Assam is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of 78,438 km2 (30,285 sq mi). The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to the east; Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh to the south; and West Bengal to the west via the Siliguri Corridor, a 22-kilometre-wide (14 mi) strip of land that connects the state to the rest of India. Assamese and Boro are the official languages of Assam, while Bengali is an official language in the three districts of Barak Valley.
Bihu is a set of three important cultural festivals unique to the Indian state of Assam – 'Rongali' or 'Bohag Bihu' observed in April, 'Kongali' or 'Kati Bihu' observed in October or November, and 'Bhogali' or 'Magh Bihu' observed in January. The festivals present an admixture of Tibeto-Burman, Austroasiatic and Indo-Aryan traditions entwined so intricately that it is impossible to separate them—festivals which are uniquely Assamese to which all communities of Assam had contributed elements. The Rongali Bihu is the most important of the three, celebrating spring festival. The Bhogali Bihu or the Magh Bihu is a harvest festival, with community feasts. The Kongali Bihu or the Kati Bihu is the sombre, thrifty one reflecting a season of short supplies and is an animistic festival.
The folklore of India encompasses the folklore of the nation of India and the Indian subcontinent. India is an ethnically and religiously diverse country. Given this diversity, it is difficult to generalize the vast folklore of India as a unit.
The Bihu dance is an indigenous folk dance from the Indian state of Assam related to the Bihu festival and an important part of Assamese culture. Performed in a group, the Bihu dancers are usually young men and women, and the dancing style is characterized by brisk steps and rapid hand movements. The traditional costume of dancers is centered around the red color theme, signifying joy and vigour.
The Assam Rifles (AR) is a central paramilitary force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India. Its primary duty involves guarding the Indo-Myanmar border. The AR is one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Indian Army maintains its operational control. As a central police force, its recruitment, perks, promotions, and retirement policies are governed by CAPF rules. Approximately 80 percent of the officers are deputed from the Army, while the remaining are drawn from the AR cadre. The AR is commanded by the Director General of the Assam Rifles, appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Barua is a common Assamese surname. This term is different and not to be confused with the surname used by Bengali Buddhists from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Tripura, who also use Barua as surname.
Paul Olaf Bodding was a Norwegian missionary, linguist and folklorist.
Assamese literature is the entire corpus of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, documents and other writings in the Assamese language. It also includes the literary works in the older forms of the language during its evolution to the contemporary form and its cultural heritage and tradition. The literary heritage of the Assamese language can be traced back to the c. 9–10th century in the Charyapada, where the earliest elements of the language can be discerned.
Adhikari is a surname originating in the Indian subcontinent. Those having their surname as Adhikari are mainly found in Nepal and Indian states of Uttarakhand, West Bengal and also in fewer parts of Southern Bihar such as Bhagalpur, Purnea etc as these areas have a greater influence of Bengali culture and many Bengalis have settled in these areas. Among Bengali Brahmins Adhikary is one of the common surnames. Brahmin having their surname as Adhikary belongs to Kanyakubja Brahmins. Some Chaitanya panthi groups called "Bairagi" who give priestly services to some lower castes assume this surname. But in Nepal, Adhikari are of both Brahmin and Khatri Clan. The surname is also found among several groups including Bengalis, Biharis, Sinhalese, Marathis, Odias, Nepalese and Kumaonis. Adhikari is literally translated as Officer.
Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya was an Indian writer. He was one of the pioneers of modern Assamese literature. He was the first ever Assamese writer to receive the Jnanpith Award, which was awarded to him in the year 1979 for his novel Mrityunjay (Immortal), followed by Indira Goswami in 2001. He was also a recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award in Assamese in 1961 for his Assamese novel Iyaruingam, which is considered a masterpiece of Indian literature. In 2005, a translation of the work published by Katha Books with the title Love in the Time of Insurgency was released. Another famous novel written by Bhattacharya is Aai (Mother).
Jogesh Das was an Indian short-story writer and novelist from Assam. He was born in 1927. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book Prithivir Oxukh. He was also associated with many cultural organization including the Asom Sahitya Sabha.
Birinchi Kumar Barua was a folklorist, scholar, novelist, playwright, historian, linguist, educationist, administrator and eminent 20th century littérateur of Assam, with both scholarly and creative pursuits. He was the pioneer in the study of folklore in North East India, and was one of the many founders of Gauhati University. Barua's contributions to Assamese literature are significant, both as a novelist and as an early literary critic.
The Assam Bengal Railway (ABR) was one of the pioneering railway companies in British India. Headquartered in Chittagong, it functioned from 1892 to 1942.
Himanta Biswa Sarma is an Indian politician and lawyer serving as the 15th and current Chief Minister of Assam since 2021. A former member of the Indian National Congress, Sarma joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on 23 August 2015 and soon was made convenor of NEDA He is a five time Member of the Assam Legislative Assembly from Jalukbari, having been elected since 2001.
Burhi Aair Sadhu or Burhi Aai'r Xaadhu is a collection of stories or folklore, that have been compiled by famous Assamese author and poet Lakshminath Bezbaruah. It is one of the most popular texts in Assamese literature. This book was first published in October–November 1911. After the first publication 100 years have been passed and countless editions of the book have been published. This book is in now in the public domain as per copyright law of India.
Birendranath Datta was an Indian academician, linguist, author, researcher of folklore, singer, and lyricist. During his career, he worked mainly as a professor in a variety of Assam colleges. In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for Literature and Education, and in 2010 he received the Jagaddhatri-Harmohan Das Literary award. Datta was elected as the president of Asom Sahitya Sabha for the 2003 North Lakhimpur Session, and the 2004 Hojai Session.
Janice Pariat is an Indian poet and writer. She was born in Assam and grew up in Shillong, Meghalaya.
Badarpur Railway Station serves the Indian city of Badarpur in Assam. It belongs to Lumding railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway of India. It is located at Cachar district in the state of Assam. It is one of the oldest station of India built in 1898. The Station connects Badarpur to other regions of Barak Valley as well as many parts of India.
Arup Kumar Datta is an Indian writer and Journalist from Guwahati, Assam. He has written 18 books for adults and 17 adventure novels for young people. In 2014 he was awarded the Life Time Achievement Honour by Association of Writers and illustrators for Children, New Delhi, the Indian chapter of the International Board of Books for Young People. He has also won numerous awards including the Shankar's Award in 1979, conferred to mark The International Year of the Child. He has been awarded the civilian award Padma Shri by Government of India in 2018.
Champavati is an Assamese folk tale. It was first collected in the compilation of Assamese folklore titled Burhi Aair Sadhu, by poet Lakshminath Bezbaroa. According to scholar Praphulladatta Goswami, the tale is "current in North Lakhimpur".
