DERGAON, Aug 17 - Litterateur Atul Chandra Mahanta from Dergaon has received literary pension from the Government of Assam, which was declared on the eve of Independence Day.
A retired State government officer, Mahanta was born in 1948 at Kathbapu Satra of Molai Kumar Gaon in Missamara, 10 km from Dergaon town in Golaghat district. After schooling at Missamara, he passed his MA in Economics from Gauhati University in 1970. Starting his career as a sub-editor in Assamese daily Dainik Janambhumi, he later joined the Statistical Department and retired as subdivisional statistical officer in 2007.
His first translated novel Samay Adin Ahibo, from the novel On the Eve by Ivan Turgenev, was published in Assamese daily Ajir Asam from 1987 to 1990. Later the book was published in 2010. He has translated seven books, and has written 10 books on children�s literature.
Mahanta said he was happy with the recognition from the government. Regarding the start of his translation works, he said that during his career as sub-editor, he had to translate many news reports of freelancers and that made him think about such work.
He has now completed the translation of the third part of War and Peace and is also working on the novel Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy. He said that inclusion of his short story Ghar Chirika Charai in the book Asamiya Sahityar Nirbachita Suti Galpa published by Sahitya Akademi was a memorable achievement. He thanked his family, especially his wife Jyotimala Mahanta, for their support.
