Plea for portraits of icons at government offices

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, July 29: A plea for putting up portraits of Ahom kings, generals and freedom fighters of the State at the secretariat walls has been made by an organization.

In a letter to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, the Banseng ngseng Women's Society has given a list of 14 prominent historical figures of Assam who, it feels, should be depicted in the offices of State government departments, Chief Minister's Office, libraries, tourist lodges and Assam Bhavans besides the secretariat wall. The fourteen iconic figures which the society proposed includes Ahom king Sukapha, Godadhar Singha, Chandhra Kanta Singha, Joydwaj Singha, Gomadhar Konwar, Bemo Singphoo Ronuwe Gohain, Chewfa Plungloo, Lachit Borphukan, Sati Joymoti, Mula Gabhoru, Rani Indraprabha, Atan Borgohain, Mumai Tamuli Barphukan and Badan Chandra Borphukan.

"This would benefit the young generation, tourists and visiting dignitaries in understanding the State's history," the society's general secretary Aroti Chowhai said. "We don't have a single portrait of those persolities in government offices. It is an insult to those heroes," she said. However, officials in State General Administration and Cultural Affairs department said so far there is no such proposal to put up portraits of the prominent persolities of Assam history in government offices. In fact, neither of the departments has even though of initiating such a step in the past.