The All Moran Students’ Union on Thursday expressed strong displeasure to perform the Assam’s State anthem ‘O Mor Aponar Dex’ stating that Rasaraj Lakshminath Bezbaroa, who penned the anthem, was allegedly involved in defaming the Moran community through his poem ‘Been Boragi’.
Addressing a press conference, All Moran Students’ Union president Arunjyoti Moran said, “We do respect litterateur Lakshminath Bezbaroa. But we demand the Government and Asom Sahitya Sabha to drop the line ‘Kenekoi Morane Asom Dhongxile’ from the poem.”
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Pointing out discriminatory descriptions in the ‘Hemkosha’, the first etymological dictionary of the Assamese language, by Hem Chandra Baruah, ‘Asomiya Sahityar Itibritta’ by Satyendra Nath Sarma, Lakshminath Bezbaroah’s Nirbachita Sankalan by Nagen Saikia, ‘Asom Buronji’ by Dr Tassuduk Amanul Hussain and ‘Asom Buronji’ by Naoboisa Phukan, Arunjyoti Moran said, “There are wrong descriptions of the Moran community which hurt the people of the community.”
Aurnjyoti Moran said, “We have requested the Assam Government, Asom Sahitya Sabha and Assam Prakashan Parishad to take necessary steps in the matter so that those descriptions against the Moran community can be corrected. We also submitted a memorandum to the Asom Sahitya Sabha in its 74th Burhidehing-Bordumsa session in this regard. But the Asom Sahitya Sabha has not taken any step so far.”
He also alleged that a section of intellectuals and litterateurs of the State have been insulting the Moran community through their writtings.
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Arunjyoti Moran also demanded that the Moran community be provided Scheduled Tribe status. He also informed that the Union would stage a protest at the national capital on July 29 demanding ST status, autonomy to the community and a directorate for the welfare of the Moran community.
Reacting to the objection of the Moran students’ body to a line in Lakshminath Bezbaroa’s poem, ‘Been Boragi’ – ‘Kenekoi Morane Asom Dhongxile’ – noted intellectual Dr Hiren Gohain while talking to Northeast Now on Thursday said, “I have no doubt that there was a misconception among the historians and writers in the 19th century for which we have noticed, the writers comparing the Morans with Maan.”
“There is no doubt that Morans were responsible for the decline of Ahom reign in Assam. But time has changed. Now-a-days nobody follows that history,” Dr Gohain added.
Dr Gohain further said, “Defaming Moran in ‘Been Boragi’ does not mean that Lakshminath Bezbarua was not patriot. It would be wrong to blame him completely.”
Meanwhile, Asom Sahitya Sabha president Paramananda Rajbongshi said, “Probably the historians or the writers had lack of knowledge in the matter for which they wrote against the Moran community.”
“We are planning to make corrections in the new editions of textbooks for schools and colleges. We will also form a committee to scrutinize the whole issue and to edit the matters of the books which may harm the sentiments of any community. Because that may lead to communal clash,” said Rajbongshi.
Rajbongshi further said, “We will also discuss the matter with the Moran Students’ Union.”
On the other hand, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) chief advisor Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya said, “The Moran community’s problem is our problem. It is also a problem of the whole Assamese community. We respect the emotions of the Moran people.”
“We will discuss the matter with All Moran Students’ leaders and will move forward for further step,” Bhattacharyya added.