Centre of Excellence for Classical Assamese

Less than two years after the Government of India had declared Assamese as a Classical Language, the Centre has approved establishment of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Studies in Classical Assamese at Tezpur University. This is a very welcome move, especially because Tezpur University itself was established under provisions of the historic Assam Accord of 1985. The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India, in its notification issued on Friday said the upcoming Centres of Excellence for the five languages (Assamese, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit and Marathi) will provide dedicated institutional support for advanced academic research, preservation and digitisation of linguistic and literary heritage, and wider dissemination of knowledge relating to these languages. Establishment of these centres – including the one at Tezpur University – marks a significant step towards strengthening the institutional ecosystem for the study, research and preservation of India’s Classical Languages. As has been stated, these Centres of Excellence will focus on four broad areas – (a) Strengthening academic research and scholarship by providing dedicated institutional platforms for advanced research, scholarly work and academic engagement in the respective Classical Languages; (b) Preservation and digitization by supporting the documentation, preservation and digitisation of linguistic and literary resources, contributing to the long-term conservation of India’s rich textual heritage; (c) Facilitating wider dissemination of Classical Language heritage by providing wider access to and dissemination of linguistic, literary and knowledge traditions associated with the respective Classical Languages; and (d) Strengthening regional academic ecosystems for higher education, research and scholarship in Classical Languages. Establishment of the Centre of Excellence for Assamese Language has underlined the responsibility that has now fallen upon Tezpur University in fulfilling the mandate as outlined by the Government of India. It is important to note that though Tezpur University was established in 1994 as an outcome of the Assam Accord, it was only in 2019 that the Department of Assamese was officially established at Tezpur University by upgrading the university’s earlier Centre for Assamese Studies which was founded in 2011.