Bikashrai Debbarma (born May 22, 1960) is an Indian poet, author and composer from the state of Tripura. The majority of his writings in
Kokborok
Kokborok (or Tripuri) is a Tibeto-Burman language of the Indian state of Tripura and neighbouring areas of Bangladesh. Its name comes from ''kók'' meaning "verbal" or "language" and ''borok'' meaning "people" or "human", It is one of the anci ...
are based in the lived realities of the people in
Tripura
Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...
in north-east India. His 2021 poetry ''Tutankhamun ni Pyramid'' won the Doulat Ahmed Award for best publication in the year 2022.
Debbarma and playwright
Nanda Kumar Debbarma recently compiled ''Chirik Morok'', an anthology of Kokborok poetry. He is also the president Kokborok Sahitya Sabha (KBSS) and of the confederation RSKC (Roman Script for Kokborok Choba). In 2023, he was nominated as member of the General Council (2023–2027) of the
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of the Indian government. Its off ...
.
Works
Know mostly for his poetry, Bikashrai Debbarma is considered among the widely known 'Kokborok Modernist'.
Language advocacy
As president of the Roman Script for Kokborok Choba (RSKC), Debbarma has been active in advocating for the upliftment of Kokborok language. RSKC led by veteran Kokborok literary activists have demanded Roman Script to included as official script for Kokborok.
Impact and legacy
Debbarma was a major influence and inspiration to the Kokborok Indie-folk band Koloma and its singer Rumio Debbarma's songwriting. In an interview with
Roots and Leisure', the frontman Rumio said: "Seeing how our traditional folk culture is dying among the current and younger generations, I wanted to preserve it by writing songs that blend our traditional style with modern genres. We started making our own blend of folk fusion music to grasp their interest. I have also always been very inspired by the local legend Bikash Rai Debbarma."
Selected published works
*''Chirik Morok (2022)''
*''Tutankhamun ni Pyramid (2022)''
*''Text Message''
Awards
* Doulat Ahmed Prize, 2022
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Debbarma, Bikashrai
1960 births
Living people
Tripuri people
People from Tripura
People from Agartala
Writers from Tripura
20th-century Indian poets