Jyotirmoy Talukdar

This Foundation Project implemented by IFA under Seminars seeks to hold long form conversations with poets, filmmakers, and digital content creators who work in Kamrupi, a non-standardised variant of Assamese language. These poets, filmmakers and creators use Kamrupi as an independent language or form of expression, without foregrounding its identity merely as a dialect. This is important because the language has historically been used in films and other forms of cultural and literary production largely for comic effect. The proposed seminar will bring some of the artists and creators together under a common umbrella as practitioners who have used, or continue to use, Kamrupi in their serious creative work. Jyotirmoy Talukdar is the Project coordinator for this project. 

Jyotirmoy Talukdar is an English Language Adviser to the Dean of Academic Affairs, Ashoka University. He is a regular contributor to publications in Assamese and English, such as The Wire, OPEN, The Hindu, and HuffPost India. His first book of translation was published in 2021. Given his experience, Jyotirmoy Talukdar is best placed to be the Project Coordinator of this Foundation Project of IFA. 

Assam is divided into three zones - the Upper, Lower and Middle (central) Assam. The easternmost regions of the Brahmaputra River is the Upper Assam, and the western plains are known as Lower Assam and the Middle Assam is the connecting zone between the two. Linguistically and culturally there has always been a tussle between Upper and Lower Assam, where the Assamese dialect spoken in Upper Assam, is considered as the standard and correct version and the multiple languages and dialects of lower Assam – Kamrupi, Goalpariya, and Bodo to name a few are considered lowly, incorrect and are marginalised. The speakers of these languages are perceived as ‘clowns’ or ‘philistines. Jyotirmoy’s project addresses this issue and looks at practices of certain filmmakers, poets, and content creators who produce works in Kamrupi language. He proposes to bring together poets, filmmakers, and digital content creators who engage with Kamrupi as an independent linguistic and creative form, rather than treating it merely as a dialect. This is significant because Kamrupi has historically been presented and used in films and other cultural productions largely for comic effect.

Over the years, artists and writers, especially poets, have attempted to challenge these hierarchies through their individual practices. By bringing poets, filmmakers, and digital creators together, the Seminar hopes to initiate meaningful conversations around language, creative practice, and representation. Jyotirmoy is planning a few informal gatherings leading up to the one-day Seminar with two panels. First panel would be with Kamrupi poets and the second panel would be with Kamrupi-Language filmmakers and content creators. 

The Project outcome will be a one-day seminar which aims to create a shared platform for practitioners who have used, or continue to use, Kamrupi in serious creative work. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will include documentation of the one-day seminar.

This project addresses the broad framework of IFA's Arts Practice programme in which it will create discourses around ‘practice’ in a marginalised language. It will also be a step towards awareness building, sensitisation and empowering a non-standard, culturally marginal dialect of Assamese. 

IFA will ensure that the implementation of this project happens in a timely manner and funds expended are accounted for. After the project is complete and all deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with Trustees.