Need for proper documentation of Assamese Literary criticism stressed

Guwahati, Dec 27: “Literary criticism has remained a much-neglected area in Assam and there is an urgent need for proper assessment and documentation of criticism on the different genres of Assamese literature such as short story, novel, poetry, drama, etc.”

Educationist and critic Dr Ananda Bormudoi observed this while releasing a book titled, Asomiya Suti Galpa: Ek Parikrama written by Dr Prapti Thakur at the office of Purbayon Publication Panbazar yesterday.

“Assamese literature suffers from a real dearth of critical documentation, which has hindered the process of authentic assessment of our literary genres. We need more critical writings such as the one by Dr Prapti Thakur who has been doing a commendable job of critiquing Assamese short story over a long period of time,” he said.

Terming literary criticism as a thankless job which deters people from entering the domain, Dr Bormudoi said the world of criticism lacks glamour, and hence finds few takers.

“Assamese short story is comparable to the best in the world but dearth of critical works has come in the way of its proper assessment and recognition. Actually we need an exhaustive chronological record book on this. There should be a sustained focus on Assamese literature documentation and it should be a coordinated effort for different genres,” he said.

Short story writer Bonti Senchowa, in her address, lauded Dr Prapti Thakur’s painstaking and sustained efforts as an Assamese short story critic. “Short story critics are few and she will be an authority on her chosen field,” she added.

Writer Dr Anuradha Sarma, while stressing the need for a comprehensive chronological history for different literary genres, said that the task of the critic was tough, as the critic has to be mindful of the social perspectives of the given times.

The writer, Dr Prapti Thakur who is Principal of Sarupathar College, recalled her long association with short story from her childhood and how he started her critical writings over the Ramdhenu era short stories. Dr Amrit Kumar Upadhyay of Purbayan Prakashan said that Dr Thakur’s book would go a long way in addressing the shortage of critical works in Assamese.

Rebat Mahanta compered the session, which ended with a Zubeen Garg’s number rendered by Ashish Banik.