Hemchandra Barua statue to come up at Assam Sahitya Sabha’s Jorhat campus

Jorhat, Dec 8: The Assam Sahitya Sabha on Monday announced that a full statue of eminent language scholar Hemchandra Barua will soon be installed in the courtyard of its headquarters, Chandrakanta Handique Bhawan in Jorhat.

Sabha president Dr. Basanta Kumar Goswami said the project would be taken up without any financial support from Barua’s family, stressing that the state must finally accord due recognition to the pioneer of Assamese language reform.

The announcement was made during the unveiling of a Hemchandra Barua–themed group song at Danbir Chandrakanta Handique Bhawan, organised to mark the upcoming 125th anniversary of Hemkosh, Barua’s seminal etymological Assamese dictionary. The commemorative song—sung by Prasenjit Lahon with contributions from multiple artists—was released by the Sabha to celebrate the milestone on December 10.

Unveiling the piece, Dr. Goswami expressed disappointment at what he described as the government’s longstanding neglect of Barua’s legacy.

“Actually, Hemchandra Barua’s family has kept him alive. By their effort, Hemkosh is still alive. Similarly, we believe the Braille edition of Hemkosh brought out by the family is the utmost form of respect to the scholar,” he said.

He noted that all statues and programmes in Barua’s name so far have been initiated by the family alone.

“That is very disappointing because the person who tirelessly attempted to re-establish the Assamese language did not receive a mention by the state government even when the language was recognised among the cultural languages of India. It is unfortunate not just for Hemchandra Baruah but for the entire Assamese community,” Goswami remarked.

Announcing the Sabha’s decision to install the statue, he added, “On such an auspicious occasion, we pay our respects to him through a song, and soon there will be a statue in the courtyard of Chandrakanta Handique Bhawan—the first one built without any financial assistance from his family.”

Singer Prasenjit Lahon, who led the musical project, thanked the Sabha for the opportunity. He said the lyrics were written by Dhrubajyoti Rajkhowa, with music composed by himself, audio mixed by Arup Dutta, and vocals contributed by Ranjana Deka, Ashish Kashyap and others.

“I am hopeful the song will receive global recognition,” he added.