Gunabhiram Barua
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Gunabhitam Barua (1837-1894) was one of those enlightened Assamese thinkers who ushered in new ideas about social reform in the early years of colonial rule in Assam. He was educated in Calcutta like many other Assamese after him and was deeply influenced by the intellectual opinions of the "Bengal Renaissance". He was among the first few Assamese who formally entered the Brahmo Samaj and propagated the liberal ideas of the Brahmos through his writing.[1]
In his own life also he practised what he preached. After his first wife's death, his marriage with a Brahman widow, Bishnupriya Devi, created a sensation in the orthodox society of Assam. He not only advocated the cause of women's education but also took the bold step of sending his daughter Swarnalata Devi to a boarding school in Calcutta when he was working in the small town of Nowgong in Assam as an Extra Assistant Commissioner. Both Swarnalata and Bishnupriya were encouraged by him to write and publish their work. Gunabhiram himself is remembered as a historian and a biographer. He also wrote regularly on issues like women's education and marriage reforms in the first Assamese journal Orunodoi, started by the American Baptist missionaries in 1846.[1]
The first social drama in Assamese - Ram Nabami Natak - was written by Gunabhiram in 1857 and published as a book in 1870. The play deals with the tragic story of a young widow and her lover Ram, both of whom were compelled to commit suicide because of social disapproval of their relationship. The author tries to make a strong case for widow-remarriage through this tragedy.[1]
