Dergaon Sahitya Sabha session begins today

DERGAON, Jan 31 – The 71st session of Asam Sahitya Sabha will get under way at the Hemchandra Baruah Kshetra here tomorrow.

The reception committee has completed all the necessary preparations for the mega event. According to Dr Parag Thakur, general secretary of the reception committee, the main pandal for the session measuring 45,000 square feet has been erected at the Hemchandra Baruah Khsetra at the historic Rajabahar. A dining hall having a capacity to accommodate 2000 people has also been built. A total of 185 bookstalls have been set up at the book fair site. Similarly, 200 stalls each for the trade fair and the exhibition etc have also been completed.

According to the general secretary of the committee, delegates camps have also been kept ready. The camps have been arranged at DKD College, Dergaon HS School, Dergaon Girls’ HS school, Indranee Devi HS School, Kuralguri HS School, Dergaon Town High School, Dergaon Basic Training Centre and Amar Sarmah Girls’ High School. The Marwary Dharamshala and Golaghat Circuit House have also been readied.

The session will start at 8 am on February 1 with the plantation of saplings by Kanak Sarmah, vice-president of Asam Sahitya Sabha. It will be followed by registration of delegates’ names, unveiling of the memorial pillar, inauguration of art mela, opening of a book fair by Imran Shah, inauguration of an exhibition by Ajanta Neog, and inauguration of the trade fair by Kashi Nath Hazarika. The souvenir Disoi-daria, edited by Sarat Rana Bora and Gunin Sarmah, will be released by Gautam Bora.

The ‘Matri Bhasa’ conferrence will be held at 12.30 pm. The delegates’ camps will be opened by Debo Kumar Borah, press adviser to the State Chief Minister.

In the evening, the ‘Ganesh Pegu and Kamini Narzary memorial cultural nite’ will be inaugurated by Dulal Roy.

On February 2, the Sabha flag will be hoisted by Sabha president Rong Bong Terang. Another seventy one flags will be hoisted simultaneousely. This will be followed by smriti tarpan, which will be initiated by Dr Krishna Kr Mishra. The inauguration of namghar will be done by Dr Naren Kalita.

A programme named ‘Ramdhenu’, which will be ianugurated by Yese Dorje Thongsi, will be chaired by Manikuntal Bhattacharya. The programme ‘Akash’ will be inaugurated by Dr Rita Choudhury and it will be chaired by Anuradha Sarmah Pujari. A Darsan Sanmilan will be held in the evening.

The Rekibuddin Ahmed, Dr Upen Kakoti and Amar Sarmah memorial cultural nite will be held in the evening, which will be inaugurated by Jatin Goswami.

On February 3, a cultural procession will be taken out with Rong Bong Terang, which will be flagged off by Dr Sarat Phukan.

In the afternoon the first open session will be held, which will be presided over by Terang and inaugurated by Ratan Singh while Alok Ranjan Dasgupta will be the chief guest. In the meeting, Satish Kaleskar and P Jakaria will be the invited guests.

The Rajen Pam and Mohan Bhaira memorial cultural nite will be held in the evening

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Assamese language has unifying influence: Terang

A Correspondent JORHAT, Jan 13 – Noted litterateur and president-elect of Asam Sahitya Sabha Rongbong Terang has strongly endorsed the unifying influence which Assamese as a medium of expression wields in literary and social circles. It is a sweet language which has been enriched by several sources, including those originating from different tribes and clans, he said. Terang, whose mother tongue is Karbi, writes in Assamese.The retired college teacher was interacting with reporters on the sidelines of the open session at the end of the three-day 13th biennial conference of Jorhat Zilla Sahitya Sabha held at Raidangjuri Nagabat Higher Secondary School in Raidangjuri under Titabor subdivision on Sunday. Kanak Chandra Sharma, the newly-elected vice president of Asam Sahitya Sabha, and Dr Parmananda Rajbongshi, the new general secretary, were felicitated in the open session along with Terang. The new office-bearers of the apex literary body of the State will formally take over charge at its forthcoming session at Dhemaji next month. Reposing his trust in Asam Sahitya Sabha, Terang said that it would strive to bridge the gap between the people of Brahmaputra Valley and Barak Valley. He called for the extension of literary activities to neighbouring States like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland. “Through the platform of Asam Sahitya Sabha, we can strengthen the age-old ties of unity and brotherhood and end the divisive tendencies in the region,” he maintained. The Padmashree awardee said that he has been overwhelmed by the love and support the people have given him since his election as the chief of Asam Sahitya Sabha. “Though I feel hesitant to sail in the mighty Brahmaputra, the cooperation of the people will guide me in the voyage,” he added rhetorically.On the differences among different linguistic groups and ethnic communities of the State, Terang expressed the hope that they would rally around Asam Sahitya Sabha and unite in bonds of brotherhood. When asked to comment on any possible role for the literary body to resolve insurgency and boundary disputes, the writer termed these as “political issues.” However, as literature has no boundaries, it may play a unifying part, he said. The new Asam Sahitya Sabha president laid the foundation stone of the office of Raidangjuri Sahitya Samaj in a separate function. President of Deori Sahitya Sabha Nripen Deori and former president of Mising Sahitya Sabha Chengaram Morang also addressed the open session. The former stressed the need for cultivating a love for language and literature to preserve identity and build unity. Educationist Sonadhar Rajkhowa, president of the reception committee of the open session, delivered the welcome speech and also read out a message from Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. There was a change of guard as the new office-bearers of Jorhat Zilla Sahitya Sabha took over from their predecessors for the session, 2009-2011. source: assam tribune