An event to mark the ‘Assam Day’ was held here on Friday with Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal hosting an eminent gathering of academicians and writers to discuss various subjects related to the state from a historical and contemporary context, an official statement said.
Those who participated included JNU Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, former pro vice chancellor of JNU Kapil Kapoor apart from many other intellectuals and dignitaries from different academic backgrounds.
“Today, on the pious occasion of Assam Day, we pay our sincere homage to the great unifier and 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,” Sonowal was quoted as saying.
The former Assam chief minister is the cabinet minister for ports, shipping, waterways and Ayush.
“Swargadeo Sukapha is a symbol of unity, good governance, and bravery for every Asomiya to draw inspiration from. The great king and founder of the Ahom dynasty displayed a rare combination of intellect, valour, and vision which helped him to become one of the greatest leaders of Assam ever,” he said.
Under his stewardship, Sonowal said, the Assamese society worked to become ‘Atma Nirbhar’ as it started manufacturing various weapons, tools, and 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 to represent our society and Assam on the national and international stage with great pride,” he said.
A number of other participants, including senior bureaucrats and technocrats hailing from the north eastern state, also spoke during the event.
Swargadeo Chaolung Sukapha established the Ahom kingdom in the 13th century and unified the land, building a Greater Assam. Glad to join historians and academics in paying tributes to the great ruler on Asom Diwas at my official residence in New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/eyvrwjEq8m
— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) December 2, 2022
Prof.Kapil Kapoor spoke about the great Ahoms and how it protected the entire the Northeast region from brutal invasions. Giving references of Mahabharata and other important treaties that carries witnesses of the Pan-Indian approach of the Kings of North-East, Prof Kapoor also spoke about the ancient historical connections that the people of the Northeast shared with the central India.
Leading intellectual and 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.
(With additional inputs from PIB New Delhi)
