Publisher of braille edition of Assam's Hemkosh dictionary receives Guinness World Record certificate

The authorities of the Guinness World Records on Monday handed over a certificate to Jayanta Baruah, publisher of the braille version of Hemkosh, Assam's first etymological dictionary, acknowledging its inclusion in the coveted book as world's largest bilingual braille dictionary.

Rishi Nath, the official adjudicator for the Guinness World Records, handed over the certificate to Baruah at a function in Gauhati University. Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Assam information, social justice and empowerment minister Pijush Hazarika, Bhartendu Pandey, a professor of department of Sanskrit, Delhi University, besides many others attended the function.

In an email communication on April 24, the Guinness Book of World Records informed Hemkosh Prakashan, publisher of Hemkosh, headed by Baruah, about its inclusion as the world's largest bi-lingual braille dictionary.

Jayanta Baruah is the grandson of Hemchandra Baruah, eminent Assamese writer, who had first compiled the Hemkosh in the late 19th Century. The Assamese-English dictionary, however, was published four years after Hemchandra Baruah's death.

The 10,279-page braille version of the Hemkosh has 90,640 words printed in 21 volumes and in six parts. It weighs 80.800 Kilograms. It was released in September last year and a copy of which was also presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

Baruah, who also heads Pratidin Media Network, has also distributed the braille dictionary free of cost to educational institutions meant for the visually impaired persons in Assam, Gauhati University and Dibrugarh University.

Those who spoke at the function said the record would help promote Assamese language on the global stage. Baruah expressed his gratitude to all those associated with Hemkosh.

"This braille version of Hemkosh would be the first full language dictionary in braille, after Oxford," said a statement issued by Hemkosh Prakashan.