Assam Sahitya Sabha: Arunachal Writer to Contest for President's Position

GUWAHATI: Well-known author from Arunachal Pradesh, Padma Shri recipient Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi is running for the coveted position of apex literary body of Assam. He would be the first president of the ASS to come from outside the state if elected. However, a candidate list for the leader of the more than 100-year-old literary organization has emerged in this election, putting several Sabha units on the verge of voting.

This year's Elections for the Asam Sahitya Sabha (ASS) will take place in November. And it has demonstrated that language appreciation knows no borders.

This election has provided a special yet challenging chance for more than 700 ASS units from around the world to vote for the next president. Thongchi asserted that if elected, he will raise the literary organization to a position from which it can legitimately declare itself a supporter of "Bor Asom", the word used to represent a larger Assam that includes the tribes and communities of the formerly united northeastern states.

"I would serve as the Sahitya Sabha president's representative for Bor Asom if elected. A chance to become a group that truly represents Bor Asom would be lost if I lose," mentioned Thongchi in a recent statement.

Thongchi is a member of the 10,000–12,000 strong Sherdukpen hill tribe in Arunachal Pradesh, which is primarily concentrated in the West Kameng area.

Thongchi began writing in Assamese as a student at the Assamese-medium Bomdila High School in Arunachal (formerly known as the North East Frontier Agency) as the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh like Sherdukpen lack scripts to write their dialect. Despite his commitments as an Arunachal Pradesh government service officer, he received the Sahitya Academy in 2005 for his work "Mouna Ounth Mukhar Hriday" (Silent Lips and Murmuring Hearts).

However, Thongchi is up against well-known academics like Nahendra Padun and writer and educationist Prahlad Tasa who, despite representing the Mising and tea groups, respectively, feel exempt from the electoral process since they are proud Assamese.

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