Guwahati, April 25: The Chairman of the Pratidin Media Network of Assam, Jayanta Baruah, presented the first Braille dictionary in South-East Asia, ‘Hemkosh’, to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi.
The release of the Braille version was attended by academicians, educationists, and prominent personalities, including the Governor of Assam, Professor Jagdish Mukhi, and Assam Sahitya Sabha President Kuladhar Saikia.
Congratulations to Shri Jayanta Baruah and the Sadin-Pratidin group on Hemkosh Braille Dictionary creating a Guinness World Record as the world's largest bilingual braille dictionary. A proud moment for us all. pic.twitter.com/DMyouPEWgQ
— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) April 25, 2023
The ceremony was graced by the presence of Pandit Bhartendu Pandey, a visually impaired person himself, who spoke of the celebration that this release was for people who have gained their vision back through Braille.
He expressed his gratitude towards Jayanta Baruah for his immense contribution to the welfare of visually challenged people, saying that Hemkosh’s Braille version has given vision and light to them.
Pandey congratulated the entire team for their worthy cause and added that this endeavor would increase the parameter of Hemkosh, and visually challenged people can now enjoy its benefits.
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The Governor of Assam also launched the free distribution program of ‘Braille Hemkosh’ and handed over the inaugural chapter with five volumes to the Principal of Govt. Blind School, Basistha, Assam.
Jayanta Baruah, in his inaugural speech, said that the publication of the Braille version of ‘Hemkosh’ is one of his noble dreams for the welfare of language, the literary field, literature, culture, and society as a whole. He hoped that the dictionary would be helpful for all visually impaired children.
Hemkosh, the first Assamese language dictionary, was compiled by Late Hemchandra Baruah in the late 19th century and was published four years later after his demise. The subsequent editions of the dictionary were published by the next generations of his family.
The 15th edition of the ‘Hemkosh’ Dictionary has been compiled under the leadership of Jayanta Baruah and is currently under production.
Jayanta Baruah, the Chairman of Pratidin Media Network of Assam, conceptualized and published the Braille edition of Hemkosh.
This edition comprises approximately 10,000 pages across more than 15 volumes, with the first phase of the edition comprising chapters on “Swarabarna,” published in five volumes, and is ready for distribution.
The later phases (Vyanjanbarna) are also in the process of publication. This is the inauguration of the noble journey of publishing the entire Assamese dictionary in Braille.
Jayanta Baruah pledged to donate free copies of the dictionary to all educational institutions for visually impaired students, universities, state, and central libraries, as well as the national library. It is worth noting that ‘Hemkosh’ is the first etymological dictionary of the Assamese language and is bilingual, thus providing children with benefits in both English and Assamese languages.
This Braille version of Hemkosh is the first full language dictionary in Braille since Oxford, and its publication is a significant milestone in the promotion of literacy for the visually impaired in India. It is an essential contribution to the welfare of the language, literary field, literature, culture, and society as a whole.
