Assam to republish 'Hemkosh', 'Chandrakanta Abhidhan'; free copies for schools, colleges

Highlighting the cultural value of the two works, Sarma asserted that the books are not the intellectual property of any individual;

Update: 2025-06-28 10:24 GMT
Assam to republish Hemkosh, Chandrakanta Abhidhan; free copies for schools, colleges
The Hemkosh is the first dictionary of the Assamese language compiled by Hemchandra Baruah (AT Photo)
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Guwahati, June 28: The Assam government will republish the iconic Assamese dictionaries Hemkosh and Chandrakanta Abhidhan and distribute free copies to schools and colleges across the state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Saturday.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of a book launch event at Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati, the Chief Minister said the dictionaries would be published by the Assam Prakashan Parishad (Publication Board Assam), under a government initiative to promote Assamese language and literature among students.

“We have decided that Hemkosh and Chandrakanta Abhidhan will be published by Assam Prakashan Parishad. Our aim is to distribute one copy of each dictionary free of cost to every school, college, and educational institution in Assam,” Sarma said.

Highlighting the cultural value of the two works, Sarma asserted that they are not the intellectual property of any individual.

“Just like Kirtan Ghosha and Naam Ghosha have no copyright, Hemkosh also does not fall under copyright anymore. These books are the collective wealth of Assam. As per the law, copyright expires after a period of time,” he noted.

Compiled by Hemchandra Baruah in the early 20th century, Hemkosh is the first dictionary of the Assamese language.

Its first edition spanned 1,000 pages and included over 22,000 words. Over the decades, it has been updated and expanded significantly.

Notably, its Braille edition holds the distinction of being the largest Braille dictionary in the world, a record recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records.

The Chandrakanta Abhidhan, first published by the Asam Sahitya Sabha in 1933, is another important Assamese dictionary, featuring over 36,000 words.

A revised edition was released in 1987 by Gauhati University, edited by eminent scholars Maheswar Neog and Upendranath Goswami.

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