President Ram Nath Kovind today expressed happiness that the atmosphere of peace and harmony was becoming stronger in the north-east because of the joint efforts of the centre and the state governments in the region.

He noted that the region’s development has also played an important role in bringing about this change.

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Speaking at the 61st annual conference of Bodo Sahitya Sabha at Tamulpur in Assam, the president noted that the month of May was very important for the Bodo people as they remember Bodofa Upendra Nath Brahma on 1 May on 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 remaining conscious of the Bodo self-pride would be forever relevant.

Kovind appreciated the Bodo Sahitya Sabha for making an invaluable contribution over the last 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 had made commendable efforts in recognition of the Bodo language. This sabha has also played an important role in the use of the Bodo language as the medium of school education and its place in the higher education.

The president noted that so far 17 writers have been awarded Sahitya Akademi Awards for their works in the Bodo language. Out of that, ten have been awarded for poetry work. ”This shows the natural inclination towards poetry among Bodo writers.”

He was happy to note that many women were writing in different genres of Bodo literature. But it has also been observed that only two women were among senior writers who have received the Sahitya Akademi Award for original works, he said.

He urged the ‘Bodo Sahitya Sabha’ to encourage women writers. He said that to keep any literature alive and relevant, the participation of the younger generation was very important. Therefore, special encouragement should also be given to young writers by the Bodo Sahitya Sabha.

The President was happy to note that the works of other languages are being translated into the Bodo language with great enthusiasm. He said that it is the characteristic of any vibrant literary community. He expressed confidence that such translated literature would give an opportunity to the readers of the Bodo language to get acquainted with other Indian languages as well as world literature. He said the conservation and promotion of local languages was the responsibility of the society and the government.