Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed the Union government's approval to set up a centre of excellence for studies in classical Assamese at Tezpur University, and said it will strengthen research, digitisation and preservation of the language.
The Ministry of Education has approved the setting up of five centres of excellence for studies in classical Assamese, Bengali, Pali, Marathi and Prakrit. The five centres will be set up to strengthen academic research, digitisation, preservation and dissemination of the heritage of these classical languages, according to an official memorandum.
"A proud moment for every Assamese, in Assam, across India and around the world," Sarma said in a social media post on Friday, while sharing the Ministry of Education's official memorandum.
After Assamese was accorded the status of a classical language, the state government pursued the establishment of a dedicated centre for its study with the central government, he said.
"This centre will strengthen research, digitisation, preservation and dissemination of our rich linguistic and literary heritage, so that the glory of our language reaches generations to come," the CM said.
Sarma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education Minister Prahlad Joshi for the decision.
Welcoming the development, Tezpur University, in a statement issued on Saturday, said the establishment of the centre builds upon more than a decade of work at the varsity in the fields of Assamese language, literature and culture.
The Centre for Assamese Studies, established in 2011, undertook a major project to digitise around 4,000 old Assamese manuscripts and printed books, including rare 'sanchi-paat' manuscripts, early editions of important Assamese literary works, personal diaries, and handwritten manuscripts of prominent literary and cultural figures, it said.
The Department of Assamese, established in 2019, subsequently incorporated the existing facilities of the Centre for Assamese Studies.
The new centre of excellence is expected to provide an institutional platform to further consolidate these existing academic strengths and expand research into the classical dimensions of Assamese language and literature.
Its mandate will align closely with Tezpur University's existing expertise in manuscript studies, textual criticism, digitisation, archival preservation, research, translation and dissemination, the statement said.
Pro Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University, Amarendra Kumar Das, congratulated the varsity community on the achievement and expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Education.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
