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Being Modern: A Biography of Ananda Ram Dhekial Phookan by Gunabhiram Barua Banani Chakravarty (Translator)
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Being Modern: A Biography of Ananda Ram Dhekial Phookan by Gunabhiram Barua Banani Chakravarty (Translator)

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Despite his short life, Ananda Ram left an indelible mark on Assamese society and scholarship. His crusade to establish Assamese as Assam’s rightful court and official language―displacing Bengali from its entrenched position―would prove pivotal to the making of modern Assamese identity. His diverse scholarship ranged from books for young readers to more serious and intellectually rigorous works on colonial law and language, among other subjects.

Gunabhiram Barua, the author of this book, intertwines Ananda Ram’s life story with a broader historical account of Assam’s transition into colonial modernity. History unfolds alongside biography in this book elegantly translated by Banani Chakravarty for the Chronicles series―making it a window into nineteenth-century Assam as well as a portrait of a remarkable life.

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Description

Ananda Ram Dhekial Phookan (1829–59), the subject of this first modern Assamese biography, was the most significant figure in early colonial Assam. Born into a family affected by the region’s political upheavals, including the First Anglo–Burmese War (1824–26), Ananda Ram embodied the various social and cultural transformations of the early nineteenth century.

Despite his short life, Ananda Ram left an indelible mark on Assamese society and scholarship. His crusade to establish Assamese as Assam’s rightful court and official language―displacing Bengali from its entrenched position―would prove pivotal to the making of modern Assamese identity. His diverse scholarship ranged from books for young readers to more serious and intellectually rigorous works on colonial law and language, among other subjects.

About the Author

Gunabhiram Barua (1834–94) was a product of India’s colonial modernity. He distinguished himself as an author, historian, editor and colonial administrator. Known for his progressive outlook, Barua wrote the first modern Assamese drama, which addressed the issue of widow remarriage. After the death of his wife, he married a widow and took a significant step towards women’s education by sending his young daughter to study at Calcutta’s Bethune School in 1878. His prose style greatly influenced the next generation of Assamese writers, playing a key role in the rise of modern Assamese literature in the late nineteenth century.

Banani Chakravarty teaches Assamese in GauhatiUniversity. She has co-edited Asamar Bhasha (Banalata, 2013), part of G.N. Devy’s acclaimed People’s Linguistic Survey of India series, which has been translated into English as Languages of Assam (Orient BlackSwan, 2017) and into Hindi as Assam Ki Bhashayen (Orient BlackSwan, 2025). Her recent publication includes Jetia Chapasal Nachil (2024), a comprehensive anthology of medieval Assamese manuscripts, inscriptions and historical documents.

Additional information

Dimensions 22 × 13 × 3 cm
Binding

Paperback
ISBN

978-0143466352
Language

English
Pages

264
Publication date

30 September 2025
Publisher

Vintage Books
Writer

Gunabhiram Barua (Author), Banani Chakravarty (Translator)

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