From Dr Buljit Buragohai
GUWAHATI :As part of the international webinar series on Different facets of Sankaradeva Studies, organized by Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva, Samudra Gupta Kashyap, State Information Commissioner, Assam delivered lecture on “Sankaradeva as a Pioneer of Mass communication” on 6th February, 2022. It was the third lecture in the series. It was moderated by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, author and scholar of Sankari culture, who is also President of Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva. Samudra Gupta Kashyap in his lecture gave elaborate details of different features of mass communication. Then he went on to explain how these features were present in the creations of Srimanta Sankaradeva. He said that the Namghar, the unique creation of the saint was the only institution which incorporated all the seven functions of mass communication. He said that the Bhaona was aimed at mass communication as it could be witnessed by large audience.
Even the songs and scriptures authored by the saint had definite message, which was a feature of mass communication. Moderator Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti gave an idea of the scale of operation by Srimanta Sankaradeva. He said that the first play by the saint was witnessed by ten thousand people, which was a huge gathering in the fifteenth century. He also said that the saint used instruments like books, songs, plays etc in addition to using social networking through his large number of disciples. Dr Borkakoti alluded to the function of the Sattra institution also in this context. There was interaction with the audience also. Dr Binoy K Bordoloi, President of Namghar Association of America, and musician Dilip Changkakoty from Guwahati gave their observations on the lecture. They appreciated Samudra Gupta Kashyap for highlighting the mass communication features of Eka Sarana Nama Dharma preached by the saint. Earlier Mridu Moucham Bora, Secretary of Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva, welcomed the resource person Samudra Gupta Kashyap. It may be noted that Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva is known for reviving Sankari crafts like manuscript painting and preparing Aharya of Ankiya Bhaona.
