President Ram Nath Kovind today said atmosphere of peace and harmony in the North East had become stronger with joint efforts of the Union Government and State Governments of the region.

He was speaking at the 61^st annual conference of Bodo Sahitya Sabha at Tamulpur, Assam.

The President said that developmental work had an important role in the change and appreciated the Central Government, State Governments and residents of the region for this.

He said the month of May is very important for the Bodo people as they remember Bodofa Upendra Nath Brahma on 1^st May which is his death anniversary.

He said that Bodofa had spread the message of “live and let live”. His message of maintaining harmony with all communities while conscious of Bodo self-pride will be forever relevant.

The President appreciated Bodo Sahitya Sabha for making invaluable contribution for past 70 years in strengthening the Bodo language, literature and culture.

He said that the Founder-President of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha, Joy Bhadra Hagzer and General Secretary Sonaram Thosen had made commendable efforts in recognition of Bodo language.

This Sabha has also played important role in the use of Bodo language as the medium of school education and place in the higher education.

The President noted that so far 17 writers have been awarded Sahitya Akademi Awards for their works in Bodo language. And out of that 10 have been awarded for poetry work.

This shows the natural inclination towards poetry among Bodo writers, he said. He was happy to note that many women are writing in different genres of Bodo literature. But so far only two women are among senior writers who have received the Sahitya Akademi Award for original works, he said.

He urged ‘Bodo Sahitya Sabha’ to encourage women writers. To keep any literature alive and relevant, the participation of the younger generation is very important. Kovind said Bodo Sahitya Sabha should encourage young writers.

The President was happy to note that the works of other languages ​​are being translated into Bodo language with great enthusiasm. This is characteristic of any vibrant literary community, he said.

He expressed confidence that such translated literature would give an opportunity to the readers of Bodo language to get acquainted with other Indian languages ​​as well as world literature.

The President said that conservation and promotion of local languages ​​is the responsibility of the society and the government. He appealed to the Government of Assam to make efforts to promote Bodo language.

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