GUWAHATI, Nov 14 - �A courageous writer, Mamoni Raisom Goswami brought to the fore some of the lesser delved issues of the society. A multidimensional personality, writer, Ramayani scholar and social activist, she deeply loved Assam and thus its problems moved her to the extent that she also got actively involved with the militancy issue.�
Poet, critic and former DGP of Assam Harekrishna Deka said this while highlighting different facets of Dr Goswami on the occasion of the 74th birth anniversary of the renowned writer, researcher and Jnanpith Award winner today. He was speaking in a programme organised by the South East Asia Ramayana Research Centre to celebrate the occasion at Rabindra Bhawan.
�She was not a feminist, but raised women�s issues strongly wherever required,� he added.
Sabita Sarma, working president of the centre, said that the centre has been working towards preserving and promoting the writings of Dr Goswami and many of her books are being translated into languages other than Assamese, including Telugu, Oriya, English, etc. She also proposed to name the road leading to Dr Goswami�s house in New Sarania, Guwahati, after her and install a bust of Dr Goswami in the city.
Ramayan: From Ganga To Brahmaputra, the massive research work of Dr Mamoni Raisom Goswami translated into Assamese from the original English by senior journalist Partha Pratim Hazarika, was released by eminent researcher Dr Govinda Prasad Sarma on the occasion.
The book is a comparative study of the Ram Charit Manas by Goswami Tulsidas and Xaptakanda Ramayan by the 14th century author of Assam, Madhav Kandali.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Govinda Prasad Sarma said that the book written by Mamoni Raisom Goswami was a powerful tool to understand the Ramayana tradition in this part of the country as it deals extensively with Madhab Kandali�s Ramayana, a pioneer work among any of the Aryan languages.
The book with painstakingly done research has been translated with equal care and caution, keeping intact its true spirit. At the same time, the lucid writing of the book, Ramayana; Gangar Pora Brahmaputraloi will make it intelligible to every common Assamese reader.
Partha Pratim Hazarika, while sharing his experience of translating the book, said that though the book was an extensive research work, he has taken some liberty while translating it to cater to the common book readers. �It contains around 150 photographs of the original book and other than Tulsidas and Madhab Kandali, it also highlights the Ramayana tradition in many other parts of the globe,� he added. The programme was followed by a cultural evening.
