LITERATURE

In the 14^th century emerged Madhava Kandali, an extremely powerful and sensitive poet on whom was bestowed the patronage of the Barahi King Mahamanikya  Kandali rendered the Valmiki Ramayana into most graceful and elegant Assamese verse. It is interesting to note that of all the versions of Valmiki’s  great epic into other Indian languages, Madhava Kandali’s was the earliest.

But the most glorious period of Assamese literature was the 15^th and 16^th centuries, when rose to the fore two uncommon luminaries- Sankaradeva and Madhavadeva, both of whom are being considered Mahapurushas by the people.

Both being great Sanskrit scholars, Sankaradeva and Madhavadeva took Assamese language and literature to unprecedented heights of artistic excellence. What is more, the high spiritual and artistic ideals combined with a whole some sense of direction held aloft first by Sankaradeva and then by Madhavadeva, inspired a whole lot of creative writers, both during their lifetimes and after. As a result, Assamese Vaishnavite literature is exceptionally rich in volume, range and flavour. Literature of Shakta  affiliation as well as works on various secular subjects also equally developed through the centuries.

Apart from poetry of which Assamese literature possesses many real gems like the Kirtana-ghosha of Sankaradeva and the Namghosha of Madhavadeva, the two field in which it excels are drama and prose. The plays written by the two Mahapurushas are recognised as the earliest specimens of purely vernacular dramatic literature in the sub-continent.

As for prose, Assamese literature has a would-standing for at least one particular reason. It was as early as the sixteenth century that Vaikunthanath Bhattacharyya, more popularly known as Bhattadeva, rendered the Bhagavata and Gita into such mature prose that evoked spontaneous and unstinted admiration from the most enlightened quarters.

Historical literature is yet another wealth of Assam. This tradition of writing buranji, as history is called in Assamese, is the contribution of the Ahom dynasty. These are chronicles of royal courts and noble families first written in the Tai language and then in Assamese. Assamese buranji literature is unique in the whole of India not only because they contain invaluable historical material, but also because they represent an unmatched literary style.

Sir G. A. Grierson, the eminent scholar, commenting on this unique character of the buranji, said : “The Assamese are justly proud of their national literature. In no department have they been more successful than in a branch of study in which, India , as a rule is curiously deficient. The historical works of buranjis are numerous and voluminous. A knowledge of buranjis was an indispensable qualification for an Assamese gentleman.”

The history of modern Assamese literature begins with the merger of Assam with British India in 1826. The initial years were difficult, especially with the British making Bengali and not Assamese the language of the schools and courts from 1835 to 1871. This situation however was reversed and Assamese was restored to its rightful position, with the American Baptist Mission taking a lead role. The Mission also brought out the first Assamese newspaper, Orunodoi in 1846. The Mission’s efforts to promote Assamese literature was followed by the nationalistic zeal and single-minded devotion of literary stalwarts like Ananda Ram Dhekial Phukan, Lakshminath Bezbaroa, Padmanath Gohain Barual, Hem Chandra Goswami. Chandra Kanta Agarwala, and others.

The Asam Sahitya Sabha, the biggest literary body in Eastern India, is the organisation which plays the most important role in co-ordinating  efforts of the writers and bringing the masses closer to the written word. In fact the annual sessions of the Sabha are worth seeing going by the fact that they draw crowds in lakhs, thus proving the Sabha’s mass following.

The Bodo Sahitya Sabha on the other hand is a pioneer body in co-ordinating the activities of Bodo writers, Of late, the Asam Sahitya Sabha and the Bodo Sahitya Sabha have taken up joint programmes to encourage writers coming from the tribal Communities.