From Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Jnanpith Award winning writer, an acclaimed expert on Ramayani literature and a former head of the department of Modern Indian Language in Delhi University, Dr Indira Raisom Goswami passed away at Guwahati Medical College Hospital here at around 7-45am on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. She was 69.
Popularly known as Mamoni Raisom Goswami among her fans and friends, the prolific novelist took a brave initiative in the year 2005 to bring the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to negotiation with Government of India as she wanted an end to the continuing violence and bloodshed in her home state. During that period her peace overture, Dr Goswami had acted as a bridge between the ULFA leadership and the PMO as well as the then national security adviser.
Assam government has declared three-day state mourning and a holiday on Wednesday in respect of the departed soul.
President Pratibha Devisingh Patil and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh were among the first who condoled her death.
Preferring to write under the pen name of Mamoni Raisom Goswami, she authored several novels, short stories collection and scholarly treatises that particularly focused on the sufferings and pain of people from varied backgrounds.
She was born on November 14, 1942 in a traditional Vaishnavite family who owned a ‘satra’ (monastery) at Amranga in South Kamrup.
Her path breaking novel, ‘Datal Hatir Une Khowa Howdah’ (The Moth Eaten Howdah of a Tusker) was later adapted into a national award-winning film ‘Adajya’, is considered a classic of modern Assamese literature and explores the plight of Assamese Brahmin widows and their exploitation by hypocritical and decadent custodians of power and customs.
Awarded the highest prize for literature in the country — the Jnanpith in 2000, Goswami was also honoured with International Tulsi Award from Florida University for her book Ramayana-Ganga to Brahmaputra.
Goswami had her early education at Pine Mount School in Shillong but was later shifted to the Tarini Charan Girls’ High School in Guwahati to enable her to acquire an education in Assamese language. Her first collection of short stories, Chinaki Morom – was published in 1962.