A screenshot of the Thunslai e-journal website

 

Guwahati, Nov. 20: Bodo literature has gone online to reach out to a wider group of readers.

The step has been taken by a group of scholars of the community, led by Sahitya Akademi Award-winner writer and academician Anil Boro, to make this dream a reality.

“Readers in other languages are almost unaware of the best literary works in Bodo language. We will translate these into English and other national and regional languages so that people can know about the richness of Bodo literature and its contemporary developments,” said Boro, an associate professor in the department of folklore research, Gauhati University.

The group has formed Sansri Literary Trust, a non-profit-making group, which last week began publishing Thunslai, a literary e-journal.

In the first edition of the e-journal, the group published three short stories, English translation of a few poems, and reviews and critical writings.

The scholars said the primary objective of the e-journal was to translate and publish online selected pieces of Bodo literature, covering fictional and non-fictional genres, poetry and plays, to make them available to global readers.

Besides the works of established Bodo writers, Thunslai will promote young writers and new talents. It will publish translated works of professionals and amateurs from India and abroad to encourage creative writing in Bodo language.

Boro said it had always been his dream to bring out an electronic journal to present Bodo literature to the world through translations.

“Translation is the only medium through which we can reach out to readers in other Indian regional languages. We are focusing on translating selected works into English and publishing them online to make them accessible to people across the world,” he said.

Bodo literature received a boost after the ninety-second amendment of the Constitution in 2003 which included Bodo language along with Dogri, Santhali and Maithali in the Eighth Schedule.

Since then, Bodo Sahitya Sabha and other organisations have been ceaselessly working towards the development of Bodo literature. The Sansri Literary Trust is the latest effort towards this.

Bodo meet: The World Bodo National Confederation has convened an international conference at Salugara (Swrang complex), Siliguri, West Bengal, on November 30. The conference aims to induct more members into the confederation.