GUWAHATI, Nov 12 - Eminent linguist, folklorist and educationist Dr Pramod Chandra Bhattacharya passed away at a local nursing home around 4:40 this morning. He was 93 and had been ailing for some time.
Dr Bhattacharya is credited with pioneering research work on the Bodo language and is revered as a symbol of Assamese-Bodo solidarity.
Born at Digheli village in Nalbari district to Sankar Chandra Bhattacharya and Parvati Devi on February 16, 1925, Dr Bhattacharya passed his Matriculation from Gurdon School, Nalbari in 1943, securing a scholarship from the Assam government. He passed his Intermediate (Arts) from B Borooah College in 1945 before doing his BA with distinction marks from Cotton College in 1948. He obtained his MA in Assamese from Gauhati University in 1950.
He underwent three training sessions in linguistics in the School of Linguistics, Deccan College, Pune, during 1954-60 and later in the Winter School of Linguistics, Agra University in 1960. He got his doctorate from Gauhati University in 1965 for the research thesis �A Descriptive Analysis of the Boro Language�.
He joined B Borooah College as a lecturer in Assamese in 1951 and became the head of department in 1960. He became the college principal in 1964 and remained so till his retirement in 1986. He guided a number of research scholars in Gauhati University from 1979 onwards.
His published works (English) include A Descriptive Analysis of the Boro Language (1977), Boro Folksongs and Tales (1957), and This is Assam (1958) which he co-authored with Prof BN Shastri.
His Assamese works include Asamor Loka Utsav (1969), Asamor Janajati (1962), Sora Phul (anthology of poems, 1997), Kuwalir Are Are (poetical treatise, 1998), Pratinidhi Bhasa-Nivandha (selection of essays on languages, 1999), Sankaracharya (translated from English, 1989), Boro-Asamiya Abhidhan (edited jointly with the late Bhaben Narzi, 2003), and Aspects of North East Indian Languages (2003), besides over 20 booklets on various topics of literature and linguistics.
He was a life member of Asam Sahitya Sabha and life member of Linguistic Society of India, Deccan College, Pune, since 1962, besides being the founder secretary of the Folklore Society of Assam and the Linguistic Society of Assam. He was also the secretary of the Assam College Principals Council and the North Eastern Language Society.
He attended several international conferences in London, Paris, The Netherlands, etc., besides across the country.
He was a recipient of the Lila Gogoi Memorial Award of Asam Sahitya Sabha and the Kamrupa Ratna honour.
People in large numbers visited his Navagiri Road, Chandmari residence since morning following the news of his death. Condolences also poured in from various quarters, including Governor Prof Jagadish Mukhi, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Asam Sahitya Sabha, All Assam Students Union, Save Guwahati Build Guwahati, Publication Board Assam, etc.