Kamala Kanta Muchahary

Guwahati, Nov. 2: Bodo Sahitya Sabha is planning to start research on Bodo language and culture and train Scheduled Tribe (ST) students for various competitive examinations once it inaugurates its socio-literary cultural complex in Guwahati in December.

Talking to The Telegraph, general secretary of the Sabha, Kamala Kanta Muchahary, said the cultural complex would give a boost to the works of the Sabha for development of Bodo language and literature.

The complex has been constructed at a cost of Rs 8.5 crore under the non-lapsable central pool of resources of DoNER. Its work began on a 10-bigha plot at Bathouguri near the ISBT at Betkuchi here in 2011.

“We will inaugurate the socio-literary cultural complex in December so that we can hold the 54th session of the Sabha there. The session will be held on January 22 and 23 in Guwahati,” said Muchahary.

The complex will have a research centre, mini museum, library, hostel for research scholars, an auditorium, coaching facility for students aspiring for various competitive examinations and a commercial complex. Once it is completed, the Guwahati branch of the Sabha will be shifted to there.

“We have formed a board of directors to run the coaching facility. Its chairman is Jiten Borgoyary, a senior retired officer of the Assam government. Nearly 10 to 12 students of ST communities will be given coaching for civil service examinations and competitive examinations for engineering and medical courses,” said Muchahary.

The Sabha is also working on several translation projects.

“We are translating Ramila Thapar’s book Early Indian History under the National Translation Mission. More than 900 pages of the book have been translated so far. Besides, we are translating Bedabrata Baruah’s Assamese book Natak Aru Abhinoy Proxongo and the Constitution and writing a detailed history of Bodo Sahitya Sabha,” Muchahary said.

The Sabha has recently released a trilingual dictionary (Hindi-Bodo-English), which was compiled with the help of central Hindi directorate, and is working on another trilingual dictionary (Bodo-Assamese-English) with north Guwahati-based Anundoram Borooah Institute of Language, Art and Culture.