BARPETA, April 13 � The Governor of Assam, Janaki Ballav Patnaik has expressed serious concern over large-scale encroachment on land belonging to satras in Assam and said that freeing the land from the encroachers is the responsibility of the State. Inaugurating the open meeting of the 47th biennial conference of the Asom Satra Mahasabha at Mathurapuri Kshetra here recently, Patnaik also deliberated at length on the role of the great Vaishnavite saints in the formation of the Assamese society, importance of the satras and need to preserve them.
�The satras of Assam have been preserving and expanding the great Assamese language, culture and religion as dreamt by Srimanta Sankardev. So the satras of Assam should be protected at any cost. But the land of the satras is not secure today. I am very anguished to know that the land belonging to satras has been illegally occupied by foreigners. To free the holy land is the responsibility of the State,� the Governor said during his speech.
Observing the connection between the Vaisnavite saint, Srimanta Sankardev and Barpeta, the Governor said that the former created most of his writings in Barpeta Dham. Not only that he wove the world famous �Brindabani Bastra� in Barpeta. He also informed that the Brindabanti Bastra is now being exhibited in the Royal Albert Museum, London and the visitors across the world are astonished to see its beauty.
Referring to the role of Srimanta Sankardev in the formation of the Assamese nation, the Governor stated that before his advent, the Assamese people were divided into various factions based on caste, creed and religion. Srimanta Sankardev established the principle of one nation, one language, one religion and one culture and united them all.
�People, irrespective of caste and religion, got shelter in the satras established by the saint,� the Governor said and added that the satras are the training centres of life. �It is not only a source of formal education but a school for life.� Apart from imparting education, physical and mental development is properly attended to in the satras.
The Governor said that Srimanta Sankardev is one of the great souls born in India and is comparable to Sankaracharya, Ramanuj, Kabir, Chaitanya and Nanak. He is one of the forerunners of the Bhakti Movement in India and the greatest religious preacher in eastern India. He is the founding father of modern Assamese language. Besides, he is the connecting bridge of Assamese and Oriya culture, Patnaik added.
