GUWAHATI, Sept 24 - Amidst the pandemic, the Asam Sahitya Sabha is planning to give more stress on digital platform while, a proposal has been mooted for translation of Assamese books to other Indian languages and vice versa, said the Sabha president, Kula Saikia. Following are excerpts of an interview with the Sabha president:
The Assam Tribune: How is the Asam Sahitya Sabha carrying on its activities amidst the pandemic?
Kula Saikia: The pandemic has had a strong impact on activities of the Sabha due to the restrictions on number of people meeting at a particular place, lockdowns and social distancing. Even then, the Sabha has organised a number of activities and workshops by utilising the digital and cyber space. Webinars were held for executive committee meetings, interacting with Assamese people both inside and outside the country and for organising workshops. The use of modern technology by a century-old organisation like Sahitya Sabha have been widely acclaimed by people as even the local units are using this tech to organise programmes like poetry reading , competitions, celebration of Rabha Divas, etc. We are ready to launch a dynamic website, a YouTube channel and other applications.
AT: It is essential to make Assamese literature and ethnic languages of Assam popular among the youths not only to increase popularity of languages and literature but also to ensure survival of the same for years to come. Is the Sabha trying anything in this regard?
KS: In most of the programmes organised by the Sabha, special attention has been given to the participation by the youths who should be the prime movers of the Sabha. Just a few days back around 175 youth joined the president and other members of the Sabha in virtual chat for exchange of ideas. In fact, as a resource person for NBT training module I had emphasised the role of e-book and other forms of modern publications. Promising stories and articles written on social media by the youths were also picked up by the Sabha for showcasing. One such instance was the recitation of �AnuGalpa� � one or two line very short stories that are becoming popular these days and known as micro stories. Literature of various ethnic communities of Assam has been included in these programmes to make it inclusive.
AT: It is generally believed that majority of today's youths are not interested in literature and the sale of Assamese books is coming down. What is your impression?
KS: I think that today's youth are more inclined towards books being available in digital and electronic formats. They are also engaging in literature through social media groups. A lot youth write wonderful stories on facebook. The Assamese diaspora are eager to read Assamese books but face the obstacle of lack of availability of such books in e-form. So, I think we need to graduate to these formats to increase circulation of Assamese book through our project on digitisation of important books.
AT: How is the Sabha trying to inculcate the reading habit among children? If a child does not develop reading habit in a tender age it is difficult to develop such a habit at a matured age.
KS: In a collaborative effort the Sabha has organised story telling programmes in All India Radio every week. These are popular tales from �BurhiAair Sadhu�, Panchatantra etc,. Even stories from other ethnic groups have been included here so as to tune the mind space of children with the beauty of diversity in our society. They are being exposed to dying art forms like puppetry. Videos have also been used for narration of popular stories in cyberspace. The Sabha has a plan to rope in storytellers� groups in post pandemic times and to visit their residential areas at weekends so as to make storytelling a tool for learning and speaking in mother tongue and take pride in it. The Sabha plans to organise book stalls in all its regional offices where children can come and read any book of their choice once the pandemic subsides.
AT: Is the Sabha trying to encourage translation of books of other ethnic languages of Assam and other Indian languages of India into Assamese and vice versa?
KS: Yes, the Sabha has encouraged translation of books in ethnic languages into Assamese and vice versa. Through translation project we are on for literary exchanges so that our books go to other Indian languages and theirs to us. I also presented my proposal to the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore to facilitate greater translation of Assamese literature into other Indian languages and vice versa.
AT: Books in e-form, particularly kindle edition of books have become very popular worldwide because they are cheaper and do not require space to store. But unfortunately, not many Assamese books are available in the e-platform. Is the Sabha taking any step in this regard?
KS: The Sabha is planning to talk with publishers in this regard and facilitate them in converting their books into digital forms. On the lines of the Wikipedia workshop, a similar workshop can be organised. We also expect the publishers to initiate steps to convert such books into e-form at the earliest. In fact, as a resource person for NBT training module I had emphasised the role of e-book and other forms of modern publications.
