Guwahati: In a heartwarming initiative, a youth from Assam has embarked on a mission to connect the global Assamese diaspora with their ancestral language. Recognising the importance of preserving the Assamese language and its heritage, particularly among those from the community who grew up in a foreign land and amid a culture different than theirs, Chiranjit Bordoloi of Guwahati has started teaching the language to hundreds of children born to Assamese parents in the United States.
An electrical Engineer by profession, Chiranjit has been offering free online Assamese language classes to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) eager to learn their mother tongue for several years. Chiranjit believes that the move not only helps the NRIs reconnect with their roots through their mother tongue but also makes them aware of the rich heritage and culture of Assam.
"I live in Michigan in the US with my wife Anjori and our two adorable children Rwixita and Rwixabh. I have been teaching Assamese to young children across North America every Sunday since 2018," said Bordoloi who has already taught 150 such children across North America.
Bardoloi, who was born and brought up in Assam's capital town Guwahati studied at Cotton Collegiate School, Cotton College and finally completed his Bachelor of Engineering (BE) from Assam Engineering College in Guwahati, has been living in the US since 2008. Bardoloi completed his MS in Electrical & Computer Engineering in 2012.
" I decided to launch OAKOKHO, the first Assamese Digital platform to learn and teach Assamese language using various interactive online apps," he said, adding that the response has been tremendous. He said the idea of OAKOKHO (which are the letters in the Assamese alphabet sounding 'a' 'aa' 'k' and 'Kh') started in the year 2014 in Michigan. "The number of children who used the digital platform increased every day," said Bordoloi, who has also been taking up the initiative as part of his hobby.
"I have already written and edited more than 50 digital flipbooks in Assamese so that the children of Assam origin can learn about the sadhu katha (the folk tales and folklores)," said Bordoloi who has also been associated with Assam's apex literary body, Asom Sahitya Sabha for a projects on folk tales of Assam.
