The BJP recognises Assamese as an 'ancient language', but the credit goes to civil society groups
Politicians, activists and scholars have documented the origins and development of the language, spoken mostly by tribal people, while the state government has shut down schools using Assamese. Since colonial times, the language has struggled to establish itself due to competition from Bengali, an issue that still worries Assam nationalists.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) – The north-eastern Indian state of Assam is set to celebrate the recognition of the Assamese language as a "classical language", a milestone that the state government, led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ultra-nationalist Hindu party calls “historic”.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that in the week of 3-9 November, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be honoured for the recognition given to the language, as will the people who contributed to elevating the language.
Still, several people, including activists, have criticised the government, which in recent years has closed more than 160 Assamese-language schools, mainly due to low enrolment.
The official recognition of Assamese as a classical language was approved by the central government on 3 October by recognising it as an ancient language, like Pali, Prakrit, Marathi and Bengali.
The Assam Sahitya Sabha (ASS) collected the evidence needed to meet the criteria set by the Ministry of Culture to obtain recognition.
Lurinjyoti Gogoi, president of Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), a political party, criticised the government for claiming merits not its own.
“The government is busy harvesting political mileage, while the truth is that it had little or no idea how to accomplish the task of according Assamese the classical language status,” Gogoi said. “It was the ASS and especially Kuladhar Saikia, the brain behind the entire exercise, who made it possible,” he added.
Gogoi pointed the finger at government policies. In addition to closing dozens of schools, he quoted Chief Minister Sarma who said that, “it is difficult to become doctors and engineers studying at Assamese medium schools” (since the language is spoken mainly by indigenous tribal peoples), then attempted to introduce English as the language of education, a measure later revoked due to a wave of protests.
“Do these actions reflect love and respect for the language?” wonders Gogoi, speaking to The Wire. “Moreover, the Vandya international school, a prominent international school in Assam that is run by the Chief Minister’s wife, has only English as the medium of instruction as far as we know.”
Former ASS President Kuladhar Saikia, in constituted a committee of experts 2021 to study the origin of the Assamese language through a multidisciplinary approach.
“Our main emphasis was on bringing in people from various disciplines such as archaeology, music, art, literature, linguistics to determine the roots of the Assamese language,” said Saikia citing the work done on rock inscriptions in Nagajari Khanikar, Golaghat district, dating back to the 4th century, and on folk songs and ancient manuscripts that demonstrate the presence of the Assamese language.
On 19 March 2021, the ASS submitted a "Memorandum for Granting Classical Status to Assamese Language" to the Indian Ministry of Culture, which was then reviewed by the Sahitya Academy.
To obtain classical status, a language must have a history of at least 1,500-2,000 years and a body of literature that must represent a valuable heritage for several generations.
“The inscriptions contain history of the dynasties during whose reign they were written,” explained archaeologist Manjil Hazarika. “For example, the Nagajari Khanikar inscription that speaks about the land grant system, may subtly hint towards early state formation as well as development of the economic system,” he added.
However, the history of the Assamese has been marked by obstacles and battles, both in colonial and post-independence eras.
“Assamese people are overwhelmed at the declaration of the classical language status as they had witnessed historical hiccups over more than a century on the development and continuity of their language, which bear their identity,” said former ASS President Saikia.
During the British Raj, Bengali was the lingua franca in the region, used in courts, schools, and public offices, at least until local intellectuals and missionaries began campaigning for the recognition of Assamese as an official language, which was achieved in 1872-1873.
The rivalry with Bengali has continued even after independence and has recently resurfaced with the entry into force of the Citizenship Law (CAA), which many, including the Assam Jatiya Parishad, a nationalist party, consider a threat, because they fear that the arrival of Bengali speakers could alter the balance of the state.
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