Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly on Friday witnessed an intense exchange over ‘Asmita’ when Higher Education and Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj answered a question from Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Arun Sahoo regarding the meaning of the term.
In a written reply to Sahoo’s question, the Minister stated in the House that, as per the Odia dictionary, the word ‘Asmita’ conveys concepts of self-awareness, ‘I’ ness, and an understanding of one’s Unique existence.
This definition has been obtained from the Odia dictionary published by the Odisha Sahitya Akademi, under the purview of the Department of Odia Language, Literature, and Culture of the state government. The dictionary was first published in 2017 and re-issued in 2020.
Even after the Minister explained the meaning of the word in simple words, the BJD legislator expressed dissatisfaction. The explanation failed to fully address the question about the term’s deeper implications, he said.
Stating that he was unable to understand the interpretation, Sahoo said he will ask the question again and the word must be clarified further. “I have got answer to my question only partially. I have been waiting for the full answer of the term,” he said.
Responding to this, the Minister said, “We have given the reply on ‘asmita’ by quoting the dictionary which has been prepared under the purview of the government. It’s not possible for me to explain about ‘asmita’ in only pen and paper. Odia ‘asmita’ means to be in the feeling of Odia art, culture, language, tradition and development.”
