National Librarian's Day, 2026. Speaker-MAYUR BORA, Eminent Author and Critic. organised by KKHSOU

Thank you. I think I can start informally before going to the restricted confines of the occasion the national librarian's day. I asked his name. He has been very very kind to me. Only thing I feel narrated I I got the first position in the transmission executive position in the year 1994 but never joined all India radio. I was selected but in the ultimately in the meantime I was selected in NAR as a probationary officer and you are very right I joined there in LLO and after 25 years I retired voluntarily in the year 2021 so thank you sometimes I feel you know much more than me as it happens like you go to different AI sites claw and other things they will tell you so much about you that my wife doesn't know my son and daughter they also do not know and I also at times do not know what they say about me. But I please don't record my deep sense of gratitude to you for being very kind to me. Be kind to everyone. This is my advice to a young man on the National Library of State. Anyway, coming back and thank you. So generally I don't take any but today he has so beautifully helped me when I going to address on the important occasion of national librarians day in this wonderful institute or university called Krishna Handic state open university the very name of Krishna Handi instills a sense of tremendous pride in all the people not only among the people all other people who value respect and regard knowledge and gathering of knowledge with a passion that was probably unheard of in that part of or that time during Krishna's time in the state of Assam. So I pay my tribute first of all to uh SRangatan Dr. Ranganatan on this national librarian's day also pay my respectful tribute to the glorious memories of Krishna and my pleasure and privilege professor RN Sharma former vice chancellor researchers and director of manhan dean school of management that's another beauty of this university that named after different unsung heroes man is not an unsung hero but guru prasadas is an unsung hero. So I think I salute the spirit of this university the intellectual thought process that might have pulsated here dropped here and ultimately enable the people to name them after few illustrious sons of Assam and some of them are truly truly been unans in the popular imagination of the state. So I commend compliment and congratulate that profound here who has been very very kind who has [clears throat] been very kind to give me this seat is the register of this university. Uh thank you especially for this Dr. Govinda Deka who is known to me from his Dorha days is the director of the Gurubraata school of vocational and interdisiplinary studies. So interdisciplinary studies vocational I think that's the main uh trust of many of the government programs also as we all know all the governments even if they want they cannot give jobs to everyone so I think it's a very important role dean academic probably I have met you for the first time good to see you smiling thank you keep smiling like this and my friends who happen to be directors of different schools of studies and I get intimidated by them joy sharma then Dr. joined in Burua, Pranji, Pora, Sanji, Padir and many other names probably I have not taken but I feel when I address few of them I address all of you all the research scholars uh staff of the university faculty I thank you for coming here and to collectively think about why reading is important why reading can be a tool for personal growth if I can disturb Mr. Mr. Kushwami with the seat this over you can take. Yeah. >> Unnecessarily you fly and I get distracted very fast. See I see I fell in love in library which library rather not in library that may give a different kind of thing which I will not say in this restrictive terror of this uh particular name but falling in love with library can be a earnest tribute to Dr. reserved and more so at a time when people are mainly woriing what I'm deliberately using the word worshiing what they are worshiping we are [clears throat] worshiping AI and Google and just to tell you on this national librarian's day the kind of damage I have we have inflicted collectively as a humanity to the environment is mindboggling. You know, 8,000 mi away on the other side of the Pacific in the San Francisco Bay area, all these offices are located at data centers. In some of the European countries now have consciously taken a decision that no more data center why because moment we ask who is Dr. Who is Guru Prasad? Who is Krishna handing? It leads to wastage of massive amount of water on the banks of the Pacific Ocean. That's the reality of today's life. That's why I would like to call it the rise and emergence of a alien kind of inorganic knowledge in which majority of the people have surrendered locktock and barely and on the contrary the inesable background in the whole process is library books and what we have been taught about fall in love with the library which we all did especially the people who are slightly senior Nobody likes to be called a senior but I say that you are more sagacious or whom at least we can say that life begins at 40. I think those people will be able to relate what I am trying to tell you library why it is very important more so at a time when people have stopped reading I'm not saying I know I'm not uncomfortable with the fact that some people the youngsters they are they like to study on their Kindle I don't have any problem only thing you have to read I personally prefer the conventional book and for sparring for promoting The habit of reading whether you take up Kindle, whether you take take up the conventional book ultimately it should it should promote within you inculcate instill a habit of reading which will be very very important for all of us because collectively what reading is going to instill in you first of all. See, first of all, let me tell you very very honestly one thing. What we collectively know as a human race in this planet is nothing but a minuscule percentage of what we do not know. We do not know many things in the world. Majority of the things we do not know. But that doesn't mean that as a scholar, as an academic, as someone who is writing or authoring books, he will not try to enrich his knowledge. And that's why when you come to a wonderful university called Krishna state open university you come with an open mind you come with an organized mind you come with a receptive mind to inculcate all those things which are coming through the doors coming through the windows coming from the library books coming from your colleagues and coming from your teachers and you segregate them separating the grade from the chaff We'll be able to do it provided we adopt inculcate reading as a habit which will be a tool which will be so dependable so reliable. Nobody can find fault with reading. But ultimately reading teaches you what? Reading teaches you humility. If you are the Israeli say if you are conscious about the fact that you are ignorant that itself is a great state towards knowledge. So reading always makes people humble. We saw we nowadays we see lot of arrogant people the people very glorious people who are known for their huffies. We see them on and off on our smart smartphone on our television. But real people, people whom you respect not because they demand respect but because they command respect and respect also oozes out emerges from your heart effortlessly innately spontaneously are not those people who are vain glorious who are known for their hubberies. They are known for their humility and really first of all I will tell you it teaches you how to be humble and secondly another important thing I think you are initially when positive told me I came to know that positive is a very young guy he has been telling and looks and sometimes voice can be deceptive I heard that looks can be deceptive he has been telling about me I was expecting a gentleman of course junior to me but I was thinking Then I came to know you was born in the year 2000. So nothing I'm not finding fault. I'm rather envious of you because you are at that stage of life when hormones there are no holidays hormones are raising here hormones are winning. But if we can beautifully plan between rising hormones and winning hormones because when hormones we tend to get some insights and experience and if you can beautifully plan that I think we can collectively give a meaningful thoughts to the society at least they are going to analyze it. I never say that whatever I am going to say or whatever anybody is going to say it's not gospel true. Only thing you have to analyze it with a dispassionate with some sort of incisiveness and I think it will always be better if you are an academic if you are a professor that do not accept anything at a face value take not with a pinch of salt take with a handful of salt analyze and if you really agree then accept it okay I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable huh hormones are okay everything is okay thank you fun and humor is important without honor humor we can't go anywhere and I know he will not be very unhappy and even if he's unhappy we will not say so because he has been taught by education taught by reading to develop in a way I don't know him don't feel that I know him and this has been reversed and I'm going to tell you nothing is reversed in my life [clears throat] not even the falling in love with the library falling in love in the library everything was spontaneous so that's a beauty of imperfection which emanates from spontaneity I really enjoy celebrate that spirit. Anyway, little bit of personal thing tends to kick in when we have got an audience like this. So thoughtful, so questioning. I don't know Q&A answers will be there or not. I already developed lot of butterflies in my stomach but looking at your intent eyes but the twinkle in your eyes also gives me courage. Coming back to the second point reading one is humility I feel. Secondly, a person who wants to read is who enjoys reading and studying not only for his doctoral degree or postdoctoral degree just like that he wants to read. I think he will always ask questions. People like us has a problem. We believe in giving answers which majority of the people I know they take it with a pinch of salt or they don't accept it. But still we are unstoppable on television on social media on different kind of forum and I'm thankful to the university once again for having given me the opportunity on the national librarian day to talk about reading because this is one of my friend is there to be knowing we grew up together in school. He really is an epitome or embodiment of a person who loves studies person who loves reading. He is you are also there but my friend I am talking to you we are young Dr. Bhasio Moat University we are here I always used to stand for uh from class 5 to 10 in college school but vihas twice or Christ always used to beat me in English and it's the pleasure of I told you the beauty of imperfection it's always a pleasure to be beaten it's not actually beaten is better defeated by someone who really respects reading and studies so much so deeply so profoundly. He doesn't make much of noise because you don't need people who makes noise. I am one of them. I'm one of them and he doesn't make much noise. He is a symbol of noise. If I am an epichomy of noise anyway but but it complements each other coming back to the second question. See the importance of question somebody says of human civilization rest on the sense of robust query. If you don't ask questions and if you don't ask questions to the powers that be, I'm not saying that you have to be extraordinarily remarkably audacious just to drive home a fact or just to impress someone. No, try to impress your own size. Try to impress your mind that has been telling you, triggering you, telling you that this is the way your question, your curiosity, your desire to del deep into this I think should get heightened. So question especially youngsters if I I can see lot of youngsters here the doctoral fellow, the PhD research fellow. I think you have to keep on asking question. I'll give you Christolo Hendrix. See I go in a very since we are talking about reading we can always talk about this academic and other stuff which are linked with history which is my subject although I didn't study anything of Assam history as I studied in Delhi university but Krishna he was he didn't write very profusely in a year but he wrote something when he was in England Oxford university it erected a counternarrative but you must know the background it's not that it's a fight between it's a tussle between lady on this side probably the third president of famous foreign. That's the beauty of reading because due to certain factors which we should not lose sight of Kalami say very very uncharitable unflattering things about translation in that point of Assam because there was a lousy translation happened absolutely lousy from the neighboring state and he was very very angry he was collaring he was very very angry with with the kind of that's why he made a statement probably he got a mic like this he got swayed by the emotions because they are all flesh and blood he said that the translation should come to an end there should not be any translation then the person who is on the other side maybe 5,000 mi away in England he picks up his pen writes konugat ka and sends it here and that's one of the monumental uh what should I say monograph on the importance of translation was kind enough you're very right when you told I also did a translation in fact I translated uh parag few of the editorials that has also seen the light of the day long back around 10 12 years back when I was more profused with the pain now with the mic in the process I became a symbol of noise and myself has acknowledged and told secondly he has been able to drive home the fact that translation per se is not bad or not to be taken with a pinch of salt or with lot of reservations by the readers. He has demolished that mean people have accepted. So from the whole state is indebted to him for his scholarship and many of the things where as a vice president it has become part of the academic l of the state. So I don't want to go into those details it's already most of you know about this probably all of you know about this but this tussle is important. Today's problem is the tussle we see today on our smartphone is not between different isms. If it is different iss probably not tea probably coffee and we can discuss and we can say the soul of democracy li in discussion and dissent and India lives in its diversity and pluralism. and deliberately saying we are doing over coffee. I think the people will uh understand what I'm trying to say. Beyond that I don't want to go. It's an academic institution. I will remain within the remage or the four walls of an academic institution and the kind of rules we follow here which I respect very very profoundly. But uh when muscle becomes between truth and propaganda then it becomes difficult. Then it becomes our bounded duty to rehabilitate truth to reclaim those stories pertaining to truth and not allowing a phenomena called post truth a phenomena called rise of inorganic knowledge through AI and other bots which can ultimately jeopardize the millions of years of knowledge of the humanity just by clicking or tapping frantically on your phone or on the laptop. I think that is wrong. That is where reading comes into. That is where library kicks in and that is why the librarian like Rangalan he was born in Chennai probably died in Bangaluru worked mostly in banners in the university those five laws and all it has become [laughter] but it has sometimes it has become symbolic. I'm not saying you we pay but reading how to how to again make reading interesting enticing tantalizing for the youngsters that's that's a work the academics and professors and teachers and people who make noise like like us it is our duty to do it daily or if not daily twice a week otherwise the reading that has been fast going out from the lexicon or the grammar of today's life today's modern modern day life it becomes very very difficult translation not only translation I'm not talking about translation I'm talking about transcreation I'm not going to give you a lengthy example If you read the original, you will find the name of certain communities that we see in if I can use the term [clears throat] in the northern India, Bulima, Busan, all those things. But this is a work of transcreation. When Guru tells us that This is the beauty. This is the beauty of transcreation. This is one step above what probably Krishna after 450 or 470 years of concorded was trying to underly from the United Kingdom at that point of time. Till a tradition this tradition has stayed with us. Probably sometimes we have addressed it. Sometimes we are going away from it much to our difficulty much to our problem because when we lose the soul of a community then no accord then no decision by the government either in Delhi or in this is going to protect the race. It is I always feel reading having a sense of belongingness to your own culture, own literature without having any sort of bitterness towards anyone who is our neighbor or probably who is a distant neighbor and probably who is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. If we have this kind of habit which is possible through reading, I think this can be like well begun is half done. Why I saying so? Again himself tells intipra people misinterpret many things that for our norm of so we should not have any sort of animosity any sort of allergy towards others. You should be allergic to see many people in the country many people in the world are have become allergic to smile. We have started worshiping spinelessness in a very very blatant and flagrant way. whether I'm going to apart to that no because my education my reading and your education and your reading probably more prominently and more profoundly will not allow you also to fall prey to this particular attractment in which knowledge gathering through academic rigor which is established due to the efforts of thousands of academics all throughout the world from the time of Socrates onwards cannot be allowed not to be diluted, distracted, disturbed with impunity by someone so-called very very powerful in different parts and different geographies of the world. There there your role as an academic, as a professor, as someone who loves reading, someone who has embraced reading as a part of his or her life will walk in with you and will make a decisive qualitative powerful point which will ultimately not only inspire you, it will inspire your students, inspire your friends despite having occasional difference of opinion which we always can celebrate as because I fool and you also agree perhaps that soul of democracy lies in human discussion and dissent. The other day I was I was hearing I was there in the lecture given on last Saturday on 8th by justice bu one of [clears throat] the sitting Supreme Court judges uh who has shown that constitutional smile is very very important and it can be shown without making any extra point about making any brownie points within the remit of the constitution. ution within the rabbit under which the oath is taken and he has decided to disclose his duties as a Supreme Court judge many things can be said which can make many other people at the same position squinging on their seat and out of every that's the power of truth that is the power of truth which can dethrone postruth untruth and certain other truths which are really tweaking fiddling tinkering with the foundation that the truth and rationality and humanity have been so painstakingly built up by all our academics and seniors. You don't have the right to do that. And if you do that, you can't say that reading is my passion. Reading that means you read, you read only to make the point, the tussle between truth and propaganda. You try to make a point which will not be very very aminable to some sort of rational reasonable discussion democratic discussion in which you will never probably agree with the other person provided also the other person makes an empty uh rigorous point or a powerful point that's that's where the pro I am not going into many details but probably you are all must you I know you are many of you are much younger than me. Majority of you and all of you are smarter than me and much more intelligent than me only because the authorities of the universities and my young friend you have a beautiful smile. Keep smiling like this. I really like it. Smile is a metaphor. We have forgot how to smile. And see how lucky I am. I can see here. I can see the smile there. And I can also add invisible smile for you. I can see him that smile there also. So it's it's it's how lucky I am [clears throat] and that's the beauty of an educational institution. You know it suddenly reminds me of the job our people sometimes take themselves so seriously. So other people who they feel that we are being governed administered they do not want to take earnestly very very seriously. I'll just give you an example you know an example which is not going to make anyone embarrassed because it's a historical example and it's an example from 9,000 8,000 miles away when Ronald Reagan became the president of United States people were very very even the republic from the he was from the republican party people are not very happy he was not a very great actor of Hollywood before becoming president so people say many things like undervalued him duted this report and so great but the power of humor I'll just give you two example you know at in a meeting like this whenas the president of the United States was addressing about the economic condition of the country a young journalist who is in their 30s he was asking lot of probing questions and you know in US they ask questions by calling them Mr. president. So he was asking longterm questions and all and this man Ronald Reagan he see his sense of humor you may not agree with that but he has got tremendous sense of humor. What he tells young man how old are you? He says that Mr. President what is to do with my age? I'm a journalist I'm 35 what is the composition of your family? President asked him and I said what is to do with my composition of my family? Why you are asking me? Let me know about the fiscal deficit of United States of America from you. He said, "No, no, relax. There's a reason." No. So, it is three. Me, my wife, and my four year or 5 year old son. Does your son ask questions when you return home after a hard day's work? Maybe at night. Yes, Mr. President. He asked. And most of the time, what do you think? Most of the time I tell him, you will grow up. You will understand. presidents that means what what you mean is you grow big so don't worry the physical deficit of United States of America is too big it will take care of itself so don't worry about that so I'm not saying that people should dictate the importance but where human comes in he gave an instruction that I have left personal instruction with my personal security personal staff uh I have left instruction with my personal staff that they can wake me up even if I am in a cabinet meeting thereby I also doze off in cabinet meetings so I have left instruction with them. So this is the beauty you know GPS I always GBO is very important because Toltoy made a narrative and I feel GPS made a counter narrative and all of this are related to reading. Toltoy said he was he was somewhat critical about the young people's thought process. He said that during youth everyone thinks of changing the world. Nobody thinks of changing himself or herself. But JB on the other hand not as a counter to to story tall he tells in a different context that reasonable man tries to attach himself to the demand of the world. An unreasonable man tries to attack the world to his demands and whims and fancies and therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. So he was saluting he was complimenting the unreasonable man. Unreasonable man can be an academic can be a professor can be a teacher who believes in asking questions who despite being humble he will see ask questions politely but firmly. I think those things are very very important. uh another aspect of that uh about reading what I personally feel if we come back to Assam the rise of Ka in the 19th century the modern Assam consciousness how it started with another and how the background is inescapable you know 1836 Bangla was imposed in Assam by the imperialist British For 36 37 years Bangla we studied our forefathers limited school day study but before imposition of Bangla or Bengali language in Assam analy who died at the age of 29 with a very good job four or five children and did so much for the asame society for our fledgling modern Asamese language how to reinstate how to rehabilitate the language in this geography of India at that point of time. But see the background his father on very writes Aamunji in 1829 the year in which his son was born was born same year his father's book got published and that was written in Bangla before the imposition of Bengali language by the British 7 years before that. Point number one. Point number two. Many people feel that is the first English educated or the first person to be educated in English language or who knew English in Assam. No his uncle Jagura Karia was the first man educated in English. So now his father and his uncle fights where they do they fight do they fight in? No they fight in Bengal in different newspapers published from Bengal is very uncomfortable with the fact that British media banting due to the account of Raja Ram Roy and other things have been abolished. He's very uncomfortable. He's a member of Dharma very very obscurant just regressive if I can use the word and also the his brother own brother who used to stay in Kolkata do Brahma with some of the dos of Brahmo movements in Kolkata ate many things which I tell now or which I tell outside many other trolls should be coming the keyboard ginas will come and build that this is true sanaty they don't do and all those stuff and I don't care but I will not say here he many things which are not approved by the society and he fights for the si should go all these social ills should go and he says important thing that in Assam Hindu studies should be imposed so father is batting for Bengali [clears throat] kura who is English educate ated otherwise very progressive. He tells that we should learn Hindustani. It should be the language here that he writes in a newspaper in Bengal and their nephew and his son author of Fukar all throughout his life when he took leave for 14 days from Boreta comes back to Gojhati and gives that memorandum to ASA Makat Mills which is part of the report of MAT mails. This is a defining document published by Assam publication board. There you should read how reading has made that man so mature because he was only 27 28 1855 he passed away in 1859 24 25 already four or five uh children he has tremendous responsibility as a British officer fighting for the language and giving a narrative why as should be rehabilitated here. So this background has been reading because the background is differently and always when there is a I'll just give you an historical example when you have got an interest I'm not saying vested interest but probably a mildly vested interest when Mr. Provinson writes the first lesson is grammar. Provinson was the headmaster of the school where I studied at at that time it was known as Mojhati seminary and later on Christian as college in school. Robinson was the second headmaster and he writes the first grammar of Asim language and name was grammar of language. His interest was his intention was not to enrich the language. His intention was to help some traders who are coming from outside [clears throat] the white man so that they understand a smattering of Asamese and based on that word they can do business because he tells there that Asamese is subservient. It's an obstacle of a neighboring language that's bang is referring to. But proper reading can how make man truly truly be that to the legacy of knowledge is also an American Baptist missionary Mr. Natan Brown and M Bronson. Natan Brown writes probably in the year 1849 1846 we all know was published. He writes grammatical notices of asum language in which he say that as language is not an obstitute of any other language. It is independent enough to stand gloriously on its own feet. And that was a defining statement, defining sentence by I'm just paraphrasing it by Natan Brown when he writes about the grammatical notices of as language. And I'm happy to say recently when I went to USA they wanted me to talk only about this that how missionaries how they have helped how the Americans I was I was slightly worried when he came that at least I thought he will come any any time he would have to give me you can give me smiling don't worry I will I just take uh so I was telling about when I went to Texas in Sam Houston University I there's a program called coffee with a professor And I am no professor although bomb university has given me a epigenet of visiting professor beyond that I don't have anything but I spoke about this journey of American Baptist missionary and how they have enriched us because this is a fact of history and see the honesty and uprightness of my Bronson how when he spectacularly failed in their earlier and made mission of the whole uh room is like I am mentioning about United States and it has become United States in terms of there is no climate change here artificially the climate temperature has been brought down to such an extent that I have not been able to also make people warm and smile at me the way I want but anyway anyway good to see uh what I was trying to tell that uh see The uprightness of minds spectacular failure in terms of their original work of spreading Christianity in this brahabutra valley out and out failure and he writes after 30 years in front of India which is a newspaper published from Bengal saying that why we fail you know what he said it is because of what the people of Assam have been exposed to the egalitarian ethos of mahabru and one of them that's the word of mson in the friend of India that comes from back it is there in the people in the psyche in their thought process so we could not popularize propagate propound underly this Christian mission with which we came all the way from the United States of America. How we came reading, reading in an Indian culture, losing their family members, publishing the first newspaper, the journal Orunoi, and then trying to embody the factual, the real thing from this particular slice of geography we lovingly call assam how it has been enriched and how they have embided their heart and ultimately told about that. So there are many examples like this. There are many examples like I I remember that uh uh I I basically although I my interest is as history culture and sometimes English movies. So I remember having read about a particular actor and actress that their I don't know they say about chemistry and chemistry is the only subject I was so scared of when I was in college that because of probably chemistry Satan si keeps on lamenting that you are not there in my class having you studied in my class Dr. for certain surgery architeist saying that I would have made chemistry also popular to you. Why I was telling about chemistry that Hollywood actor and actress both of them people say that their chemistry is so good it has led to global warming it's an overstatement it's a hyperbolic overstatement but this kind of statements are also made so this is the importance of reading as I felt I feel and Mr. Bakiri is not producing now probably trying to lower the Oh, you are there you I I think you are trying to lower the temperature because you know it will be difficult to lower the tempo of the person who is speaking but I think he himself should lower this. See my father used to tell me that if you have no logic and rationality with you you speak because sometimes you raise your voice your reputation gets lower but somehow I have not been able to follow it. I want to make people hear what I say and that's what I do and I try to bring in little bit of fun and humor. You have to excuse me for that and uh I don't want to text anyone not to text anyone because now it is time and other stuff. This can be interpreted both ways. Bring a little bit of smile because I know I cannot add some knowledge to you. The layers of knowledge that you have gathered here in this wonderful university. Maybe this little discourse little speech may add somewhere for someone a little drop from the ocean. But if you keep your ears and eyes open and embrace reading to an extent possible, we cannot do reading like Bas does maybe at that point of time. But if you can make it a habit, it will give us instill in us some sort of pride and also to tackle things in a more balanced and effective way. I think that's the beauty of knowledge along with humility along with curiosity and questioning spirit many other things come here and tell us that breathing is important and with reading we evolve as a mankind we evolve individually and at this point of evolution I think our should stop evolving now as a speaker and I stopping here for you and thank you thank you once again the university authorities and all my friends Dr. Sharma joid and other Sanjepa not to speak of Dr. and then to speak our smiling friend and all of you keep smiling don't lose that smiling light thank you this can be a tribute to the I think patana will also smile and read and we can give a wonderful tribute on the national librarian thank you thank you so very