SILCHAR, March 25 � The 26th biennial central conference of the Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskritik Sammelan popularly known as Barak Banga came to a close on Sunday amidst various activities.
The conference organised at the newly-built Banga Bhawan, and inaugurated by eminent litterateur Bani Basu from Kolkata, saw noted personalities from the world of Bengali literature from India and also from Bangladesh discuss vital issues concerning culture and language. Alongside the academic exercise, there was arrangement for cultural programme including folk songs and children fair as well. A website www. barakuptyakabangasahitya.com was also launched by Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Ajit Singh.
One of the major attractions of the conference was the international seminar on �Challenges to Bengali language and the lingua-cultural identity in the North East� organised by Assam University, Silchar. Dr Angshuman Kar, faculty at the Department of English Burdwan University, West Bengal focused on issues on Bengali language in West Bengal. Prof Debashish Bhattacharjee, the Vice Chancellor in-charge of Assam University said that language, culture and literature help a community to prosper. He felt that it is not just Bengali language but many other languages which are facing a peculiar identity crisis in the present-day world. In his words, the socio-economic conditions have a massive impact on the issue. �Bengali language in the North East is facing this crisis because people have alienated themselves from the basics in the wake of globalisation,� Prof Bhattacharjee said.
Taimur Raja Choudhury, president of the conference reception committee said that the new central committee of Sammelan was formed during the conference. The new central committee is again headed by Nitish Bhattacharjee and Goutam Prasad Dutta is its secretary. He also said that among the current issues discussed in the conference, the National Register for Citizens (NRC) also featured. The sammelan felt that provocative remarks on the definition of Assamese or native people will only infuriate the situation at a time when harmony and brotherhood is the need of the hour. The sammelan urged the people of Assam not to pay heed to the divisive remarks.
