DHUBRI — The Lions Club of Dhubri has inaugurated a new, state-of-the-art eye hospital unit, the “Greater Lions Vision Center,” at its Tetultola premises in Ward No. 2, in a collaborative effort with the Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital. While the facility is being hailed as a much-needed boost to healthcare in the region, its inauguration on Sunday has ignited a debate over linguistic and cultural sensitivities after the Assamese language was conspicuously absent from the ceremony.
The event, which saw the presence of numerous community leaders and Lions Club members, featured banners and speeches exclusively in Hindi, English, and Bengali. The noticeable omission of Assamese, the official language of Assam, has not gone down well with several sections of the public. Attendees expressed disappointment, viewing the oversight as a sign of disregard for the state’s linguistic and cultural identity.
Further compounding the issue, the ceremony was conducted in Bengali by a club representative who is a native Hindi speaker. This has only intensified the criticism, with many feeling a sense of linguistic exclusion. “While we deeply appreciate the charitable work, it is disheartening to see a prominent organisation in Assam ignore the state’s official language during a public event,” remarked an attendee, highlighting the need for cultural respect to go hand-in-hand with social service.
The new Greater Lions Vision Center is undoubtedly a critical healthcare addition, set to provide essential eye care services to the people of Dhubri and its surrounding areas. The Lions Club of Dhubri has a well-established history of public service, and this new unit is a testament to its ongoing commitment to community welfare. However, the controversy surrounding the language choice has cast an unexpected shadow over what was otherwise a celebratory occasion. As of the time of filing this report, the Lions Club of Dhubri has not released any official statement addressing the criticism.
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