GUWAHATI, Jan 30 � Asserting that the Asam Sahitya Sabha would strive to strengthen the bond of amity and brotherhood among the diverse groups that constitute the region�s multi-ethnic mosaic, Sabha president Dr Dhrubajyoti Bora today said that the apex literary body would also be unrelenting in its role as a facilitator for carrying forward the rich literary tradition of Assamese literature.
�The Sahitya Sabha is primarily a literary organisation, which has at its core the welfare and promotion of Assamese language and literature. Our thrust in the next couple of years would be on starting a publishing wing, besides facilitating translation of great creative works from English to Assamese and vice versa. Since the Sabha�s centenary is nearing, an apt celebration would be to have a hundred great works from world literature translated into Assamese,� he said during an exclusive interview with The Assam Tribune.
Dr Bora added that the Sabha would seek to reach out to the young generation through enhanced use of the Internet and social media and set up branches in colleges across the State, beginning with the Cotton College.
Dwelling on the hallowed history of the Sabha, Dr Bora said that it had been instrumental in shaping the modern Assamese language and literature, besides being a catalyst in awakening modern Assamese nationalism.
�The Sabha�s role in this capacity has continued till today� Assam�s multi-ethnic identity has absorbed with spontaneity many a community throughout the centuries, and the process of assimilation is still on � the tea-tribes and the char (temporary river sand bars)-area dwellers being the latest among the groups who have embraced the Assamese language as their own,� he said.
While predicting that Assamese language and literature would continue to flourish in the decades to come, Dr Bora, however, said that the rapid growth of English-medium school education, encompassing in its fold a vast segment of Assamese-speaking middle-class children, had effectively ensured that the base of the Sahitya Sabha or for that matter Assamese literature, shifted to the rural middle-class.
�How to make English-medium students take some interest in Assamese or in things that constitute their identity is definitely a challenge. In fact, the urban Assamese middle-class is getting increasingly indifferent to the issues concerning their national life, which is not a healthy trend. A way out could be to make Assamese a compulsory subject in such schools and ensure that the language is properly taught. We are directing all our efforts towards that end and are hopeful of a solution,� he added.
Acknowledging that the State�s multi-ethnic mosaic was witnessing frictions, with distrust and tension gripping the various communities, the acclaimed novelist said that as an organisation intrinsic to the region�s national life the Sabha must make committed efforts for restoration of peace and amity.
�The Sabha has been doing this and will intensify its efforts further in the coming days. We will be having greater interaction with various ethnic bodies, including ethnic Sahitya Sabhas. There will be enhanced literary exchanges as well, including translation of tribal literature into Assamese and vice versa,� he observed.
Sounding upbeat over the creative accomplishments by new Assamese writers, the Sabha president said that the trend was very encouraging and augured well for the future of Assamese literature.
�The young writers are a talented lot. They are also more methodical than us and their works are scientifically better structured,� he said.
On the current trend of young authors increasingly taking up the genre of historical fiction, Dr Bora said new trends inevitably emerge after a certain period and then again make way for another trend.
�This is natural� the present trend of historical novels shows that the writers are searching for their roots, which is good,� he added.
Dr Bora stressed the need for bringing in financial discipline in the Sabha�s affairs. �The Sabha has been in the news for the wrong reasons, and this has hurt its image and alienated many men of letters from it. This must stop, and I will do my best to ensure that those who left the Sabha come back,� he said.
On his elevation to the Sabha president, Dr Bora � creator of masterpieces like Kalantarar Gadya and Katha Ratnakar � said that it was the biggest honour that the people of Assam could bestow on a person, and that he was �happy and humbled� by the honour.
�For me, nothing can be a greater privilege� I am humbled and will try to discharge the responsibilities of a Sabha president,� he said.
