The book cover

Kokrajhar, June 19: The World Bodo Historical Society, a forum of Bodo groups, has demanded a ban on Kirtana-Ghoxa aru Naam-Ghoxa, an early Assamese poetic work written by Vaishnavite reformers Sankardev and Mahavadev, citing it contains citation/verse that goes against Bodo-Mech people.

The forum condemned the citation and urged the state government to take appropriate steps to ban circulation of the book.

“The central working committee of the World Bodo Historical Society has seen a very detrimental and deadly anti-Bodo-Mech people citation/verse incorporated on Page-6 of the second kirtan of Kirtan-Ghoxa aru Naam-Ghoxa written by Mahapurush Sri Sri Sankardev and Sri Sri Madhadev in the 16th century. These two writers instigated non-mech/Mlechhas and non-Buddhists to wage war against the people whom they called Mlechhaa and also against all Buddhists and annihilate them in totality,” said the forum in a press release signed by its working president Janaklal Basumatary and secretary-general Sansuma Kunggur Bwiswm-uthiary.

Later, addressing a news conference at Kokrajhar today, Bwiswmuthiary, who is also a Lok Sabha MP, and Basumatary said the forum condemns this citation and urged the Assam government to take appropriate steps to ban the circulation of the detrimental anti Bodo-Mech citation.

“We also urged the BTC administration to take steps to ban the deadly anti Bodo-Mech book,” they said.

Kirtan-Ghoxa is an early Assamese poetical work, written by Sankardev with two chapters by Ratna Kandala and Sridhara Kandali.

Naam-Ghoxa is written by Madhavadev and edited with critical introduction and glossary by writer Maheswar Neog and published by Khagendra Narayan Dutta Barua, Lawyers’ Book Stall, Panbazar, Guwahati.

The alleged offensive lines appear in the Kirtan-Ghoxa part of the combined book.

The demand for the ban comes close on the heels of the Assam government deciding to translate Kirtan-Ghoxa into 14 Indian languages to popularise it.

The World Bodo Historical Society, which successfully held its 2nd international workshop-cum-seminar on Bodo history in Kokrajhar yesterday, said the forum in its meeting resolved to urged the authorities, including the BTC administration, to take appropriate steps to help ensure the protection, preservation and development of Chiknajhar, the ancient capital of Bodo-Mech kingdom built by Haoria Mech.