<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="entry-title gmail-h1" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:4rem;line-height:1.25;margin:0px;font-family:Lato;color:rgb(51,51,51)">Axom Xahitya Xabha Works on Conservation of Mother Tongue</h1><div class="entry-meta entry-meta-single" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.4rem;line-height:2.2rem;margin-top:10px"><div class="gmail-meta-item gmail-herald-date" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-right:14px;display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;font-size:1.4rem;line-height:1.8rem;color:rgb(153,153,153)"><span class="gmail-updated" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.4rem;line-height:1.8rem">March 1, 2019</span></div></div><div class="gmail-herald-post-thumbnail gmail-herald-post-thumbnail-single" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.05);margin-bottom:30px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Open Sans";font-size:16px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><img width="971" height="546" src="https://cdn-30-skcir4i63ajp.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/axx.jpg" class="gmail-attachment-herald-lay-single gmail-size-herald-lay-single gmail-wp-post-image gmail-lazy-loaded" alt="Axom Xahitya Xabha" style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 100%; height: auto; border: 0px;"></span></div><div class="entry-content gmail-herald-entry-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1.625;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:40px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Open Sans""><div class="gmail-sharethis-inline-share-buttons gmail-st-right gmail-st-has-labels gmail-st-inline-share-buttons gmail-st-animated" id="gmail-st-1" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Verdana,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;direction:ltr;opacity:1;text-align:right;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><div class="gmail-st-btn gmail-st-first" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-radius:4px;border:none;display:inline-block;font-size:11px;height:32px;line-height:32px;margin-right:8px;padding:0px 8px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap;min-width:120px;background-color:rgb(59,89,152)"> <span class="gmail-st-label" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);display:inline-block;letter-spacing:0.5px;min-width:60px;opacity:1;padding:0px 6px;vertical-align:top">Share</span></div><div class="gmail-st-btn" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-radius:4px;border:none;display:inline-block;font-size:11px;height:32px;line-height:32px;margin-right:8px;padding:0px 8px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap;min-width:120px;background-color:rgb(85,172,238)"> <span class="gmail-st-label" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);display:inline-block;letter-spacing:0.5px;min-width:60px;opacity:1;padding:0px 6px;vertical-align:top">Tweet</span></div><div class="gmail-st-btn" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-radius:4px;border:none;display:inline-block;font-size:11px;height:32px;line-height:32px;margin-right:8px;padding:0px 8px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap;min-width:120px;background-color:rgb(203,32,39)"> <span class="gmail-st-label" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);display:inline-block;letter-spacing:0.5px;min-width:60px;opacity:1;padding:0px 6px;vertical-align:top">Pin</span></div><div class="gmail-st-btn" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-radius:4px;border:none;display:inline-block;font-size:11px;height:32px;line-height:32px;margin-right:8px;padding:0px 8px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap;min-width:120px;background-color:rgb(125,125,125)"> <span class="gmail-st-label" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);display:inline-block;letter-spacing:0.5px;min-width:60px;opacity:1;padding:0px 6px;vertical-align:top">Email</span></div><div class="gmail-st-btn gmail-st-last" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-radius:4px;border:none;display:inline-block;font-size:11px;height:32px;line-height:32px;margin-right:0px;padding:0px 8px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap;min-width:120px;background-color:rgb(149,208,58)"> <span class="gmail-st-label" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);display:inline-block;letter-spacing:0.5px;min-width:60px;opacity:1;padding:0px 6px;vertical-align:top">Share</span></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px"> </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px">GUWAHATI: The need to safeguard the mother tongue is crucial for the indigenous people of Assam. On the occasion of International Mother Tongue Day on February 21, Axom Xahitya Xabha implemented a social awareness programme. The crux of the programme is the assertion of the Fundamental Rights of the mother tongue.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px">As an initiative of the social awareness programme, delegates of Axom Xahitya Xabha under the captainship of president Paramananda Rajbongshi met with the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (Metro) <a href="https://www.sentinelassam.com/?s=Biswajeet+Pegu" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration-line:none;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(2,136,209);padding-bottom:2px;border-bottom:2px solid transparent">Biswajeet Pegu</a>. The team proposed that as per the Assam Official Language Act 1960, implementation of Assamese and other indigenous languages in all the government, as well as non-government institutions, should be made compulsory. A memorandum was presented in this regard to the DC, where, as per State Language Policy, obligatory use of mother tongue in all government offices was prescribed by Padum Rajkhowa, Secretary General of Axom Xahitya Xabha. He also intimidated the DC regarding the undermining of the Assamese language in certain private and even some government colleges and universities. “Also, a section of government officials are floating are flouting the Assamese language and pressing more significance towards the English language”, Rajkhowa informed at a press statement. The memorandum also stated that any interviews held under the DC office should contain 50 percent questions in native languages of Assam and the rest 50 percent may contain languages approved by the State Language Policy.</p></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" 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></div>