Eminent Personalities of Assam 2

Naranarayan : Koch king Naranarayan’s real name was Malladev. The Koch kingdom reached its zenith during the reign of Naranarayan, mainly due to the efforts of his brother General Chilarai. Naranarayan patronized saints and scholars like Srimanta Sankardeva, Ram Saraswati, Puroshottam Bidyabagish and Pitambar Siddhanta Bidyabagish.

Nalinidhar Bhattacharya : A poet and literary critic who has won several honors like the Soviet Land Nehru award, Sahitya Academi award, Indian Language Parishad award, Chagganlal Jain award, Assam Valley Literary award etc. His published works include Aahat Sapun, Serasalir Malita, Noni Asane Gharat, Mohot Aitaijya, etc.

Nabin Chandra Bardoloi : b 1875 d 1936. Freedom fighter and politician, he also wrote several books like Anita Garibaldir Jiboni, Grihalakshmi, Krishna Leela, etc. He also translated three dramas of Shakespeare into Assamese. Popularly known as Karmabir and Asomor Mukutbihin Samrat. He was President of the Assam Association in 1915, Asom Chatra Sanmilan in 1925 and Kamrup Local Board from 1932 to 1935, besides being the Secretary of the Pandu session of the Congress in 1926.

Nalinibala Devi : b 1898 d 1977. Poet and writer, the daughter of Nabin Chandra Bardoloi and the best known female poet of her era, she wrote her first poem Pita when she was 10 years old. She won the Sahitya Academi award for her poetry book Alakananda in 1969. She was President of the Asom Sahitya Sabha in 1954. A Padmashri winner, her published works include Sandhiyar Sur, Sapunor Sur, Jugadevata, Parashmoni, etc. She also wrote children’s dramas like Mirabai, Prahlad, Parijotor Abhishek, an essay collection published as Santipath, a biography Smrititirtha and an autobiography Eri Ahaa Dinbur.

Nabakanta Barua : b 1926 d 2002. An eminent poet, novelist and writer of children’s books, he won the Sahitya Academi award, the Assam Valley Literary award, Padmabhusan and several other honors. He was President of the Asom Sahitya Sabha in 1990. His works include Kokadeutar Haar, Kopili Poriya Sadhu, Hey Aranya Hey Mahanagar, Mur Aru Prithivir, etc.

Neel Pawan Barua : A leading painter of Assam, he also dabbles in pottery, mask making and poetry. One of the founders of the Assam Fine Arts & Crafts Society, he also organised the first ever workshop on traditional mask making in 1982, contributing to its revival. He runs the art school Basundhara Kala Niketan. He is the son of Binanda Chandra Barua and his wife is the famous singer Dipali Barthakur.

Nibaran Bora : b 1920 d 2005. Firebrand socialist political leader and legal expert, he always fought for the rights and welfare of the indegenous people of Assam. He was an idealogue of the All Assam Students Union during the anti foreigner agitation. He was the founder chairman of the Purbanchaliya Loka Parishad. At one time he was very vocal in support of the ULFA and his own son rose to a high position in the outfit before being eliminated by the army.

Nirmalprabha Bordoloi : b 1933 d 2004. Poet, lyricist and novelist, she was President of the Assam Sahitya Sabha in 1991. Her published poetry books include Bon Foringor Rang, Dinor Pisot Din, Antarag, Devi, Siva, Surya, Sudirga Din Aru Raati,etc. She also has one published novel called Jalpadma. She won the Sahitya Academi Award in 1983.

Nirupama Borgohain : Litterateur. The estranged wife of Homen Borgohain, she is a Sahitya Academi winner for her book Abhijatri. Her other works include Sei Nodi Nirabdhi, Dinor Passot Din, Iparor Ghar Shiparor Ghar, Pallabir Prithivi, etc.

Nilamoni Phukan : b 1880 d 1978. Literrateur, poet and editor who was also a two time MLA. He was twice elected as the President of the Asom Sahitya Sabha, in 1944 and 1947. Popularly known as Baagmibor, he was founder editor of Dainik Batori. Awarded D Litt by the Gauhati University. His works include poetry books like Jyotikona, Amiya, Jinjiri, etc. and essay collections Jayatirtha, Chinatmoni, Mahapurushiya Dharma, etc.

Nilamoni Phukan : A poet who has won many awards and honors like the Sahitya Academi, Chaganlal Jain award, Assam Valley Literary award, Pamashri, etc. His works include Surya Henu Nami Ahe Ei Nodiyedi, Gulapi Jamur Lagna, Kobita,etc.

Nirod Choudhury : A journalist and author, he wrote the story for the film Chameli Memsaab that won two national awards and was remade in Hindi. He was editor of the Asom Bani and also wrote 38 books of short stories and 8 novels. His other works include Doom Dooma Doom Doome, Madhumati, etc.

Noni Borpujari : He is an artist of international reputation and his paintings have been exhibited in the USA, Canada, Spain, Seychelles, Bangladesh, Nepal, Poland and all across India. He is involved with the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra management and based at Gauhati.

Padmanath Gohain Barua : b 1871 d 1946. A litterateur he was the first President of the Asom Sahitya Sabha in 1917 and the first person to receive the literary pension in Assam. He was editor of Usha, Bijuli and Assam Bonti. His published works include Jurani, Phulor Saneki, Joymoti, Godadhar, Tetun Tamuli, Bhanumati, etc. He also received the Rai Bahadur title from the British.

Parbatiprasad Barua : b 1904 d 1964. Poet, lyricist and composer, he is one of the cultural icons of Assam. Although he made only one film Rupohi, it is considered a masterpiece. He is popularly known as Giti Kobi. His published works include Sunor Suleng, Bhoga Tukarir Sur, Lakhimi, Sukula Dawor, Khel Bhonga Khel, etc. His songs have been sung by some of the most popular singers of Assam.

Parveen Sultana : She is a famous classical singer. Married to Ustad Dilshad Khan of the Kirana Gharana, she has performed all over the world has been conferred the title of Cleopatra of music, Gandharva Kalanidhi, the Miyan Tansen Prize, the Sangeet Samraggi of the Assam Government, the Sangeet Natak Academy Award and the Padmashri.

Parbati Barua : She is the only female mahout the world has known, the elephant queen of Assam. She is the daughter of the late Rajah of Gauripur Prakitish Barua, popularly known as Lalji, niece of film maker and actor Pramathesh Barua and sister of late Protima Barua Pandey, the undisputed queen of Goalporiya Lokageet. She mastered the dangerous art of mela shikar from Lalji and lassoed her first wild elephant at 14. She now catches rogue elephants and trains them. She has been the subject of a book by Mark Shand and a BBC film entitled, what else, The Elephant Queen.

Phani Sharma : b 1910 d 1970. Dramatist, stage and film actor and director. Beginning as a stage actor, he appeared in the first Assamese film Joymoti in 1935. His father Molan Sarma was also a noted actor of Ban Theater. In 1930, Phani Sarma joined the Kohinoor Opera, the first mobile theatre group of Assam and in 1931, alongwith its owner Natyacharya Brajanath Sarma, introduced female actresses on the stage. He acted and directed the aclaimed movies Siraj and Piyoli Phukan. He also wrote the dramatic version of Siraj and performed it on stage. His other dramas are Bhugjora, Mayangor Bez, Rang Birang, Kiya, Kola Bazarote, etc. He is popularly known by the honorific Natyasurya.Piyoli Phukan : The son of Badan Borphukan redeemed his father’s act of betrayal by rebelling against British rule. While his father had invited the Burmese to invade Assam thus opening the door to foreign rule, Piyoli Phukan was hanged by the British for his heroic patriotism.

Prafulla Kumar Mahanta : As the president of the All Assam Students Union (AASU), he led the anti foreigner agitation, also called the Assam movement, from 1979 to 1985. After the Assam Accord of 1985, he formed the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) along with his AASU colleagues and after winning the elections, became the youngest Chief Minister of any state at the age of 33. He became the CM for a second term in 1996. He later got involved with huge corruption charges, extra marital liasons and allegations of involvement in secret killings and was dumped by the party he founded.

Pramathesh Barua : b 1903 d 1951. Pioneer film maker and actor, he was the son of Raja Prabhat Chandra Barua of the Gauripur royal family. He was an avid hunter in his youth. He was also a legislator of Assam . He learnt film making techniques from Europe and based himself at Kolkata. He produced, directed and acted in several silent films like Aparadhi, Bhagyalakshmi, Akada, Kamonar Agun, Takai Ki Na Hoi, etc. He also made several talkies like Ruplekha, Mohabbat Ki Aasu, Zindagi, Mukti, Manzil, Adhikar, Jabab, etc., but it was for his pioneering film Devdas that he is best known. He himself starred in the Bengali version and later made the super hit Hindi version with K.L.Saigal. The film catapulted Barua to the position of a top director besides establishing Saigal as the top-notch hero of Bollywood.
Pranab Barua :b 1935 d 2002. He was one of the greatest artists of Assam and created famous paintings like Pratikhya and Samasya. He held exhibitions all over India and was known as a peoples artist. He set up several schools and one of them is the Kallol Chritrangana at Nagaon. He won the Bishnu Rabha award in 2000.

Protima Barua Pandey : b 1935 d 2002. The undisputed queen of Goalporiya Lokageet was another illustrious member of the Gauripur royal family. She was a internationally recognized master of the folk genre and performed all over the world. She was a winner of the Sahitya Academi and Padmashri awards. She was popularly known as Hastir Kanya after one of her songs.

Prasannalal Choudhury : b 1898 d 1986. Popularly known as the Biddrohi Kobi, he was a poet and dramatist. His published works include Agnimantra, Saneki Kobita, Opeswari, Jatir Phul, etc. He was President of the Asom Sahtya Sabha in1978.

Premnarayan Dutta : b 1899 d 1965. A pioneer of the suspense genre in Assamese literature. He wrote the popular Pa-Fu and Rahasyor Rohghora series. Other works include Din Dokait, Niyotir Nirmali, Pranayor Suti, etc.

Radhagobinda Barua : b 1900 d 1977. Journalist, maverick and sports organizer, he was the founder of the newspapers The Assam Tribune, Asom Bani and Dainik Asom. He was a tea planter, contractor, banker, tea shop owner, opium dealer and an insurance agent at different times of his early life. He opened the first bank of Assam called the Imperial Bank. Next he opened the Barua Press in Dibrugarh and started publishing The Assam Tribune as a weekly. In 1946 he shifted the Barua press to Gauhati and started publishing The Assam Tribune as a daily. He was the first Mayor of the Gauhati Municipal Corporation. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Nehru stadium at Gauhati. He has been lionized with the honorific Singhapurush.

Raghunath Choudhury : b 1879 d 1969. Poet and litterateur known as Bihogi Kobi. Edited several pioneering magazines like Jayanti, Surabhi, Moina and Jonaki. He was president f the Asom Sahitya Sabha in 1936. His poetic works include Sadori, Keteki, Dohikotora, etc.
Rajnikanta Bordoloi : b 1967 d 1939. He is known as the king of the novel in Assamese literature and authored many short stories, dramas and text books. He wrote the first Assamese novel Mirijiyori. Other important novels include Manumoti, Danduwa Droh, Rangili and Rahdoi Ligiri. He was President of the Asom Sahitya Sabha in 1925.

Ranjit Sekhar Mushahary : Born in 1946, he became an IPS officer of the Kerala cadre in 1967. He was the first person from the Northeast to be appointed as the Director General of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Security Guards (NSG) the elite unit popularly known as the Black Cats. After retirement, he was the Chief Information Commissioner of Assam. He became the first person from the Bodo community to be appointed as Governor, when he was posted to Meghayala.

Ratnakanta Bardoloi : b 1897 d 1963. Known as the Sewali Kobi, he was a poet who wrote books like Sewali, Tarpan, Chandrahaar, Chitralekha, Our Script Question, etc.
Rebati Mohan Datta Choudhury : b 1923 d 2008. Writer, academic and journalist, he was popularly known as Shilabhadra. A master of the short story genre, he won the Sahitya Academi, Indian Language Parishad and Assam Valley Literary awards. He writings includes twenty three short story collections and seven novels. Some of his major works include Abichenna, Sheelabhadrar Kurita Galpa, Mezaz, Pratiksha, Madhupur Bohudur, Bastav, Kunu Khub Nai, Samudratir, Biswas Aru Anainya Galpa, Tarpan, Uttaran, Ahatguri, Anusandhan, etc. Several of his works have been translated into English and other Indian languages.

Robin Dey : b 1921 d 1980. He wrote under the pseudonym Rongmon and was the creator of the Daisyu Bhaskar series of suspense thrillers.

Robin Banerjee : 1908 d 2003. Wildlife lover, environmentalist, documentary film maker, painter and photographer who was born in West Bengal but settled down at Golaghat after falling in love with the wildlife of Assam and Kaziranga in particular. He made 32 documentaries and won several international awards. His first documentary unravelled Kaziranga to the western world. His house is a museum of natural history and is called Uncle Robin’s Museum.

Ronbong Terang : A writer, academic and Padmashri winner from the Karbi community. He authored the award-winning novel Rongmilir Hanhi and several other books like Samannay Prabah, Neela Arkid (a collection of three novels), Bon Pharingor Geet, Karbi Bhasar Sahaj Path and Ne Lun Ne Lamthe. His Karbi Lamtasam, a Karbi-English-Assamese dictionary published in 1974, is a seminal guide to the language. A professor, he has also won the Bishnu Rabha award.

Rudra Singha : One of the greatest of the Ahom kings, he undertook many works for the welfare of the public. He was the son of Godadhar Singha and shifted the Ahom capital to Rongpur. He created several new administrative posts like Khaund, Kotoky, Bairagi, etc.
Rudra Barua : b 1926 d 1980. He was popular singer, musician, actor, lyricist and writer popularly known as the Kolongporia Geetikar and Luit Konwar. He is considered to be a pioneer of music direction in Assam and writer of numerous popular folk songs.

Rupnath Brahma : b 1902 d 1968. He was Bodo political leader and litterateur. He was one of the first tribal ministers in Assam. He was elected as a Member of Parliament. He contributed tremendously to the development of the Bodo language and literature and was equally adept at prose and poetry.

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