GUWAHATI, June 12 - A meeting held here today to interact with the representatives of the people of Assam-origin who are living in Myanmar and Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) of Bangladesh, resolved to move the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MoEA) and the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MoHRD) for ensuring the linguistic, economic and cultural rights of the people of Assam-origin living in the above countries.
The meeting was jointly organised by the nascent Association for Historically Dispersed People of Assam (Ashdipa) and Gauhati University (GU), in association with the Asam Sahitya Sabha and the Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha.
The meeting, presided over by Ashdipa president Tapan Kumar Sarma and addressed by Sahitya Sabha president Dr Dhrubajyoti Bora, GU Vice-Chancellor Dr Mridul Hazarika and Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha President (Padadhikar) Bhabendra Nath Deka, among others, said, �To ensure the linguistic, economic and cultural rights of the people of Assam-origin living in Myanmar and Bangladesh and for the interest of helping them maintain a living cultural link with the people of the native land of their ancestors, the Asam Sahitya Sabha, Gauhati University, Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha and Ashdipa will move the MoEA and MHRD for appropriate actions.
�The above organisations will also move the Assam Government for keeping itself engaged in mounting a constant pressure on the Union Government for the above objective,� said the resolution.
Addressing the function, Sahitya Sabha president Dr Dhrubajyoti Bora said the Sabha will assume the responsibility of teaching Assamese language to these historically dispersed people now living in the above neighbouring countries. The Sabha has, by this time, developed the software for the purpose of imparting lessons in Assamese. It will also supply the basic books to these people for the purpose, he said.
Releasing the souvenir Shipajori brought out on the occasion, GU Vice Chancellor Mridul Hazarika announced that the University will undertake research on the historically dispersed Assamese people.
Sankaradeva Sangha president Bhabendra Nath Deka said the Sangha is preparing itself to maintain a living cultural link with these dispersed people.
Addressing the function, Ashok Assam, Timothy Assam and Bijoy Assam of the Rangamati Assam Basti locality of CHT and Bidwawati and Chandramala of Mandalay city in Myanmar said they were thrilled to be in the native place of their ancestors. Bidwawati and Chandramala spoke in Myanmerese language and their versions were interpreted into Hindi by Madhurya Gopal Bhattacharyya. Timothy Assam spoke in Assamese and English, while Ashok Assam and Bijoy Assam spoke in Bangla. The function was also addressed by cultural activist Mukul Rabha and editor of Shipajori Anuj Goswami.
