GUWAHATI, Feb 11 — It is only fifty years old. Considering the problems it is facing and the size of the task it has undertaken, this is no age. Besides, it had to start with nothing but the zeal of a handful but well-determined people as its sole capital. And today, on the eve of its golden jubilee celebration, this organisation, which failed even to hold nine of its annual conferences due to some seemingly unsurmountable difficulties, has surpassed the other organisations of the like nature in matters of attaining maturity in shaping the vision and destiny of the people for which it is built! It speaks volume of the dedication and leadership abilities of the people who are running this organisation.
It is Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS), and, the language, the cause of which it has been exposing, was laughed at by the ‘big brothers’ as a dialect till the other day. Its leaders were never invited to dias of the functions organised by the ‘big brothers’ perhaps in a bid to send a message covertly that they were not ‘qualified’ to be on the dias of such functions! These are some samples of the treatments meted out to the BSS by the ‘big brothers’ till a few years back. But today, the BSS has developed itself into the second largest organisation of litterateurs of the State. It has developed Bodo language into an enviable modern language which can now dare to prepare 40 thousand scientific and technical terms for its vocabulary. And, above all, it is engaged in a bid to develop a common language integrating Kokborok of the Tripuris, Dimasa and Bodo languages by eliminating the philological differences among them gradually.
Talking to The Assam Tribune at the BSS headquarters at Joybhadra Hagjer Bhawan here, acting president of the BSS Daleswar Boro said that the golden jubilee of the BSS along with its 41st annual conference, will be celebrated at Basugaon Goybari, in Kokrajhar District, with a four-day programme from February 19. The BSS was founded on November 16, 1952 at Basugaon. Late Joybhadra Hagjer was its founder president and Late Sonaram Thousen was its founder general secretary. A special golden jubilee function has been planned between 9 am and 1.30 pm of February 20 at the Sonaram Thousen ground of the Goybari Basugaon Jwhwlao Swmbla Basumatary Fwthar. Renowned artist and former principal of Government Art College Dr Sobha Brahma will inaugurate the function, while Asam Sahitya Sabha president Homen Borgohain will address the function as the chief guest. State’s Minister of State for Home Pradyut Bordoloi will be the guest of honour in the function. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi will inaugurate the exhibition being organised on the occasion, at 1.30 pm of February 20, while renowned litterateur Dr Mamoni Roysom Goswami will release the souvenir Sonathi Khanpha (Golden Pillars) being brought out on the occasion, at a separate function at 2 pm that day. A mascot with an ant raising the BSS flag has also been designed for the purpose by Dr Sobha Brahma.
To underline the significance of the role played by the BSS in consolidating the Bodo society and shaping the destiny of the Bodos, the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU), the All Bodo Women’s Welfare Federation (ABWWF), the All Bodo Employees’ Federation (ABEF), the Bodo Writers’ Academy and the Dularai Bodo Abadari Afat (All Bodo Farmers’ Association) will hold their respective annual conferences synchronising with the BSS golden jubilee celebration, at the same venue. According to Sri Daleswar Boro, the main thrust of the golden jubilee celebration will be on inclusion of Bodo language in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution so that the Bodo litterateurs are enabled to compete in the national level like in matters of Sahitya Akademi Awards etc. Besides,