Guwahati, Nov 19: The Assam Cabinet has approved the renaming of Karimganj district to Sribhoomi district, aiming to align the name with the history, culture, and linguistic heritage of the local population. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the decision during a press conference following the cabinet meeting.
“The new name, Sribhoomi, is inspired by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who referred to the region as Sribhoomi during his visit to Sylhet in 1919. Though Sylhet is now in Bangladesh, Karimganj shares its border with Sylhet, making the new name symbolically and geographically significant,” Sarma explained.
Sarma highlighted the importance of names that reflect the historical and linguistic identity of the region’s people. “In recent years, we have renamed several villages whose names did not represent the history, culture, or language of the local population. Some names were not even found in Assamese or Bengali dictionaries,” he noted.
He further clarified that the decision was not abrupt. “We have been working on it for the past several months. This initiative follows a broader effort in Assam to revisit and revise place names that do not align with the cultural and historical context of the area. It underscores the state’s endeavour to preserve and honour its cultural identity while fostering a sense of belonging among its people,” he said.
The renaming of Karimganj to Sribhoomi adds a historical and literary dimension to the district’s identity, connecting it to Tagore’s legacy and the shared cultural heritage of the region.
