Assam Sahitya Sabha Hits the Road with “Setubondhon”
The three-day outreach by The Assam Sahitya Sabha with it’s programme Setubondhon travelled across Assam, aiming to reconnect with the public and revitalise literary and cultural engagement through traditional performances and open community discussions.
By all accounts, it was not your average literary do, with sombre speeches and endless cups of lukewarm tea. No sir, the latest initiative by Assam Sahitya Sabha, charmingly dubbed Setubondhon — or “Bridge of Bonds”, if you like — has set off across Assam like a cultural caravan with a point to prove and a few dhotis to ruffle.
The three-day jaunt kicked off in Guwahati on April 18, rolled through Bijni in Chirang district on Saturday, and wrapped things up in Dhubri on Sunday with what one might describe as a right knees-up — replete with songs, dances, and enough traditional flavour to make your average fusion band weep into their synthesisers.
Now, before you think this was just another cultural picnic with the same old speeches in new sarais, let’s be clear — this was an earnest attempt by the Assam Sahitya Sabha to reconnect with the very people whose cultural threads it claims to guard. And to do so with more than a pamphlet and a polite nod.
Vice President Padum Rajkhowa, got straight to the point, bless him: “We’re not here to sit in ivory towers, sipping on metaphors. This is a call to arms — or at least, to open minds. We want people to strengthen the Sabha by joining hands, not wagging fingers from the sidelines.”
Strong words from a man in a gamocha, but he wasn’t alone. Chirang’s own Rabindra Nath Das, the local Sahitya Sabha General Secretary, chimed in with equal vigour, noting that Setubondhon wasn’t merely a travelling show. “This is a cultural lifeline,” he said. “Today’s event in Bijni brought together traditional performers, thinkers, villagers and that one chap who never claps on time — and that, to me, is the essence of our mission.”
Indeed, Saturday’s festivities were the very picture of cultural confluence. There were performances so colourful they could give Holi a run for its money, and discussions as spirited as a late-night tea stall debate — only with slightly more punctuation.
The initiative, in its essence, is a bit like dusting off an old family album — not just for the sake of nostalgia, but to remind everyone who we are, where we’ve been, and more importantly, where we’re headed. “We want the Sabha’s flag fluttering in every district,” declared Rajkhowa. Not just metaphorically, mind you. One suspects there may actually be a few flags already in the post.
Debajit Borah, the Sabha’s General Secretary, added a rather noble note to the proceedings, calling for a sense of shared cultural duty. “Preserving Assamese culture isn’t a one-man mission. Every Assamese must play their part — from the tea gardens to the riverbanks, from the youth on Instagram to the elders who still think WhatsApp is a type of spice.”
Truth be told, there’s something oddly heartening about the whole affair. In an age where cultural conversations are often reduced to hashtags and shouting matches, here comes a venerable old institution, rolling up its sleeves and stepping out to meet people where they are — not where they’re expected to be.
And if, in the process, someone picks up a Bihu rhythm, a turn of phrase, or even just a fondness for a good bit of prose over puffery, then one might say Setubondhon has done exactly what it set out to do.
All told, the Sabha has certainly struck a chord — and not the discordant kind you get at hurried book launches. Assam’s literary heart is beating, it seems. And with Setubondhon stitching new ties, it may just be beating a little louder — and dare we say, with better rhythm.
Sources : The Assam Tribune
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