Lakshmi Nandan Bora

Lakshmi Nandan Bora
Born 1 March 1932
Kujidah, Nagaon district, Assam, India
Occupation Writer
Spouse(s) Madhuri
Children 3 children
Parent(s) Phuleswar Bora
Phuleswari
Awards Padma Shri
Sahitya Academy Award
Saraswati Samman
PBA Lifetime Achievement Award
Website
web site

Lakshmi Nandan Bora is an Indian novelist and short story writer in Assamese language,[1][2] known for over 60 books he has authored,[3][4] including award winning novels, Patal Bhairavi[5] and Kayakalpa.[6] A recipient of Sahitya Academy Award and Saraswati Samman,[7][8] Bora was honoured by the Government of India in 2015 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.[9]

Biography

Except for one novel, I had written all my other novels after my marriage, says Lakshmi Nandan Bora.[10]

Lakshmi Nandan Bora was born on 1 March 1932 at Hatichung of Kudijah village,[1] a small hamlet in Nagaon district in the Northeast Indian state of Assam to Phuleswar Bora and Phuleswari as the youngest of their five children.[3] His parents died while he was in his teens and was brought up by his eldest brother, Kamal Chandra Bora.[3] He did his schooling at Nagaon High School, graduated in Physics (BSc) from Cotton College State University, Guwahati and secured his master's degree (MSc) from Presidency College, Kolkata.[1][3] He pursued doctoral studies in meteorology at Andhra University from where he secured a PhD, the first person to be awarded a doctoral degree in meteorology by the university.[3] Later, he joined Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat as a faculty member and stayed with the institution till his retirement as a professor[7] and the head of the department of physics and agrometeorology[3] in 1962.[1][4] He has also served as a visiting professor at the Johannes Gutenberg University[1] for two terms.[3] Bora married Madhuri in 1961 and the couple has three sons, Seuji, Tridib and Swaroop.[3] The family lives in Ganeshguri, a satellite town of Guwahati, Assam.[3]

Literary and social career

A screenshot from Gonga Silonir Pakhi.

Bora wrote his first short story, Bhanoa, in 1954, which was published in Assamese magazine, Ramdhenu.[3] His first book, Dristirupa was published in 1958 and the next one, Nishar Purabhi in 1962.[1] He published his first novel, Gonga Silonir Pakhi, in 1963, which is reported to have earned critical acclaim, has been translated into 11 languages[3] and was made into a film, under the same name, by Padum Baruah in 1976.[11] The succeeding years saw him active in in the political milieu of Assam and was arrested once, in 1981, under the National Security Act.[3] His novel, Akou Saraighat,[12] written during this time and published in 1980, reflects his political leanings to a certain measure.[3] He also founded a weekly, Rangpur, and stayed as its editor till 1996 when he resigned from the post, reportedly due to ideological differences with the owner of the publication.[3]

Two more novels, Malit Meghar Chaan (1970) and Bishesh Aarti (1979) and a short story anthology, Sehi Anuraga (1983) followed[1] before he published his novel, Patal Bhairavi in 1986[5] which won the Sahitya Academy Award in 1988.[3] Two novels were published next, Kal Dingare Pal in 1988 and Matsya Kanya in 1995 followed by Preyashi (1996 - short story anthology), Jaa Keri Naahike Upaam and Sehi Gunanidhi (1997 - novel),[1] the latter two inspired by the lives of Sankardev and his disciple, Madhavdev, renowned Assamese saint-scholars.[3] In 2008, he published Kayakalpa, which won the Saraswati Samman from K. K. Birla Foundation.[8] The work has since been translated into 22 Indian languages[8] as well as into English by Biman Arandhara.[4]

Lakshmi Nandan Bora has written a number of plays and books on agriculture and environment, taking his publications to a total of 60 books, composed of twenty nine novels and twenty six short story anthologies.[3][6] His short stories, 75 selected ones, have been compiled under the name, Lakshminandan Borar Charita Dasakar Galpa Samagra.[2] He is working on his autobiography, Kal Balukat Khoj which is being serialized in Assamese fortnightly, Prantik.[2] His other current projects are two books, one on Hem Chandra Baruah, renowned lexicographer and social reformer and the other, on Lakshminath Bezbaroa, a known Assamese literary figure.[2]

He has served as the president of Assam Sahitya Sabha (1988)[1][3] and as a member of the Planning Commission of Assam.[4] He has also been the chairman of the Assam Pollution Control Board[3] during the period from 1992 to 1995[1] and serves as the editor of Goriyoshi, an Assamese weekly.[6][7][10]

Bibliography

Some of the selected publications of Bora are:[1]

  • Dristirupa (1958) - anthology
  • Nishar Purabhi (1962) - anthology
  • Gonga Silonir Pakhi (1963) - novel
  • Abesh Indrajal (1967) - anthology
  • Malit Meghar Chaan (1970) - anthology
  • Bishesh Aarti (1979) - novel
  • Akou Saraighat (1980) - novel[12]
  • Jaa Keri Naahike Upaam
  • Sehi Anuraga (1983) - anthology
  • Patal Bhairavi (1986) - novel[5]
  • Kal Dingare Pal (1988) - novel
  • Matsya Kanya (1995) - novel
  • Preyashi (1996) - anthology
  • Sehi Gunanidhi (1997) - novel
  • Ganga Cheel Ke Pankh (2003) - novel[13]
  • Kalpakaya (2008) - novel[6]
  • Lakshminandan Borar Charita Dasakar Galpa Samagra — short story anthology

Awards and recognitions

Bora received the Sahitya Academy Award in 1988 for his novel, Patal Bhairavi[8] and the Assam Valley Literary Award in 2004.[4][6][7] His novel, Kayakalpa fetched him the Saraswati Samman[4][6][7] instituted by the K. K. Birla Foundation in 2008[8] and the next year, in 2009, Assam Publication Board honoured him with the Lifetime Achievement Award.[10] The Government of India included him for the Republic Day honours list, in 2015, for the civilian honour of Padma Shri.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 Kartik Chandra Dutt (1999). Who's who of Indian Writers, 1999: A-M. Sahitya Academy. p. 1490. ISBN 9788126008735.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Bipul Jyoti". Bipul Jyoti. 2007. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 "UCCS". UCCS. 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "The Hindu". The Hindu. 6 April 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lakshmi Nandan Bora (1997). Patal Bhairavi (1997 edition). Sahitya Academy Publications. p. 308. ISBN 9788126001460.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Lakshmi Nandan Bora (2010). Kayakalpa — The Elixir of Everlasting Youth. Niyogi Books. p. 280. ISBN 978-8189738679.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Good Reads". Good Reads. 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 "Saraswati Samman". LKVP. 14 February 2009. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Padma Awards". Padma Awards. 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Assam Tribune". Assam Tribune. 3 October 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Gonga Silonir Pakhi". Assams.info. 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Akou Saraighat". Bani Prakash Pathsala. 1980. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  13. ↑ Lakshmi Nandan Bora (2003). Ganga Cheel Ke Pankh. Sahitya Akademi. p. 144. ASIN B003DRNSME.

Further reading

External links