Rise of Bodo Literature

(A Scene of Book Inauguration by Bodo Sahitya Sabha--Photographer Apurbo Ray (Guest Photographer)

History:Though they were more interested in the Bodo language and its native speakers , they laid a base for the written Bodo literature. ‘The Missionaries’,says Prof.Madhu Boro, ‘discovered the Boro writing systems and gave a form of writing this language in modified and simplified Roman Scripts’. It was they who studied and prepared the outlines of Bodo Grammar and started publication of Bodo Text-books(Primers)in that language to acquint the Bodos with the message of Christianity and doctrines through the language of their own. They published a Bodo Magazine called ‘Phungni Hathotkhi’ in 1949 from Gaurang Boro Mission,Haltugaon. ‘They collected’, to quote prof.Boro again,’materials from Boro folk-literature,prepared some text-books including language readers,translated some religious books including the Bible, Psalms,Hymns etc’.

‘A Collection of Kachari Folk-tales and Rhymes’(1895) which laid the foundation of Bodo literature.There is a tendency to regard Rev.Sidney Endle as the pioneer of Bodo literature.His book ‘An Outline Grammar of Kachari(Bara) Language ’that appeared in 1884 is considered as the earliest work on Bodo language.But we should not forget B.H.Hodgson who wrote ‘Miscellaneous essays relating to the Indian Subjects’s book in 1884.His essays dated June,4,1846,besides other things dwelt on Bodo language, culture and religion.It was he who first used the term ‘Bodo’and since then the word ‘Bodo’ got currency to mean the Bodo language and its speakers.He mentioned as many as 1800 Bodo words including loan safely be said that it was Hodgson , not Endle who prepared the base for Bodo language and literature.Other important works of Missionary writers are-(1)The Kacharies (1911) (2) A short Grammar of the Mech or Boro Language(1889) (3) Grammar and Dictionary of Kachari Language,1904(4) Boro Grammar(1959)

Words by M.R.Lahary

Collected form “Souvenir of the thirty-first annual session of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha held at Basugaon,1992”