Lakshminath Bezbarua

Lakshminath Bezbarua (, ; 14 October 1864 – 26 March 1938) was an Indian poet, essayist, novelist and playwright from Assam. Commonly known as the father of the Assamese short story, he was one of the literary stalwarts of the Jonaki era, the age of romanticism in Assamese literature. With his essays, plays, fiction, poetry and satires, he gave a new impetus to the then stagnating Assamese literary caravan.

He responded to the prevailing social environment through his satirical works to bring and sustain positive changes to the former. His literature reflected the deeper urges of the Assamese people.

Early life There is confusion regarding the date of birth of Bezbarua and also a story behind it as told by Bezbarua himself. In the first line of the first paragraph of the first chapter of his auto-biography Mür Jiwon Xü̃woron, Bezbarua confirms outright his inability to remember his exact date of birth that his parents used to tell him. But later when he grew young and required to put his date of birth for essential records, he invented a date for the purpose viz."1868 AD, November", but was born in 1864. He writes that he would like to offer this piece of information to anyone interested in knowing about his date of birth, although he is unsure whether that information would in any way affect the balance-sheet of anyone's life. In the next line he explicitly writes that approximately translates into "I am not convinced that on hearing, knowing or composing the news of my incarnation to destroy the "Annasur" (Food Devil) in that given year, perhaps two or four years earlier or later for that matter, the mankind shall be at any loss or profit or concede any damage."

In the very next paragraph, he went on describing in detail how and why the Bundle of Birth charts, kept religiously and secretly away from the kids by his parents, which contained his one he knew for certain during his childhood, was lost.

Bezbarua has however confirmed in his auto-biography that he was born in the autumn on a full-moon night, on which "Lakshmi Puja" (A Hindu festival of worship of Goddess Lakshmi) is celebrated in India, and to mark the coincidence, he was named by his parents as "Lakshminath" (A name for Vishnu, the Hindu God and husband of Goddess Lakshmi). This autumn-festival celebrated in the full-moon of Ashvin usually falls in the month of October in any year. As per a NASA website data, there was only one full-moon day in the month of November 1868 and that was on 30th but that was not the day of celebration of Lakshmi puja in that year. Presently, the Assam Sahitya Sabha has settled on a date – 14 October 1864, that was a full-moon night of Lakshmi Puja in India, for his date of birth.

Education

Bezbarua received his early education at Sivasagar Government High School at Sivasagar. Thereafter he studied for his F.A. from the City College and subsequently graduated with a B.A. from the General Assembly's Institution in Calcutta. Then he took his admission in M.A. and B.L. degrees from the University of Calcutta, but he couldn't complete either.

Business career Bezbarua resided with his parents in this house, located near Mandela Chowk, Sambalpur, Odisha, from 1878 to 1938. The Government of Odisha is planning to convert this house into a museum dedicated to his life and legacy. Bezbarua was offered the post of Munsif by the British Government while he was still a student of Law, but he declined the offer. A few years later, he met Bholanath Barua, the manager of the prominent Guwahati-based business firm Barua-Phukan Brothers. At that time, Bholanath Barua had left his business in Guwahati and moved to Calcutta for commercial pursuits. Lakshminath and Bholanath became close friends and initially started a timber business together in Calcutta. Later, after working for a year in the office of the Ward Company in Calcutta from 1916 to 1917, Bezbarua moved to Sambalpur in September 1917 to engage in the timber trade.

Bholanath Barua came to Calcutta with the intention of engaging in trade and became acquainted with the Calcutta timber merchant Kalikrishna Paramanik, with whom he established business relations. He built a house near Shobharam Basak Street. Around the time when his business began to prosper, Bholanath Barua met Lakshminath Bezbarua. After accumulating some capital, they started a timber business in a forest of Singhbhum district in 1894. They also acquired a residence at a place known as Guilkora in the area.

In subsequent years, large forest leases for timber operations came under the control of Bholanath Barua. In 1900, he obtained a large forest concession from the Maharaja of Rewa. To supervise work there, he brought Mahinarayan Bora. At the same time, Barua purchased a house in Howrah and established an office there. Lakshminath Bezbarua and Bishwanath Barua, the second son of Phatik Chandra Barua, were entrusted with managing that office.

After separating from Bholanath Barua, Bezbarua established an independent business by opening a store named Assam Bengal Stores. In 1912, however, Bholanath Barua invited Bezbarua to rejoin him, and the latter accepted. In 1914, when Bholanath Barua was hospitalized following a motor accident in Delhi, Bezbarua remained by his side. Meanwhile, the First World War had begun. The financial condition of businessmen such as Lakshminath Bezbarua deteriorated considerably. According to his autobiography, circumstances became so difficult that he had to sell old copies of The Statesman newspaper to cover household market expenses.

In 1916, Bezbarua joined Bird & Company in Calcutta. In 1917, on company duty, he moved with his family to Sambalpur in Odisha. Thereafter, he travelled extensively throughout Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha on company assignments. During his stay in Odisha, he developed a close friendship with the noted Assamese poet Jatindra Nath Duwara. At the time of Bholanath Barua's death in 1923, Bezbarua visited him at his deathbed. In 1924, he returned to Calcutta from Sambalpur. In the same year, he served as President of the Asam Sahitya Sabha. In 1928, he resigned from Bird & Company and established his own business in Sambalpur. However, owing to declining health, he left Sambalpur for Assam in 1938.

Thereafter, he continued to contribute extensively to every branch of Assamese literature, publishing in Jonaki as well as in virtually all major Assamese-language journals and newspapers of his time and the succeeding generations. In addition to editing Jonaki, he founded and edited the literary magazine Bãhi in 1909. It was through the pages of Bãhi that Bezbarua reached the height of his literary maturity. Besides Bãhi, he published his creative writings in numerous contemporary newspapers and magazines, including Setona, Jonmobhumi, Milon, Oxom Xahityo Xobha Potrika, Orun, Awahon, Bordoisila, No-Jün, Joyonti, Doinik Batori, and Oxom Bonti.

Although Lakshminath Bezbarua had been interested in literature since childhood, it was only after he moved to Calcutta for higher studies that he began to devote himself more seriously to literary activities. At that time, Calcutta was the centre of the Bengal Renaissance. Witnessing the remarkable rise of Bengali literature there inspired him to enrich the treasury of Assamese literature through his own literary endeavors. In this aspiration, he was encouraged and supported by fellow Assamese students in Calcutta, including Hemchandra Goswami and Chandrakumar Agarwala. It was through Jonaki, the magazine that they published with contributions from their own limited resources, that Bezbarua's literary genius found its fullest expression and development.

Short stories Lakshminath Bezbarua is widely regarded as the pioneer, and often the father, of the Assamese short story.

This collection contains a total of fifteen stories by Bezbarua.

Literary critic, scholar, and professor Amritjyoti Mahanta has commented on Bezbarua's short fiction as follows: "In many of Bezbarua's stories, readers encounter the author's sharp satire directed at the superficial tastes and hypocrisy that had become prevalent among sections of the Assamese middle class of his time. A notable example is the story 'Molok Guin Guin'. Similar satirical elements are also present in stories such as 'Nangaluchandra Das', 'Bhokendra Barua', and 'Amar Kaniya Xobhar Ek Odhibexon'."

Hridayananda Gogoi, editor of Bezbarua's collected stories, further observed:

Children's literature Digital artwork depicting "Silonir Jiyekor Xadhu" ("The Kite's Daughter"), one of the most popular folktales from Lakshminath Bezbarua's Burhi Aair Sadhu, by artist Bhargav Jyoti Budha Gohain. Lakshminath Bezbarua also collected and compiled numerous folktales suitable for children and young readers. The three collections of folktales published by him are Burhi Air Xadhu, Kokadeuta Aru Nati-Löra, and Junuka. Burhi Air Xadhu contains thirty-one tales, Kokadeuta Aru Nati-Löra contains twenty-nine, and Junuka contains ten. Burhi Air Xadhu remains equally popular to this day. The book was first published in October or November 1912. The folktales included in the volume had been collected by Bezbarua in written form from various individuals and were subsequently compiled and published under the title Burhi Air Xadhu ("Grandmother's Tales"). Bezbarua wrote the preface to the collection in 1911.

Referring to the feminist dimensions reflected in several stories of the collection, a critic has observed: "Several women-centered stories are included in Bezbarua's Burhi Air Xadhu. Among them are 'Mekurir Jiyekor Xadhu' ('The Cat's Daughter'), 'Ou-Kũwori', 'Tejimola', 'Silonir Jiyekor Xadhu' ('The Kite's Daughter'), 'Tula Aru Teja', 'Kata Jüwa Nak Kharoni Di Dhak', 'Panexoi', 'Lokhimi Tirüta', and 'Kansoni'. In these stories, one encounters characters such as mothers, aunts, daughters, co-wives, sisters-in-law, and mothers-in-law. A study of these characters provides valuable insight into the social structure of the period and the position and role of women within that society."

The 2016 Assamese horror-fantasy film Kothanodi, directed by Bhaskar Hazarika, is based on several popular folktales and characters from Bezbarua's Burhi Air Xadhu. The stories adapted in the film include Tejimola, Sompawoti, Ou-Kũwori, and Tawoir Xadhu.

Poems Lakshminath Bezbarua contributed poems regularly to the literary magazines Jünaki and Bãhi. His poetry encompassed a wide range of themes and styles, including patriotism, spirituality, humor, and lyrical reflection. Bezbarua also made significant contributions to the development of Assamese Romantic poetry.

His poetry collection Kodomkoli was published in 1913 and contains forty-eight poems. The distinguished Assamese scholar Dr. Maheswar Neog described Bezbarua's poems as works that could be “preserved in gold and silver bindings.” The poem Ö Mür Apünar Dex ("O My Endearing Country"), included in Kodomkoli, was later recognized as the state anthem of Assam.

In the preface to Kodomkoli, Bezbarua wrote:

Bezbarua's second collection of poetry, Podumkoli, was published posthumously in 1968 to commemorate the centenary of his birth. The volume contains twenty-eight poems.

Plays

Bezbarua made his debut as a dramatist through Jonaki. In the very first year of the magazine, he wrote and published the play Litikai (1894). In 1913, his plays Nümol, Pãsoni, and Sikorpoti-Nikorpoti were published. Two years later, in 1915, he published three historical dramas: Joymoti Kü̃wori, Chakradhwaj Singha, and Belimar.

Lakshminath Bezbarua's dramatic works may broadly be divided into two categories: comedies (or farces) and historical dramas. Litikai, Nümol, Pãsoni, and Shikorpoti-Nikorpoti belong to the former category. His historical dramas are Joymoti Kü̃wori, Chakradhwaj Singha, and Belimar.

In addition, Bezbarua wrote another play entitled Ho Jo Bo Ro Lo. This play was published in the eleventh issue of the second year of Bãhi magazine in Śaka 1853 (1931 CE). The drama consists of four scenes and is a plot-driven, situation-based play.

In the preface to Chakradhwaj Singha, published in 1915 (Saka 1837), Bezbarua wrote:

The noted literary critic Dr. Hiren Gohain commented on Chakradhwaj Singha as follows:

Novels Against the backdrop of the Dundiya rebellion, which took place toward the end of the eighteenth century, Bezbarua wrote the novel Podum Kũwori in 1891. The Dundiya rebellion was an uprising in Kamrup, a region administered by the Ahom kingdom through the office of the Borphukan. During the reign of Swargadew Suklingphaa, two brothers, Hardatta and Birodatta, initiated the rebellion. With the covert support of the rulers of Cooch Behar and Bijni, they organized a force composed of Kacharis, Punjabis, and Hindustani refugees. Declaring themselves independent, they succeeded in occupying much of North Guwahati. The novel was serialized throughout the third year of the magazine Jonaki, with installments appearing in every issue. However, it was not published in book form until 1905. The novel consists of fifteen chapters (sections).

Comedies and satires Lakshminath Bezbarua's contribution to Assamese comedy and satirical literature is exceptional. In particular, the fictional character Kripabar Barbarua, created by him, occupies a significant place in Assamese satire. The collections of humorous and satirical writings that Bezbarua published under the pseudonym Kripabar Barbarua are collectively known as Kripabari Sahitya ("Kripabarite Literature"). Some critics have compared the humor embodied in the character of Kripabar Barbarua to that of the world's greatest humorists. Assamese writer and literary scholar Benudhar Sharma regarded Bezbarua's social writings as among the finest examples of humorous prose in Assamese literature.

These works address a wide range of political, social, and cultural issues, including hypocrisy, women's emancipation, old-age marriage, superstition, blind imitation, and journalism. According to one critic,

Regarding the emergence of the character, Bezbarua wrote in his essay Kripabar Barua:

In 1904, a series of humorous and satirical pieces written by Bezbarua appeared in Jonaki under the title Kripabar Baruar Kakotor Tüpüla ("Kripabar Barua's Bundle of Papers"). In 1909, he published a volume entitled Kripabar Baruar Übhotoni. The writings collected in this volume had originally appeared in the magazines Jonaki and Uxa, published from Guwahati. Likewise, the humorous and satirical essays that Bezbarua published in Bãhi were later collected into the books Barbaruar Buloni and Kripabar Baruar Bhawor Burburoni. He also published essay collections entitled Barbaruar Sintar Xilguti, Barbaruar Xahityik Rohosyo, and Kripabar Baruar Xamoroni.

Bezbarua's humorous and satirical writings continue to attract considerable attention from readers and critics alike in the modern era. Praising his linguistic ingenuity and originality of expression, the critic Dr. Lilabati Saikia Borah wrote:

Biographies Lakshminath Bezbarua also made notable contributions to Assamese biographical literature. In 1909, he wrote Dangoriya Dinanath Bezbaruar Xonkhipto Jiwon Sorit, a biography of his father, Dinanath Bezbarua.

In 1911, Bezbarua published Sri Sri Xonkordew, a biographical work that documented the life, achievements, and literary and religious contributions of the Vaishnavite saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardev. Subsequently, in 1914, he published another biographical volume entitled Sri Sri Xonkordew Aru Sri Sri Madhowdew, which dealt with the lives and legacies of both Sankardev and his successor Madhavdev. Pragyasundari was the second daughter of Hemendranath Tagore, a granddaughter of Maharshi Debendranath Tagore and a niece of the Nobel laureate Bengali littérateur Rabindranath Tagore.

For some time after their marriage, Bezbarua lived with his close friend and business associate Bholanath Barua, while Pragyasundari remained at her parental home at Jorasanko Thakur Bari. In later years, the business ventures of Bezbarua and Bholanath Barua prospered, enabling Bezbarua to purchase a new house where he settled with his wife. Pragyasundari was the first to write a cookbook in Bengali named Amish O Niramish Ahar in three volumes which became immensely popular. She also used to edit a magazine named Punya.

In 1895, their first child, a daughter named Surabhi, was born. Tragically, she contracted diphtheria and died in 1900 at the age of five. Eighteen days after Surabhi's death, their second daughter, Aruna, was born. Their third child, Ratna, was born in 1903, followed by their fourth daughter, Deepika, in 1908. In later life, Dipika travelled to England and became a sannyasini. She returned to Assam only after the death of her father, Lakshminath Bezbarua. Pragyasundari and Laxminath's granddaughter, Rita Devi, was a famous Odissi dancer.

Death After spending the final years of his life in various places such as Sambalpur, Baroda, Bombay, and Nagpur, Bezbaroa returned to Assam on 18 August 1937. On 26 March 1938, Lakshminath Bezbaroa passed away at the residence of his middle daughter, Ratna, in Dibrugarh.

However, his middle daughter Ratna Barua recorded the date of his death as 27 March. She mentioned this information in Lakshminath Bezbarua, The Sahityarathi of Assam, published by Guwahati University in 1972. On the other hand, reliable information is lacking regarding who performed Bezbaroa's last rites and according to which funeral customs they were conducted.

Influence and legacy