Sarbananda or Sarabanananda Sonowal? Asom Sahitya Sabha Misspells CM's Name, Trolled

Sualkuchi, February 4, 2020:

Controversy refuses to leave the side of the Asom Sahitya Sabha, the apex literary body in Assam, which is currently hosting its 75th biennial conference in Kamrup district's Sualkuchi. The name of the Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, has also been mis-spelled by the Sabha in a latest magazine.

The Sabha, which is regarded as the sentinel of the Assamese culture and language, has found itself in the crossfire of the literature-loving junta of Assam yet again with some rather grave mistakes in an official magazine that was recently launched by the venerable society.

With this latest blunder, the Sabha, which seeks to uphold and protect the language of the proud Assamese community, seems to be dragging the language towards its doom instead.

In another instance of a spelling blunder, the word Bidhayak has been mis-spelled as Bidhayik, which is the female version of the same word, which, in the English language, means 'MLA'.

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Moreover, the name of the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal himself has been misspelled as 'Sarbanananda Sonowal', which is indeed shocking, considering the fact that we are living in post-CAA times, with the language, the culture, and the identity of the Assamese people seen to be under threat.

However, that is not all.

Parmananda Rajbongshi, himself a controversial figure, has also been embarrassed in the leaflet where he has been mistakenly named as 'Parmanananda Rajbongshi'.

Additionally, the Sabha's magazine also mis-spells the names of two other people: Sumon Haripriya and Dr. Himanta Baruah.

Needless to say, these errors have landed the Sabha in the crossfire of trolls and well-meaning citizens alike. Banasmi Bora, an advocate and follower of all things Sabha-related, had the following to say to the team at Inside Northeast: "The Asom Sahitya Sabha is for the Assamese, why would they make such embarrassing blunders? If they themselves are not adept at spelling, how can we expect others to preserve the sanctity and form of the language? It seems that instead of upholding their values, they are busy inviting Bollywood singers instead."

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