Bishnupriya Manipuri Sahitya Sabha celebrated the 87th birthday of renowned Bishnupriya Manipuri poet Brojendra Kumar Sinha at Silchar and Guwahati on the 12th and 13th February 2024 respectively. Performance of songs, recitations of his works and speeches reminiscing the inspiring qualities and achievements of the doyen of Bishnupriya Manipuri literature were the highlights of the events.
At Guwahati, the event was held at the office of the Guwahati regional committee at Adworld Campus, Industrial Estate, Bamunimaidam. Noted amongst those who attended were the Vice Chancellor of Pragjyotishpur University and the present President of Bishnupriya Manipuri Sahitya Sabha Dr. Smriti Kumar Sinha, Litterateur & Journalist Shri Kumud Deka, Col. Bijoy Sinha, Retd. Prof. Nalini Kumar Sinha, and artist of national repute Shri Shakti Kumar Sinha. The meeting was presided by the president of the Guwahati committee Shri Sunil Sinha.
Speaking on the occasion Dr. Smriti Kumar Sinha said that Bishnupriya Manipuri Sahitya Sabha from this event onward should commemorate events like such as per the Indian calendar which is essential to uphold the concept of “Bharatiya” heritage. He emphasized the importance of poetry recitation particularly amongst young children to propagate proper pronunciation of Bishnupriya Manipuri words. Dr. Sinha also recited a poetry in Assamese which is a translation of Brojendra Kumar Sinha’s work by renowned Assamese litterateur Nabakanta Barua. He also deliberated in details on the future action plans of the organisation for 2024-25. Prof. Nalini Kumar Sinha on his address raised concern about rampant corruption and use of alien words in the Bishnupriya Manipuri language thus hurting the richness of it’s vocabulary, particularly by the present generation of writers. Shri Shankar Sinha raised similar concerns and attributed it to the lack of children’s literature in Bishnupriya Manipuri language. Shri Raj Chandra Sinha on his speech reiterated that language is the primary pillar of the culture of any linguistic community, and protection of language is achieved by correct form of literary practice. He stated Brojendra Kumar Sinha was a champion of this, and present and aspiring writers must try to emulate his efforts. Shri Kishar Sinha emphasized on the responsibility of the literary organizations to work towards providing a wider and global platform for the works of greats such as Brojendra Kumar Sinha and Dr. Kali Prasad Sinha. Chief guest Shri Kumud Deka, litterateur and journalist recalled his personal acquaintance with the great author and also stated that Bishnupriya Manipuri is an independent language and not a dialect of Assamese or Bengali as many outsiders still perceive. Steps must be taken by organizations of the community to showcase the richness of its literary heritage. Renowned artist Shakti Kumar Sinha shared a vivid recollection of the inspiring and encouraging nature of the great poet from his personal experience. Col. Bijoy Sinha on his address mentioned that Brojendra Sinha’s literary works were path breakers in a sense that they brought in modern subject and expression in Bishnupriya Manipuri literature. He also attributed some of the high quality translated work in this language to Brojendra Kumar Sinha.
The occasion also included some beautiful recitations of Bishnupriya Manipuri poetries by Shri Jairaj Sinha, Smt. Sunanda Sinha, Smt. Bijoylakshmi Sinha, Beli Sinha and others.
At Silchar, the event was organised by the Meherpur regional committee and presided by the present working president of Bishnupriya Manipuri Sahitya Sabha, Shri Barindra Kumar Sinha. The event held at the Sadhuthakur Sevashram, Tarapur was attended by many noted personalities of the community and participation saw poetry recitations, rendition of songs and speeches. Notable speakers included Shri Banabir Sinha, Shri Mani Kanta Sinha, Gen. Secy, Bishnupriya Manipuri Sahitya Sabha, Shri Sudhanshu Sekhar Sinha, Shri Dilip Sinha, Shri Samir Sinha, Shri Jyotirmoy Sinha, Smt. Padmaja Sinha, Smt. Sulekha Sinha and Shri Jyoti Kanta Sinha. The colorful cultural evening was highlighted with dance performances by Angel Sinha, Asmita Sinha and Mrina Sinha. Recitations by Prabha Atreya, Pranati Atreya, Mrinman Sinha, Manoranjan Sinha and Kamalesh Sinha. Songs were performed by Smt Rinku Sinha, Smt. Lipi Sinha, Anju Sinha, Manideepa Sinha, Naba Kumar Mukherjee and Nirupam Rajkumar. Other notable performers included Sishir Sinha and Dilip Sinha.
(c) Bishnupriya Manipuri Sahitya Sabha