KALGACHIA (Barpeta), Feb 10 — The three-day special session of the Asam Sahitya Sabha gets underway in a festive mood at the Ataur Rahman Samannoy Kshetra here today. People from the remote corners of the area are making a beeline to the venue of the session from the early morning today giving the impression to the delegates of the session that all roads of Barpeta District lead only to Kalgachia Ataur Rahman Kshetra. At 2 pm about 20,000 people from various parts of the District assembled at the venue of the session. But, significantly, there was no programme going on the dais.
The enthusiasm among the people concerning the Sahitya Sabha session can be gauged from the gathering infront of the Bhattadev Memorial Gate also. Though the bookfair and exhibition of the session are stated to be inaugurated at 9.30 am tomorrow, thousands of people gathered at the exhibition ground today. About 130 stalls have been put up at the book fair-cum-exhibition ground. Smt Hafiza Ahmed, a student of Chakla Higher Secondary School, said that the Kalgachia session had bridged the gap between the people of the char areas with those of the rest of the State, while 80-year-old Mantaj Ali said that the Sahitya Sabha session had provided the people of the area with a rare distinction.
Both Hafiza and Mantaj Ali came to the venue of the Sahitya Sabha session to see for themselves the proceedings of the session, which is regarded by the people here as a life time event. Though the Reception Committee is facing financial problems, Dr Najirul Islam, secretary of the Reception Committee is hopeful to tide over the crisis. The Sahitya Sabha executive committee met here this morning. Reception Committee president Ismail Hussain inaugurated the delegate camp at 4 pm, while Sri Mashin Khan inaugurated cultural function in the evening. The main pandal of the session is so arranged that about 12,000 people will be able to sit under it at a time, while the dining hall has been arranged to provide dining facility to 800 people at a time.
Meanwhile, the Barpeta District Students’ Union — the Barpeta District Unit of the All Assam Students’ Union, has decided not to cooperate with the Asam Sahitya Sabha in matters of holding the Kalgachia session, in protest against the alleged provocative utterances of Minister Ismail Hussain, who is the president of the Reception Committee of the Kalgachia session. The district unit of the AASU also demanded clear-cut decision from the Sahitya Sabha session on the issues concerning scrapping of the IMDT Act, 100 per cent job reservation for the indigenous people of the State, constitutional safeguard to the Assamese people.