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 additional official language in the Barak Valley.
Bhabendra Nath Saikia was a novelist, short-story writer, editor and film director from Assam, India. Dr. Saikia received his doctorate in physics from the University of London. He began his career as a reader in the Department of Physics, University of Guwahati. He later played an important role in the publication of college level textbooks in the Assamese language during his tenure as the Secretary of the Co-ordination Committee for production of textbooks in regional languages.
The Board of Secondary Education, Assam commonly known as SEBA, is the state education regulatory board under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Education, Government of Assam for conducting examinations and providing assurance for the quality of education imparted in schools within Assam, India that are affiliated to it. It offers education in English (IL), Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Hindi, Meitei (Manipuri), Hmar, Nepali, Mizo, Khasi, Garo, Karbi and Urdu languages.
Homen Borgohain was an Assamese author and journalist. He was awarded the 1978 Sahitya Akademi Award in Assamese language for his novel Pita Putra. He was also the President of Assam Sahitya Sabha from 2001 to 2002.
Prof Bhabananda Deka was a pioneer Assam economist and author who conducted novel research on the economy of the far eastern part of India. He was also a leading Indian-Assamese litterateur of the famed 'Awahon-Ramdhenu Era' of Assamese literature during the mid-20th century. He was the author of a total of 115 English and Assamese books including textbooks on a range of fifteen subjects including economics, ancient Assamese literature, philosophy, education, religion, mythology, archaeology, tribal study, poetry, drama, memoirs, civics, political science, biographies; he also edited books and journals. He also authored a variety of research papers and articles about the state of Assam, a state in the north-eastern part of India. He pioneered the writing of books on Economics in Assamese. His Assamese book Axomor Arthaneeti was the first ever research-based comprehensive book on Assam Economics, which was published for the first time in 1963. He was conferred with the honorary title of 'Asom Ratna' -- 'Jewel of Assam' by the intellectuals of Assam on 19 August 2007 at a public meet held under the presidency of Prof. (Dr) Satyendra Narayan Goswami.
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.
Nilmani Phookan was an Indian poet in the Assamese language and an academic. His work, replete with symbolism, is inspired by French symbolism and is representative of the genre in Assamese poetry. His notable works include Surya Henu Nami Ahe Ei Nodiyedi, Gulapi Jamur Lagna, and Kobita.
Gauri Shankar Kalita was an Indian journalist.
Saurabh Kumar Chaliha is the pen name of a famous Assamese short story writer. His real name was Surendra Nath Medhi. His short story collection Ghulam won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1974. Chaliha did not go to receive the award himself and it was later sent to him by the Akademi.
Rai Bahadur Surya Kumar Bhuyan MBE (1892–1964) was a writer, historian, educator, social activist, storyteller, essayist, professor and a poet from Assam. He has written many books on ancient history, stories, essays, biographies, etc. in the world of Assamese literature. He presided over the Asam Sahitya Sabha (1953) held at Shillong. He was the elected member of Rajya Sabha during 1952–53, and was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1956.
Bhaben Barua is an Assamese poet born in 1939.
Pratidin Time is a 24-hour Assamese news channel. The programs of the channel include various infotainment, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, showbiz, fashion, and education.
Satish Chandra Kakati was an Indian journalist, writer, the editor of The Assam Tribune, an Assam based English-language daily, and one of the founders of Assam Bani, a vernacular weekly started in 1955 by The Assam Tribune group. He was the vice president of the Editors' Guild of India and authored seven books in Assamese and English. A 2005 recipient of the Kanaklata Barua and Mukunda Kakati Memorial Award, Kakati was awarded the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1991.
Arup Kumar Dutta 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.
Dhirendra Nath Bezboruah is an Indian journalist, writer and the founder editor of The Sentinel, a Guwahati-based English language daily. Born in 1933 in the Jorhat district of the northeast Indian state of Assam, he started his career as a lecturer, after completing his post graduate studies at Reading University, UK. When The Sentinel daily was established in 1983, he was selected as the founder editor, a post he held for a number of years. He was associated with the Media Trust, Assam and was the working president of its celebration committee in 1992. The many books he has published from Assamese into English includes The Cavern and Other Stories, a short story anthology written by Bhabendra Nath Saikia. He received the B. D. Goenka Award for Journalism in 1997 and the Nachiketa Samman of Panchjanya weekly in 2001. He is also recipient of Katha Award for translation. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2016, for his contributions to literature.
The Assamese Language Movement refers to a series of political activities demanding the recognition of the Assamese Language as the only sole official language and medium of instruction in the educational institutions of Assam, India.
Amarjyoti Choudhury is an Indian educationist, scientist, actor, reciter, playwright, poet, novelist, orator and editor. He is a former Vice-Chancellor of Gauhati University and a former Pro-vice-chancellor of Tezpur University. After superannuation from Tezpur University, he occupied the CV Raman Chair of Applied Physics and later that of Vice-chancellor of University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya. He was also the Vice-Chancellor of Assam down town University from 1 December 2017 to 31 August 2020. Now, he is the editor of renowned Assamese daily Dainik Asam.
Apurba Sarma is a National Award-winning film critic and a Sahitya Akademi winning author from Halem, Sonitpur district, Assam. He is one of the brothers of Arun Sarma who is also a Sahitya Academy Award winning author. He did his Masters in Economics at Gauhati University (1965). And later worked as a staff reporter at The Assam Tribune (1965–1967), as lecturer in economics at Nowgong Girls College (1967–1997), as principal, Nowgong Girls College (1997–2002), and as editor of Ajir Asom, an Assamese daily published by The Sentinel (Guwahati). He is presently the founder-president of Xahitya Mancha Asom, a Guwahati-based society of writers and fans of Assamese literature.
Surjya Kanta Hazarika is an Assamese litterateur, an eminent scholar, author, publisher, playwright, lyricist, composer, cultural activist, feature film and documentary maker, social worker and philanthropist. Hazarika is a recipient of the Padma Shri Award in 2008 for his contribution to Literature & Education. He is the current president of Asam Sahitya Sabha.
