First Braille edition of Assamese dictionary launched

The Braille edition of Hemkosh, the Assamese dictionary, will be gifted free of cost to the visually challenged people of the state

Representational image | Photo Credit: V. Raju

The Braille edition of Hemkosh, the first etymological dictionary of the Assamese language, has been released by Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi.

Published by the Sadin-Pratidin group, this edition will be gifted free of cost to the visually challenged people of the state, a Raj Bhavan release said.

Hemkosh was first published in 1919 by Hem Chandra Baruwa.

The next generations of his family, who currently own the media conglomerate ‘Sadin-Pratidin’ group, came out with subsequent editions of the dictionary ever since.

Hope to improve quality of education

Speaking at the programme on Friday, the governor said, “This endeavour will increase the parameter of Hemkosh as from today onwards, the visually challenged people can also enjoy its benefits. I congratulate the entire team for this noble cause.”

He expressed hope that the lexicon would help in improving the quality of education of visually challenged students.

Hailing the efforts of Jayanta Barua, the proprietor of the Sadin-Pratidin group, Mr. Mukhi said, “All these years Hemkosh has been helpful in the uplift and progress of the Assamese language, and now the Braille dictionary will be a great help for the visually challenged.”

He also lauded the initiative of providing the Braille edition free of cost to the visually-challenged people of the state, the release said.