The Bodo Sahitya Sabha promotes the

Bodo language Boro (बर, ), also rendered Bodo, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken primarily by the Boros of Northeast India and the neighboring nations of Nepal and Bangladesh. It is an official language of the Indian state of Assam, predominantly s ...

and Bodo literature. It was founded under the presidency and leadership of Joy Bhadra Hagjer, at Basugaon, in the district of

Goalpara Goalpara ) is a city and the district headquarters of Goalpara district, Assam, India. It is situated to the west of Guwahati. Etymology The name Goalpara is said to have originated from the word "Gwaltippika" meaning Guwali village, or "the ...

, now in Chirang, Assam on 16 November 1952. It consisted of representatives of

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

Meghalaya Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

in abroad.

Early work

After India obtained independence, a critical mass of

Bodo Bodo may refer to: Ethnicity * Boro people, also called ''Bodo'', an ethno-linguistic group mainly from Northwest Assam, India * Bodo-Kachari people, an umbrella group from Nepal, India and Bangladesh that includes the Boro people Culture an ...

intellectuals realized the need for preservation of Bodo language. Many early Bodo authors studied in schools and colleges, where medium of instruction was either Assamese or

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

. Bodo intellectuals felt that Bodo language must be preserved and developed at par with Assamese and Bengali languages. Bodo people realized very late that the education was the key component to the overall development of Bodo people and their language. After prolonged struggle and determination of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha (Bodo Literary Organization), the Bodo language was introduced as a medium of instruction at primary level in 1963 and then at secondary level in 1968. Bodo language and literature has been recognized as one of the Major Indian Languages (MIL) in Gauhati, Dibrugarh and North-Eastern Hill Universities. In 2004, Bodo was recognized as an associated state official language of Assam.

Bodo Sahitya Sabha celebration

The 58th Annual Conference of Bodo Sahitya Sabha commenced with a three-day programme at Daimalu High School playground, Gohpur in Biswanath district of

on 22 January 2019.

Recent development

Now the language has attained a position of pride with the opening of the Post-Graduate Courses in Bodo language and literature in the University of Gauhati in 1996 and in

Bodoland University Bodoland University also known as BU, established in 2009, is a public state collegiate university located in Kokrajhar, Assam, India. It is the first university in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) along with the Lower Assam region (excep ...

Kokrajhar Kokrajhar () is a town in the Bodoland Territorial Region, an Autonomous administrative divisions of India, autonomous territory in Assam, one of the Northeast India, North Eastern states of India. History Under the Kingdom of Bhutan From the ...

. Moreover, under the aegis of the commission for Scientific and Technical terminology, HRD Ministry, the Govt. of India, the Bodo Sahitya Sabha is preparing more than forty thousand scientific and technical terms in Bodo language. Further, it is promised, the Sahitya Academy would accord "Bhasa Sonman"(respect for language) to the Bodo language and literature as an initial token of full-fledged recognition to it. Furthermore, the Govt. of India, in principle, has recognized the necessity of inclusion of the Bodo language and literature in the

Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India lists the languages officially recognized by the Government of India. , 22 languages have been classified under the schedule. Definition As per the Constitution of India, the provisions belongi ...

Contributions

Moreover, the Bodo Sahitya Sabha has to its credit a large number of books in Bodo of prose, poetry, drama, short story, novel, biography, travelogue, children's literature & criticism.

Presidents

References

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External links

Bodo Sahitya Sabha

Presidents of Bodo Sahitya Sabha

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Culture of Assam Bodo 1952 establishments in Assam Educational organizations established in 1952 Language advocacy organizations Chirang district