.
The Bodos (or Boros) were once a powerful and dominant race in the northeast.
The Assam government recognised the Bodo language as an associate official language of the state in 2020 after the signing of the Bodo peace accord between the Centre, Assam government and four Bodo militant outfits in January 2020.
According to the Census 2011, there are around 14.16 lakh Bodo speakers in Assam (4.53 per cent) of the total population of the state.
(With inputs from IANS)
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