Guwahati, July 6: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday declared that peace and unity have laid the foundation for transforming the once-troubled Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) into a model of inclusive development.
Inaugurating ‘Bodoland Speaks: From Vision to Action’, a flagship initiative under the Bodoland Happiness Mission, Sarma made a landmark policy announcement: all official government notifications will henceforth be issued in the Bodo language across the 13 Bodo-inhabited districts. The move fulfils a long-pending demand of the All Bodo Students’ Union and affirms the linguistic and cultural identity of the Bodo people.
“The region has travelled a long road from insurgency to integration. From 1968 to 2020, BTR lived through unrest and fear. But in the last four years, I haven’t heard a single gunshot. That silence is the sound of peace,” Sarma said, crediting the 2020 Bodo Peace Accord as the pivotal turning point in the region’s history.
He lauded the Bodoland Happiness Mission for playing a key role in sustaining peace and rebuilding inter-community trust among the region’s 26 diverse ethnic groups.
Several key publications were launched during the programme:
- BTR Communication Bridge – a multilingual guidebook featuring 1,001 words and 1,001 sentences in 18 regional languages;
- Transforming Bodoland – a chronicle of the region’s development journey;
- Lookin’ Within: My Reflections – a personal account by BTC Chief Executive Member Pramod Boro;
- 2024–25 Annual Report of the Bodoland Happiness Mission.
Eighteen cultural stalwarts were honoured with the Bodoland Lifetime Achievers Award for their contributions to preserving the region’s folk heritage.
BTC Chief Executive Member Pramod Boro described the Bodoland Happiness Mission as more than a programme—calling it a vehicle to stop violence, foster unity, and ensure every community has both a voice and a future.
He underscored the strength of the region’s linguistic and cultural diversity. “With 26 communities and 18 languages—including eight that speak Assamese—we’ve published a book to help one community learn the language of another. It’s a small but vital step toward deeper understanding,” Boro said, also referencing the Vision Document released in December 2023 that outlines a roadmap for peace, equity, and growth.
Both Sarma and Boro called upon the people of Bodoland to embrace education, technology, and enterprise as tools for long-term prosperity—transforming peace into progress and positioning BTR as a beacon of innovation and inclusive development.
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