A photo of a combined Assamese and Bengali ‘Gamosa’ has gone viral on the internet after the recent Bengali Sahitya Sabha held in Assam. The event, which was organised by the newly-formed Literary Organisation – the Bengali Sahitya Sabha, aimed to build a bridge of harmony between the Barak and the Brahmaputra Valley. However, the combined gamosa has caused controversy, with some people finding it offensive.
The conference, which took place at the Hiteshwar Saikia Auditorium in Maligaon, Guwahati, was attended by delegates from both the Brahmaputra and Barak Valley. Education Minister Ranoj Pegu and Siladitya Deb were among the guests who were seen wearing the combined gamosa.
“I wish the Bangla Sahitya Sabha, Assam, a literary and cultural forum of the Bengali-speaking Assamese of the state, a bright future to build a bridge of harmony between Barak and the Brahmaputra Valley,” Pegu wrote.
However, the photo of the combined gamosa has caused controversy, with some people finding it offensive. In response to the controversy, Pegu told the media that the issue was unnecessary.
“Gamosa has its GI tag. No other state can claim it as their own. It was just an event where they honoured us with the gamosa,” Pegu said.
During the conference, portraits of Lakshminath Bezbaruah and Rabindranath Tagore were kept side-by-side as a sign of unity between the two communities. Despite the controversy, the event has been hailed as a step towards building harmony between the Barak and Brahmaputra Valley.
