Atul Chandra Hazarika (1903–1986) was a prominent Assamese poet, dramatist, children's writer and translator. He was bestowed the epithet "Sahitycharjya" by

Asam Sahitya Sabha The Asam Sahitya Sabha (; Literary Society of Assam) is a non Government, non profit, literary organisation of Assam. It was founded in December 1917 in Assam, India to promote the culture of Assam and Assamese literature. A branch of the organi ...

, the premier literary organization of Assam..

Life and literary works

Born on 9 September 1903, in the state of Assam of India, Atul Hazarika, obtained his M.A. degree from

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...

and started his service life as teacher of Assamese literature. He retired as a professor and head of the department of Assamese in Cotton College, Guwahati, Assam. Atul Hazarika was author of more than one hundred books in Assamese. In nineteen thirties he authored a record number of Assamese dramas to give a new lease of life to the Assamese stage. During the same time he became a household name as a young poet-"Dipalir Kobi". He also authored many story books for children. Some of his adaptations of western classics like "Grimor Xadhu", Andersonor Xadhu" became very popular. He was also compiler and editor of works of great as well as many lesser known writers of Assamese. He compiled and edited several works of Sahityarathi

Lakshminath Bezbaroa ' Lakshminath Bezbarua (, 14 October 1864), was an Assamese poet, novelist and playwright of modern Assamese literature. He was one of the literary stalwarts of the Jonaki Era, the age of romanticism in Assamese literature when through his e ...

and at the same time he collected and published in "Moroha Phoolor Koroni" works of many talented but lesser known writers who died in their early years. Atul Hazarika was also one of those pioneers who were responsible for giving a new face to Bihu-the national festival of Assam. He was associated with the founding committee, which organized for the first time Bihu on stage at a city pavilion in Guwahati some sixty years back. Atul Hazarika was also a great literary worker and as a general secretary, he was responsible for giving a new lease of life to Asam Sahitya Sabha in the fifties. He became the President of this apex literary organization of Assamese language in 1959.

Awards

Hazarika was awarded

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

in 1969 for his magnum opus, ''Monchalekha'', which traced five hundred years of Assamese drama and stage. He was also awarded

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

in 1971. Gauhati University has named one of its hostel as Sahitcharya Atul Chnadra Hazarika hostel. Government of Assam has been conferring Atul Chandra Hazarika award on tri-annual basis to noted cultural luminaries of Assam making significant contribution in the field of drama and mobile theaters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hazarika, Atul Chandra Assamese-language poets Poets from Assam Writers from Northeast India University of Calcutta alumni Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Assamese Asom Sahitya Sabha Presidents 1903 births 1986 deaths 20th-century Indian poets Dramatists and playwrights from Assam 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Novelists from Assam Indian children's writers 20th-century Indian novelists

Life and literary works

Awards

See also

References