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ISSN: 2321-8819 (Online) Asian Journal of 2348-7186 (Print) Impact Factor: 1.498 Multidisciplinary Studies Vol.4, Issue 7, June 2016

Koch-Rajbongshi Language : A Trend towards a Regressive Stage

Jyotiparna Das, PG student, Bongaigaon College, bongaigaon Abstract: The koch rajbongshis have been residing in and west since a long time back. The aim of this paper is to highlight how their culture, language and rituals face a threat from the bigger political and linguistic communities. They find that their very existence is threatened and they are gradually losing ground in their own land. This paper seeks to explore how they have reached a regressive stage in the contemporary context and i have used reference books for this purpose. Keywords: Koch, Raibongshi, Regressiv Stage

Indian society is highly stratified. It‟s multi-ethnic, education, westernization, urbanization, multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-religious development of communication. They have now country. Unless diverse elements are integrated into almost come in the position of their extinction of one unified whole, there is no nation according to their separate identity due to the downfall of their Benedict Anderson in his book Imagined language. Community ,nation is nothing but an imagined A glance at the richness of the Koch’s language: community. Ethnicity posits a common bond to unite people as a group by retaining one‟s custom, The homeland of this ancient tribe includes from tradition, language. However, it is necessary to be korotuwa river emerging from towards proud of one‟s own identity without being hostile Jalpaiguri to Rangpur(present ), to other‟s. In recent times, has been facing Dinasjhpur, Bogura, Malda, Koch , kirat, conflict situations arising out of various ethnic and Assam. Koch Rajbonshi had their own issues related with the assertion of ethnic identity. history,own kingdom. The assamese nation is Because of the feeling that their interests are being highly indebted to the Koch kings for its language, threatened by others or feeling of negligence or literature, culture and arts.The Koch-rajbongshi ethnocentrism or political conspiracy that‟s why language is a rich language inheriting nothing from various ethnic groups try to assert themselves and outside sources. The language was being practiced often take recourse either in a way of democratic in their own territory mainly in king‟s court. The movements or armed insurgency. Such tendencies language was neither the part of Sanskrit language pose threat to nationalism and federalism and nor forming the pre-vedic age. It was totally a interfere in the development of the country. locally appropriated language evolving among its native Ranjbongshi people. It is an indication of a North-east region, a homeland of different culture rich heritage that truly advances and full of and ethnic group of people has been in the news for intellectuality. literature the conflict and insurgency problems which have inherited many traits from and we defined solutions in the last three decades. The can say it proved to be a guide for the Assamese North-eastern states are augmented with problems language as well as . which are mainly political, linguistic and ethnic in character. The demand of identity has become a Grierson says “when we cross the river form of struggle in the politics of the North-east. In Brahmaputra coming from Decca, we meet a well my article I want to present one of the major marked form of speech in Rangpur and the districts identity crisis of a prominent ethnic group among to its north and east. It is called Rjbongshi to the the various ethnic groups of the North-east, in this eastern branch, has still points of difference which context the Koch-Rajbongshi (Koches) which are lead us to class as a separate dialect. The dialect of one of the aboriginal tribes of North-east India. the western and south-eastern Goalpara in Assam There are various problems associated with this is pure “rajbongshii”.But many a time this group but one of the leading facts is that this group language due to its close affirmation with Bengali is fighting to establish its language in the language has faced threat and there are still mainstream canon. Being the most archaic group of evidences that writings of Koch‟s has been taken Assam their language is being degraded and they by many Bengali writers such as „morishmoti‟ or have more or less failed to preserve or keep their „moinamoti‟ song which was originally written in notable traits properly for various reasons such as Rajbongshi language by a Bengali writer re-mixing of social culture, the impact of Gopichandra who also translated it. In case of modernization or the influence of the modern equality and status neither two of these language

Available online at www.ajms.co.in 149 Koch-Rajbongshi Language: A Trend towards a Regressive Stage

can be judged. It cannot be questioned regarding No knowledge is worthy unless reinforced by their adaptation. But this type of adaptation from history, which is a reservoir of information, events, different other groups rajbongshi language is being consequences, individuals, society, nation. It is in threat. Historians as well as central and state really surprising that koches don‟t have any history government didn‟t pay any attention towards the though there are plenty of raw materials lying diminishing state of rajbongshi language due to scattered in Vedas, Purans, tantras, Bhagawat, which its equality, status, value goes towards Ramayana, Mahabharata. It is worth to mention downfall. Not giving the certificate of its that during the reign of king Vishwasingha(1553. authenticity and prominence in the history of AD) translated Mahabharata into Koch-rajbongshi North-east , are given the category of language. Translated 10th stanza of Bhagawat in minorities a kind of betrayal provided to them but Koch language “ukha porinoyor kaiboy”. Other the fact lies that this group existed much before includes “giti Ramayana” , “monosha mangal”, than any other ethnic group and had a large Tantras of great kamakhaya temple in Assam was heritage. “Koches amalgamated to form more than written in Koch language.iv These were some seventy lakh but they had been put into deep notable works which one can site, many lost, some slumber of ignorance”.ii thrived. The present degraded condition of the once Not giving prominence to this language caused a civilized and powerful koches of Eastern India are great harm to its culture. In the coming generation ascribed to the unholy exploitations by the which lacks the leadership quality all fighting for priviledged classes , mostly hailing from the vested their own beings would leads to a chaos type interest of upper class Hindus. As a result great and situation. But where leadership calls there always historic koches are now divided into scheduled comes a great man and such name is late Sri tribes, scheduled castes, or backward amongst Ambikachoron Choudhury who is referred as the OBC by the Indian government during the post father of Koch-rajbongshi group. This man went independence period. „ the downfall of the koches though many detailed works and came up with new in general can be well summarized in the language evidence and bringing a systematic study of the of great research scholar of late Nagendra Nath language. The notable work of King Chilarai‟vs “ Basu, Sidhanta Varidhi and many more. According Saravati Tika” was brought into literary canon by to J.D.Anderson “the language of the koches, the him which was on the verge of its extinction due to dominant and ruling tribe in the great koch lack of appropriate literary projection. Composed kingdom, which survived , with something of its more than 32 books on the history and culture of ancient prestige and power……. It would seem then his land. sri choudhury‟s book can be referred as that the language spoken in the ancient Koch the guide towards the koches. Being awarded with kingdom which extended from the Himalayan to the „Chilarai award‟ „Mohendra Koron award ‟ , titled Bay of Bengal. A careful measurement …..ought to with „Kamata Ratna‟ he fought for the language show how far the Koch element still persisted…..‟iii. and rethinking in reconstructing the history of Koch-rajbongshi.

REFERENCES: i Grierson,G.A,linguistic survey of India, p.163,vol-v,part-I,1903-1928,office of the superintendent of government printing,Calcutta,India. ii Choudhury,Ambikachoron,koches around the world ,1991,ratnapith prakashan,bongaigaon. iii Anderson,J.D,introduction to the koches,p.xviii.,1895,government press,shillong. iv Chodhury,Ambikachoron,Koch rajbongshi jonogosthir itihash aru sanskriti,2011,3rd edition,editor,pradyut prakash choudhury,unique printers,Bongaigaon. v Yuvraj / army general of the Koch king Maharaja Naranarayana. viBuzarbaruah,Dr.Ripima,ethnic conflict and identity crisis in North-East India, August 2012,k.k.publication,bamunimaidan,guwahati. viiChodhury,Ambikachoron,roshona bali(part 1&2)2013,editor,Hussain,Hyder,asom prakashan parishad. viiiRay,Arun khobdokosh:Koch rajbongshi linguistic dictionary,2014,ratnapith prakashan,bongaigaon.

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