GUWAHATI, Oct 28 � �Keeping alive the memories of a person who contributed immensely and selflessly for the society and enriched it with his creations, must be a social responsibility and the onus must not lie alone on the family members.�
Remembering the seminal contributions of famous Indian writer and a torchbearer of the Assamese literature, Dr Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya, noted Assamese scholar and educationist Dr Nagen Saikia observed that neither the society nor the literary organisations have done anything significant to keep his memories alive for posterity.
As a distinguished speaker in a day-long symposium on the life and works of Dr Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya, organized by the Sahitya Akademi and Dr Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya Memorial Trust, Dr Saikia stressed the need of a book in English, properly evaluating his life and deeds.
Stressing that the society and organizations like the Asam Sahitya Sabha and Sahitya Akademi must be proactive in launching such initiatives, he said that introductory essays should be included in the textbooks about the inspiring lives of such personalities of Assam.
A former president of the Sahitya Akademi and Asam Sahitya Sabha, Dr Bhattacharyya was the first Assamese writer to receive the Jnanpith Award in 1979 for his novel Mrityunjoy. He also received the Sahitya Akademi Award in Assamese for his novel Iyaruingom, a widely acclaimed novel of Indian literature. Widely read novel Aai was also written by Dr Bhattacharyya.
Earlier, inaugurating the symposium, noted writer Dr Lakshmi Nandan Bora said that though the world remembers him as a novelist, Dr Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya was a multifaceted personality who composed poems, stories, novels and journalistic articles.
�With characters full of positivity, his novels were based on thorough research and correct representation of facts,� he added. Bora also laid stress on translating his works into English and taking it to the global audience through proper distribution channels.
�He had contributed immensely to the society as an editor of Ramdhenu. He inspired and exhorted upon many young writers. It was due to his efforts that the Assamese literature got good writers from different strata of society,� he added. He also lamented that Dr Bhattacharyya did not receive the necessary support and assistance towards the end of his life from those at the helm of affairs during that time.
Educationist Dr Shailen Bharali, while speaking as a distinguished guest, also highlighted the need to take up concrete measures for preserving and popularising the works of Dr Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya. The day-long symposium included various discussions on the topics like novels, humanism and short stories of Dr Bhattacharyya.
