Cybercrime caller tune 'severely butchering' Assamese pronunciation: AASU chief advisor

Dr Samujjal Bhattacharjya, Chief Advisor of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and the North East Students' Organisation (NESO), has raised concerns about the 'misrepresentation' of the Assamese language in the state’s cybercrime awareness caller tune. 

Taking to his X handle, Dr. Bhattacharjya called the pronunciation of Assamese in the tune “severely butchered” and described it as an insult to the language’s rich heritage and cultural significance.

"The cybercrime awareness caller tune in Assam is insulting our Classical Language by severely butchering Assamese pronunciation. This is unacceptable for a language with such rich heritage and cultural significance," he wrote. 

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Dr. Bhattacharjya urged authorities to take swift action, emphasizing the need for a replacement that preserves the authenticity of Assamese while effectively delivering the cyber awareness message.

His statement comes as Assamese was recently conferred the status of a "Classical Language," a recognition of its historical and cultural importance. Highlighting this milestone, Dr. Bhattacharjya said it is “disheartening” to see such misrepresentation tarnish the language's image.

As of now, there has been no official response from the authorities, but the outcry underscores the need to balance technological advancements with cultural sensitivity in Assam.