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<article> <h1>Bid to form one policy on language</h1> <div class="gmail-story-info gmail-mar-tb10"> <span class="gmail-author-name">RAJIV KONWAR</span> <span class="gmail-publish-date">Jul 24, 2018 00:00 IST</span> </div> <div class="gmail-bottom-story-share gmail-text-right gmail-mar-tb10"> <div class="gmail-addthis_inline_share_toolbox" style="clear:both"><div id="gmail-atstbx" class="gmail-at-resp-share-element gmail-at-style-responsive gmail-addthis-smartlayers gmail-addthis-animated gmail-at4-show"><span id="gmail-at-d97465fa-5e01-4d44-b74a-1015e3515c73" class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden">AddThis Sharing Buttons</span><div class="gmail-at-share-btn-elements"><a tabindex="1" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-facebook" style="background-color:rgb(59,89,152);border-radius:26px"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden">Share to Facebook</span><span class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper" style="line-height:20px;height:20px;width:20px"></span></a><a tabindex="1" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-twitter" style="background-color:rgb(29,161,242);border-radius:26px"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden">Share to Twitter</span><span class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper" style="line-height:20px;height:20px;width:20px"></span></a><a tabindex="1" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-linkedin" style="background-color:rgb(0,119,181);border-radius:26px"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden">Share to LinkedIn</span><span class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper" style="line-height:20px;height:20px;width:20px"></span></a><a tabindex="1" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-whatsapp" style="background-color:rgb(77,194,71);border-radius:26px"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden">Share to WhatsApp</span><span class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper" style="line-height:20px;height:20px;width:20px"></span></a><a tabindex="1" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-email" style="background-color:rgb(132,132,132);border-radius:26px"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden">Share to Email</span><span class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper" style="line-height:20px;height:20px;width:20px"></span></a></div></div></div> </div> <div> <div class="gmail-center"> <figure class="gmail-image gmail-story-lead-img"> <img alt="" src="https://www.telegraphindia.com/media/images/2018/07/24/24regsabha.jpg" class="gmail-img-responsive" width="468" height="273"> <figcaption class="gmail-img-caption"> The joint meeting at Asam Sahitya Sabha Bhawan in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by UB Photos </figcaption> </figure> </div> <p><b>Guwahati: </b>The
Asam Sahitya Sabha and representatives of seven literary bodies of
various indigenous communities met here on Monday to frame a common
language policy for the state.</p> <p>The Sabha has been in a discord
with the literary bodies of the indigenous communities for years over a
language policy for the state. While the latter had supported a "partial
four-language" policy, the Sabha had opposed it. Because of this
discord, these literary bodies have been skipping all Sabha events.</p> <p>The
difference widened when the Sabha's former president, Dhruba Jyoti
Borah, set forward a broad outline in 2015 of who is an Assamese. Borah
said an Assamese is a person who "irrespective of community, language,
religion and place of origin accepts Assamese as his/her mother tongue
or either second or third language". This was opposed by the literary
bodies.</p><div class="gmail-more-from-homepage"> <h2>More from Homepage</h2> <ul> <li> <span> <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/mehul-choksi-located-in-antigua-with-new-passport-after-interpol-alert-dgtl-247290?ref=north-east-hmstory-stry-dtl" title="Mehul Choksi located in Antigua with new passport after Interpol alert"> <img src="https://www.telegraphindia.com/media/images/2018/07/24/CHOKSI-GITANJALI.jpg" alt="Image" class="gmail-img-responsive"> </a> </span> <h4><div class="gmail-multiline-ellipsis-container"><a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/mehul-choksi-located-in-antigua-with-new-passport-after-interpol-alert-dgtl-247290?ref=north-east-hmstory-stry-dtl" title="Mehul Choksi located in Antigua with new passport after Interpol alert" class="gmail-multiline-ellipsis-text">Mehul Choksi located in Ant…</a></div></h4> </li> <li> <span> <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/alwar-lynching-post-mortem-report-says-rakbar-died-of-shock-caused-by-dgtl-247287?ref=north-east-hmstory-stry-dtl" title="Alwar lynching: Post-mortem report says Rakbar died of shock caused by injuries"> <img src="https://www.telegraphindia.com/feo-cdn/0/4/vCHkqPdOQ.png" alt="The Telegraph" class="gmail-img-responsive"> </a> </span> <h4><div class="gmail-multiline-ellipsis-container"><a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/alwar-lynching-post-mortem-report-says-rakbar-died-of-shock-caused-by-dgtl-247287?ref=north-east-hmstory-stry-dtl" title="Alwar lynching: Post-mortem report says Rakbar died of shock caused by injuries" class="gmail-multiline-ellipsis-text">Alwar lynching: Post-mortem …</a></div></h4> </li> <li> <span> <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/if-needed-govt-to-enact-law-to-curb-lynching-says-rajnath-dgtl-247285?ref=north-east-hmstory-stry-dtl" title="If needed, govt to enact law to curb lynching, says Rajnath"> <img src="https://www.telegraphindia.com/media/images/2018/07/24/raju.jpg" alt="Image" class="gmail-img-responsive"> </a> </span> <h4><div class="gmail-multiline-ellipsis-container"><a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/if-needed-govt-to-enact-law-to-curb-lynching-says-rajnath-dgtl-247285?ref=north-east-hmstory-stry-dtl" title="If needed, govt to enact law to curb lynching, says Rajnath" class="gmail-multiline-ellipsis-text">If needed, govt to enact law t…</a></div></h4> </li> <li> <span> <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/tmc-demands-law-to-prevent-lynching-dgtl-247280?ref=north-east-hmstory-stry-dtl" title="TMC demands law to prevent lynching"> <img src="https://www.telegraphindia.com/media/images/2018/07/24/parl.jpg" alt="Image" class="gmail-img-responsive"> </a> </span> <h4><div class="gmail-multiline-ellipsis-container"><a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/tmc-demands-law-to-prevent-lynching-dgtl-247280?ref=north-east-hmstory-stry-dtl" title="TMC demands law to prevent lynching" class="gmail-multiline-ellipsis-text">TMC demands law to preven…</a></div></h4> </li> </ul> </div> <p style="display:block" class="gmail-_yeti_done">"Today,
we set forward a new language policy before these literary bodies. Our
policy will be beneficial for Assamese as well as the language of all
these communities. The representatives of the literary bodies said they
would discuss the proposal in their executive meetings. We will meet
again on August 3," Paramananda Rajbongshi, president of the Sabha, told
reporters after the meeting. He, however, refused to divulge the
policy.</p><div class="gmail-_yeti_main_container" style="display:block;height:auto;width:100%;text-align:center;padding:0px;margin:auto;overflow:hidden;background:transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%"><div class="gmail-_yeti_ad_container" id="gmail-fi-ash-1530622350-1111" name="_yeti_77541" style="margin:5px auto;padding:0px;width:728px;height:90px;overflow:hidden"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/73188406/ATD_TelegraphIndia/ATD_728x90_GENERAL_0__container__" style="border:0pt none"></div></div></div> <p>The
literary bodies who had participated in Monday's meeting represented
the Bodo, Rabha, Tiwa, Dimasa, Karbi, Mising and Deori communities. The
representatives of the Garos couldn't come because of the Assam bandh
called by the six communities demanding Scheduled Tribe status.</p> <p>Dispur
has called a meeting with the representatives of the Sabha and these
literary bodies on August 4. Rajbongshi said if they can come to an
agreement over the language policy on August 3, they will place it
before the government the next day.</p> <p>Rajbongshi said an executive
meeting of the Sabha at Diphu in Karbi Anglong on Saturday had decided
to hold the Sabha's next annual session at Raha in central Assam's
Nagaon district in February next year.</p> <p>The Sabha also decided to institute a biennial award in memory of dramatist Sukracharjya Rabha, who passed away last month.</p> </div> </article>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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