By Parthajit Borah
Hemchandra, Gunabhiram and his companions built the foundation of great Assamese literature and a gang of young educated Assamese came forward to build the literary temple on it.
Though the Bengali language was abolished from schools and courts the influence of Bengalis had not been seen reducing and the soulful endeavour to uplift this language was continued. Therefore, these educated youths worked hard to enrich the Assamese literature and make aware of the race to unharm the “Assameseness” among the common masses.
Most of these youths received higher education from the rich educational institute of Kolkata, which was the revolutionary centre of the time.
In 1872, Kolkata-based Assamese students formed “Assamese Literature Society”. Due to lack of popularity of the society they renamed the society as the ‘Asomia Bhasa Unnati Sadhani Sabha in 1888. With a view to publish a ‘manifesto’ with the keen financial help of Chandra Kumar Agarwala, the Unnati Sadhani Sabha began to publish the ‘Junaki’ journal in the year 1889.
It was the epoch making era of Assamese literature . It has been merely activated almost one decade as the sentinel of Assamese literature and culture since 1888. The contribution of Rama Kanta Dewri was immense and paramount among all the permanent members of the society. They enthusiastically formed a smooth symposium in the name of Asomia Bhasa Unnati Sadhani Sabha in 1888 in Kolkata.
It strived much uplift various corners of Assamese literature, such as the publication of new books and preservation of ancient books, the regulation of Assamese language all the schools of the province, avoidance of using incorrect grammar and syntax and imparting absolute forms of language, interpretation f books for rich Sanskrita and other sublime languages, the assimilation of social and religious principl of Assam and implementation of ancient history, the another objectives were to resolve the scarcity and crisis of both textual and literary books.
In 1889, the ‘Junaki’ a journal was monthly published as the grand manifesto of the Unnati Sadhani Sabha in order to flourish the above prime objectives of the society.
These journals emerged as the Radiating Centre of the Assamese educated youths. Many pioneers among them were Lakshminath Bezbaroua, Chandra Kumar Agarwala, Hem Chandra Goswami, Padmanath Gohain Baruah, Satyanath Bora and Kanaklal Barua etc.Chandra kumar Agarwala was the first editor of “the Junaki”.
The Junaki bridges eastern and western literature in the form of mélange. They determined to create literary rainbow with drawing living inspiration of the English literature among the other European languages.
With the literary mingling of the English language, innumerable writings like ‘Litikai’, ‘Prohasan’, ‘Padum kuwori’, ‘Lahori’, ‘Bhromranga’, ‘Kripabor Barua’, various poems, critical writings were seen vigorously emerged in the string of the Assamese literature.
The patronisers of the Junaki percolated the English Romantic ideology into the Assamese literature.
The explicit reason behind the beginning of the Assamese Romantic movement didn’t come into light as like as in the English Romanticism in the later period of 18th century. But this Romantic ideology was firmly established by not harming the originality of language and its entity.
The silvery impact of the English Romanticism became prominent in the aspects of immense individuality, love of nature, great attitude towards simple species, reverence for the past and fancy dreams of the future etc. Moreover, other literary oeuvre of the English Romanticism peeped in the Assamese literature such as redemption from salvation, worshipping of love and aesthetic beauty, intellectual striving for the mystery of life, etc. These literary genres were not only abundant in the writings of the patronisers of the Junaki era but it wistfully continued till the beginning of World War I.
Lakshminath Bezbaroua was the most promising poet of the era. He was the bard of this epoch making era. His various romantic verses established the form of “Ballads” in the Assamese poetry such as “Dhonbor Rotoni”, “Malati”, “Nimati Kanya” etc. Some of his poems independently spewed the manners of aesthetic beauty and love regardless of folk and ancient indigenous forms. Bezbaroua viewed that love is the beauty of the earth.
“Earth revolves in love, lotus blossom in love,”
(Premot Ghurise Bhumondol/Premot phulise Satodol)
He drew poetic inspiration from the great poets Shelley, and Wordsworth. But he put much emphasis to play the original flute of symphony in applying great poetic devices. He sang the song of intrinsic love and its triumph by climbing the hill of sexual arousal of the English poems. The other two remarkable rhythms of Bezbarou’s poetry was love of the nation and love of its people. He wove his poetic facilities through driving the literary gusto of Shelley, Campion, Herrick, Burns, Wordsworth and manifested the invincible poetic fort in the Assamese poetry.
Another precursor of the Assamese literature was Hemchandra Goswami who composed the first Assamese sonnet. The poem “Priyotomar Sithi” was the first evident of the Assamese sonnets which got featured in the Junaki journal.
The flickering shine of his sonnets echoed the dolce of Italian sonnets. He immortalised the emotional classes of patriarchal sonnets in the field of rhyme scheme. His poems, ‘Kaku Aaru Hiya Nibilao’, ‘Kakati’, ‘Priyotomar Sithi’, ‘Dhora Pora’, were the morning stars of love and appealing themes. He penned in the poem ‘Priyotomar’:
Flower blossom, it’s flower falls,/Grassland dries,/ The sprouted leaf of Spring/fries in the Sun.
(Phul phule, sori jay, sukai bonani, bosontor kuhipat rodot lerele)
(Translated from the Assamese book Asomia Sahityar Samikshatmak Itibritta authored by Satyendranath Sarma)
