NEED FOR OFFICIAL RECOGNITION TO RAJBANSHI LANGUAGE IN ASSAM

 Introduction: Once a Lingua Franca,  a common language used for communication among the kingdoms in northeastern India during medieval period, now spoken over 15 million people living across Indian states spread over a major regional portion of Assam, present day North Bengal, north-eastern districts of Bihar and parts of neighbouring countries viz. northern Bangladesh, north-eastern districts of Nepal and in parts of Bhutan. As per the report ‘Linguistic Survey of India’, a linguistic survey carried out by British administrator Sir George Abraham Grierson from 1903-1928, this Indo-Aryan language was mentioned as Rajbanshi, a dialect of Bengali. However, it is now an established fact that Rajbanshis and Bengalis do not belong to same social group and hence, Rajbanshi is not a dialect of Bengali language. Rajbanshi language in Assam existed before the evolution of Assamese language. It is a full fledged language and as such this language deserves due recognition.

 Evolution of the Language: Evolution of this language had begun from the days of writing Charyapada, a collection of mystical poems, songs of realization in the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism between 8^th to 12^th Century AD in this part of the Indian subcontinent. The language used in Charyapada verses have been considered as the ancestor of Assamese, Bengali, Odia and Maithili. Rajbanshi language has most similarity and originality with the verses of Charyapada including the script. The same is evident from the verses and the script inscribed on the inner wall of Shaktipeeth Maa Kamakshya Temple in Guwahati which was inscribed in the year 1565 AD when the temple was rebuilt by Koch king Nara Narayan and his younger brother ‘Bishwabir’ Chilarai.

In the Charyapada, incomplete verb forms – suffixes …i and …iya are in vogue in Rajbanshi language in original form. For example - Kaam ‘koriya’ or ‘kori’ khaa (meaning Do work to live) is a commonly used simple sentence in Rajbanshi. Similarly, Negatives (e.g. na jai, na jani etc.); Present participles (e.g. suffix -ante, -anta); Future (e.g. suffix -iva: haiba, kariba etc.); Nominative case ending (e.g. -khaa, -nila, -ta); Conjunctive conditional (e.g. -ite) and such other grammatical forms are used in Rajbanshi language.

Given below a verse written by Bhasukupa, a Siddhacharya who was born in this part of the country in which Rajbanshi words are found:

“Apona Mangshe Horina Boiri” meaning the dear is enemy by its own meat.

In the year 1555 AD, the Koch king Nara Narayan wrote a letter to then Ahom king Chukampha (Swargadeo) in Kamrupi script in the following lines which have been considered as the first available prose style of witting which preceded prose writing in Bengali or Assamese:

“Swasti sakal digddantikar Talas phalanxsamiran Prachalita him karpur haritrasaka Kailash Kalapan durath - Lekhong karjancha. Etha amar kusal. Tomar kusal nirantare banchakari. Akhan tomar amar santosh sampadak patrapatri gatayat haile ubhayanukul pritir beej ankurit haite rahe…”.

Script of Rajbanshi language can be found in the inscription on the stone wall of the Maa Kamakshya Temple in Guwahati which can be aptly called ancestor of Rajbanshi script.

 

Rajbanshi Language spoken in other States/Countries: Due to geo-political and locational differences, one and the same Rajbanshi language is known as different names such as - in some parts of Assam, it is often called as Goalparia; in North Bengal – Rajbanshi, Kamtapuri and Poliya; in Bihar -Rajbanshi and Surjapuri; in Nepal - Rajbanshi and Surjapuri; and Bangladesh – Rajbanshi, Rangpuri. Internationally, this language is largely known as Rajbanshi.

 

Publications in Rajbanshi Language and Literary Awards: Number of authors and linguists have been honoured with prestigious literary awards for their original works in Rajbanshi. To name some of them are: ‘Kamataratna’ and Bir Chilarai award winner Ambika Charan Choudhury (Rajbanshi Jatir Itihas aru Sanskriti, Biswabir Chilarai Sahitya Protibha, Yubaraj Shukladhwajor Sahitya Protibha, Shabdarthor Moulik Bishleshan); Sahitya Academy Award winner Dr. Girija Shankar Ray (Maynamatir Gaan, Rajbanshi Abhidhan); Padmashree awardee Dr. Dharma Narayan Barma (Kamtapuri Bhasha-Sahityer Ruprekha, Kamtabehari Bhashar Bakoron etc.); Banga Siksharatna awardee Nagendra Nath Roy (Shree Shree Gita Ayee). Some of the well-known such authors who have contributed towards literary development of Rajbanshi language  are enumerated here: Kalindra Nath Barman (Rajbanshi Abhidan edited by Ananda Gopal Ghosh, Arabinda Dakua and Girindra Nath Barman); Dr. Dwijendra Nath Bhakat (Rajbanshi Bhaxa Xahityor Parichoy, Axomor Koch Rajbangshi Janajati, Rajbanshi Bhasha Prashanga); Arabinda Dakua (Rajbanshi Samajer Prabad Prabachan); Rabendra Barman (Anek Chatir Alo, Rajbanshi Bhashar Parbad-Parbachan aar Satthar); Subhash Choudhury (Koch Rajbanshi Sanskriti); Dr. Dipak Kumar Roy (Manishi Panchanan, Habilas, Rajbanshi Samaj Aro Sanskritir Kaatha, Teestaburi); Sujan Barman (Abhidhan, Kamrup-Kamta Sanskriti Aarho Rajbanshi); Paresh Chandra Roy(Batasir Basia Katha); Premananda Roy (Gitanjali translated in Rajbanshi); Capt. Nalini Ranjan Ray (Notun Diganta, Bhorer Tara) and host of other authors with their original literary works.

 

Need for Official Recognition in Assam and Subsequent inclusion in Eighth Schedule of Constitution of India: Rajbanshi language is a recognised language in Nepal. In West Bengal, the Assembly passed the West Bengal Official Language (Second Amendment) Bill, 2018 on 28^th February, 2018 recognising Rajbanshi as one of the official languages in the State. This makes it imperative to grant official recognition of Rajbanshi language in Assam as well.

It is pertinent to mention that on 6^th August, 2018, Shri Partha Pratim Ray, then Hon’ble MP, Cooch Behar of All India Trinamool Congress party raised the demand in Lok Sabha in the august house of Indian Parliament for constitutional recognition of ‘Rajbanshi’ language in Lok Sabha narrating fully justified reasoning. As such, a spoken language of a huge population of over 15 million spread across contiguously located in four countries, a rich language with available grammar, the Rajbanshi language should be granted State recognition in Assam. Arrangements should also be taken up to grant constitutional recognition to Rajbanshi language by the august houses of Parliament of India and the language should be included in the eighth schedule of the Constitution of India.

(This article written by me has been published by Koch Rajbanshi Sahitya Sabha, Kamrup (Metro), District Committee, Assam in their first quarterly trilingual e-magazine ‘Katap’, in July 2021)