New Delhi, 2 December, 2022: On the pious occasion of Assam Day, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal participated in a thought provoking meeting organised at his official residence here today. Leading luminaries, thought leaders of Indian history, prominent academicians including renowned Historian & Senior Journalist, Hindol Sengupta; Vice Chancellor of JNU, Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandit; Eminent Academician, Authority of Indian Intellectual Tradition, Former Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi Antarashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, Wardha, Former Chairperson, Indian Studies of Advanced Studies, Shimla, Former Pro Vice Chancellor, JNU, Prof Kapil Kapoor; along with the Chairman, Special Centre for the Study of Northeast India, JNU, Prof Vinay Kumar Rao shared their views on Assam and its role in building the idea of India - from a historical as well as contemporary context.

Setting the context to the top of the line discussion on the role of Assam and Northeast, the Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Today on the pious occasion of Assam Day, we pay our sincere homage to the great unifier & the founder of the great Ahom dynasty in Assam, Swargadeo Saulung Sukapha. The priceless contribution of this great soul to unify the various communities to build the greater Assamese society remains the cornerstone of our identity. Swargadeo Sukapha is a symbol of unity, good governance, bravery for every Asomiya to draw inspiration from. The great king & founder of the Ahom dynasty displayed a rare combination of intellect, valour, visionary, unifier which helped him to become one of the greatest leaders of Assam ever. Under his stewardship, the Assamese society worked to become Atmanirbhar as it started manufacturing various weapons, tools, goods that made the society an invincible military power. This strategic genius empowered us to regularly thwart any foreign invasion including the multiple ones by the Mughals. The vision and value system that the great Swargadeo Sukapha ingrained while building the greater Assamese society still helps us - the Assamese society - to represent our society and Assam at the national as well as International stage with great pride.”  

The Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Prof. Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandithighlighted the forgotten dynasties of India that immensely contributed to protect and enrich the nation. She talked about the Ahoms, Cholas, Mauryas and others. JNU, as one of the leading universities of India, is always ready to welcome new ideas that would contribute to highlight the brave warriors and the history of Assam as well as the entire North East region, remarked Prof Pandit.

Prof.Kapil Kapoorspoke about the great Ahoms& how it protected the entire the Northeast region from brutal invasions. Prof Kapoor also spoke about the ancient historical connections  that the people of the Northeast shared with the central India. He gave references of Mahabharata and other important treaties that carries witnesses of the Pan-Indian approach of the Kings of North-East.

The Chairman of the Special Centre for the Study of Northeast India, Prof Vinay Kumar Raospoke about the journey of the Ahom kingdom. He touched upon the role of Ahom dynasty in giving the contemporary cultural as well as geographical shape of Assam. Prof Rao also stressed on the importance of preserving the monuments that represent the glorious years of Ahom kingdom.

Leading intellectual & eminent historian Hindol Sengupta focused on the distortion of Indian History, from where many names of the brave warriors of India including the Ahoms were erased in order to colonise the Indian minds. To further elaborate on this, he said that such colonisation made people unaware about many notable historical occasions like the rise of Ahom dynasty and how Sukapha played a pivotal role in building a formidable foundation in Assam.His words emphasised on the importance of the resurrection of true Indian history, where the Indians will read about their victories, not about their defeats.

The thought provoking meet was attended by intellectuals and thought leaders from different streams including Professors, Head of Departments from different faculties of JNU as well as Delhi University; intellectuals from leading think tanks; academicians, technocrats as well as senior bureaucrats from the Assamese society based in Delhi NCR, representatives from Assam Association Delhi (AAD), Assam Association Gurgaon (AAG) and Assam Association NOIDA among other senior officials of various ministries were present on the occasion.

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MJPS