Vrindavani Bastra may come to Assam
Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva (SSS) has extracted a categorical promise from Richard Blurton, the Curator of British Museum that the Vrindavani Bastra will be allowed to be brought to Assam for public display. The President of SSS Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti called on Richard Blurton, the Curator of British Museum, London on November 21 in Guwahati. They had an elaborate discussion for 75 minutes on the intricacies of Vrindavani Bastra and exchanged information on this great textile art. During the discussion Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti highlighted the fact the Vrindavani Bastra is a glorious heritage of Assam. He asserted the claim of people of Assam on the Vrindavani Bastra. It should be returned to Assam, he said, especially since Britain had procured it inadvertently from third party. Now that the rightful owners have been identified, Britain should return the same to Assam. Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti gave a representation to Blurton. The curator promised that the cloth will be sent to Assam for public display for a few days. The only thing was that a pre-determined temperature, humidity and light intensity will have to be maintained for the cloth, Blurton said. Dr Borkakoti assured that there were enough expertise in Assam to take care of that. The full text of the representation is given below. The curator was also presented several books on Srimanta Sankaradeva beside Gamocha and Chelleng.
November 21, 2013
To,
Richard Blurton,
Curator, South Asia and South East Asian Collections,
British Museum, London
Subject : Vrindavani Bastra woven by Srimanta Sankaradeva
Dear Blurton,
It is a great pleasure to find your all-round interest in the life and culture of Assam as evinced by your tour in the nooks and corners of the state. That you carried the videos of the great textile art Vrindavani Bastra woven by Srimanta Sankaradeva wherever you went proves your genuine interest in the Sankari culture permeating the Assamese lives. You have fully realised the importance of the heritages created by the great medieval reformer for the people of Assam.
Vrindavani Bastra woven by Srimanta Sankaradeva in 1554 is a symbol of Assamese culture as the medieval reformer left a legacy of cohesive pluralistic culture created from out of ethnic cultures of the region. This piece of cloth is one of the most valuable relics of that era when Srimanta Sankaradeva was creating history.
We fully understand that your museum collected this piece of cloth from third source without meaning to deprive us of our cultural heritage. We are also grateful for your deft preservation of this invaluable object. Now it would be in the fitness of the things for your institution to recognize the historical value of the Vrindavani Bastra and return the same to its lawful owner, the people of Assam. We will offer whatever assistance that may be necessary on our part for the expected transfer.
We are certain that your institution will take appropriate step in this context.
Sincerely
Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti
President, Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva
Random Stories
15 Sep 2015 - 8:37pm |
AT News
Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma who quit as Congress MLA from Jalukbari constituency is likely to face the anti defection law. Assam Assembly Speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi who received his letter on Tuesday...
18 May 2016 - 6:49pm |
Jayanta Kumar Das
Patrolling teams of Mazbat forest Range Office, under Dhansiri Forest Division, Udalguri and Army stationed at Mazbat successfully rescued an endangered pair of baby Himalayan bear calves recently...
15 Sep 2015 - 6:16am |
AT News
A day after recruiting 13 new parliamentary secretaries chief minister Tarun Gogoi is set to induct two minister afresh in is cabinet. The beneficiaries are Gautom Roy and Siddique Ahmed.Gogoi is...
17 Jul 2017 - 3:16pm |
AT News
More misery is in store for Lakimpur. The people in this flood-hit district are bracing up for yet another chapter of woes thanks to North Eastern Electric Power Corporation. The hydel power...
Other Contents by Author
A workshop on "Manuscript Preparation and Painting in Sankari art form" was held under the auspices of SOCIETY FOR SRIMANTA SANKARADEVA from July 7 to 11 at Dhing College, Dhing. Mridu Moucham Bora, who has earned reputation as preservation expert of Manuscript as well as painter of Sankari art form, was the trainer in the workshop. Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, President of SOCIETY FOR SRIMANTA SANKARADEVA inaugurated the workshop on July 7, 2013. He highlighted the need for commercial production of these paintings in order to make this art form economically viable. Total 39 learners from different parts of Assam underwent training in the workshop. They were taught about the process of...
To highlight the artists working to preserve and promote Sankari culture, Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva has felicitated artists at Jorhat Press Club on May 5. Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, President of the Society presented the citations to the selected artists.The eight artists felicitated were: Kanuram Bora (Joraguri, Rongamati, Dergaon), Jogen Dutta Bayan (Uttar Kamalabari Sattra, Majuli), Jatin Mahanta (Nangalamara Katanipar Sattra, Simaluguri), Lakshan Pathak Saikia (Natun Kamalabari Sattra, Majuli), Hem Chandra Goswami (Chamaguri Sattra, Majuli), Girin Mahanta (Kakajan Sipaha Sattra, Jorhat), Gopal Bora (Missamora, Dergaon), and Bayan Khireswar Hazarika (Milan Nagar, Dibrugarh). They...
Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva was formed to spread the universal message and glory of Srimanta Sankaradeva all over the world and to do all such things that may be necessary to be done for that purpose, in a cultured manner. One of the objectives of Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva is to accord recognition to litterateurs and artists for their serious original works on and about Srimanta Sankaradeva. So the Society has now decided to felicitate dedicated Sankari artists for their immense contribution to Sankari Art and Culture. The first phase of felicitation will take place on May 5 in Jorhat Press Club. The eight artists selected from upper Assam for felicitation in the 1st...
The English translation of Srimanta Sankaradeva’s famous scripture Gunamâlâ ' is now available to the readers. Subtitled as ‘Garland of Virtues’, the English version of Gunamâlâ was released by former President of Asom Sattra Mahasabha, Bhadrakrishna Goswami on April 7 in Nagaon Press Club at Nagaon. The translation has been done by Sankari scholar Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, who has earlier translated Srimanta Sankaradeva’s Bargeet and Madhavadeva’s Nâmghoshâ too. Bhadrakrishna Goswami appreciated the work of Dr Borkakoti and said that a long-felt need was fulfilled. He hoped that the English translation would help non-Assamese people to understand the ideology of Srimanta Sankaradeva....
Srimanta Sankaradeva created a new classical school of music, known as Sankari music with his Bargît. He created new Râgas for singing the lyrics known as Bargît. These Bargîts or Great Songs are one of the main modes of conveying the principles of the Eka Sharana Nâma Dharma, the Vaishnavite order founded by Srimanta Sankaradeva. The saint composed these lyrics in the Brajâwalî form of Assamese language. These lyrics, composed in 15th-16th century, are considered great treasure of Assamese literature. They describe the glory of chanting God’s name and also narrate the attributes of lord Krishna as well as his exploits. The book 'Great Songs' is an attempt by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti to...
Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva demanded in a press meet on Feb 17 in Guwahati that life and works of Srimanta Sankaradeva should be incorporated in curriculum at both national and state level. Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, the President of Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva said that life and works of Srimanta Sankaradeva have not been put in curriculum by NCERT properly in spite of repeated appeals for that. Even intervention by HRD minister Arjun Singh in 2006 had resulted in inclusion of only one small paragraph in the history textbook for class XI. Dr Borkakoti said that students must get to learn about the saint right from class VI itself. He also said that the...
The second Annual General Meeting of Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva was held on Feb 10, 2012 in Sonapur, Guwahati in the presence of almost half of its members. The meeting was chaired by the President of the Society Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti. It approved the annual reports and accounts for the period 2012-13. The members appreciated the organizational works done by the Co-ordinator cum Treasure of the Society Pradip Hazarika. A stock taking was done of the Society’s works since inception.The meeting expressed great concern over the non-inclusion about life and philosophy of Srimanta Sankaradeva in the curriculum of the present education system. Srimanta Sankaradeva’s name has been used...
Add new comment