MoS Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal to release four books on manuscripts, journalism in Silchar
Silchar, Sep 1: Minister of State for Culture and Parliamentary Affairs Government of India, Arjun Ram Meghwal will be on a visit to Silchar on September 2 and release four books in a programme organised by the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, (MAKAIAS) Kolkata, in collaboration with Centre for Studies in Human Development, Assam University Silchar.
Prof Sujit Kumar Ghosh, chairman MAKAIAS while talking to the media at Normal School here on Tuesday, said that the Minister has consented to attend and release the books on which the MAKAIAS has worked for documenting the rich and illustrious history of manuscripts and journalism of southern Assam.
"The four books viz., A Descriptive Catalogue of the Manuscripts of South Assam (The Collections of the Normal School) VOl. I & II, authored by Dr Amalendu Bhattacharjee, Journalism of Barak Valley in South Assam, authored by Prof. Jyotilal Choudhury, who passed away earlier this year, Transitional Aspects of Indigenous People: North-East India, authored by Dr. Dipannita Chakraborty and Dr. Rita Das Nayak will be released at the event," said Prof Ghosh.
"The event is a part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and through the books, we will pay tributes to the martyrs and freedom fighters. Barak Valley is the land of manuscripts as going back to 1699, there were manuscripts and the four books written by eminent authors, journalists will open new ways and provide newer perspective to look at the rich literary heritage of the place and the people. Also, the creative works will enthuse the youth to delve into the past which is replete with knowledge," Prof Ghosh added.
He also informed that a one-day national workshop on Implementation Strategies of the Vision of NEP 2020: Challenges and Opportunities for Higher Education Institutions will be held on the same day in which 150 people from various parts of the country will take part. A note on the minutes of the workshop will be prepared and sent to the Government for implementation of the points coming out of the workshop, the MAKAIAS chairman said.
Noted academician and folk researcher Dr Amalendu Bhattacharjee who has been relentlessly working on ways to collect the manuscripts of this region and their preservation underscored the need for introduction of manuscripts into the academic syllabus for the students and research enthusiasts to know more about the traditional knowledge hidden in the manuscripts and create new knowledge. Manasi Sinha, principal of Normal School also shared her experiences of being associated with Dr Bhattacharjee in the preservation of the manuscripts.