Ratan Bhattacharjee

ARTICLE: SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARDEE ANURADHA SHARMA PUJAREE                    

(By Dr. Ratan Bhattacharjee)

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer , no surprise in the reader” wrote Robert Frost. In going to read the novels of one such writer in the North East is no one else than Anuradha Sharma Pujaree, the most eminent female editor whose golden pen did not stop for the last three decades in spite of the editorial responsibility and other occupations with harsh reality of life. More important is that her popularity is never on the wane.

Anuradha Sharma Pujaree is an ever popular Assamese novelist and Editor and at present she is engaged in social activism too. As the editor of Assamese monthly magazine Satsari and the highest circulated Assamese weekly Saadin she inspires many poets and writers to continue writing and enrich Assamese literature in diverse ways. She has written many fiction and essays in Assamese Literature. 'Hriday Ek Brigyapan'- is her first novel. This novel became very popular among the youth of Assam. She has written almost a dozen of novels, a couple of short-story collections and nearly half a dozen of autobiographical non-fiction. She is honored 'Kumar Kishore Memorial Award' by Assam Sahitya Sabha in 2003. In the year of 2021 she won the prestigious Sahitya Academy Award for her novel 'Eyat Ekhan Aranya Asil'. Her every fiction focuses new concept of the Assamese society. She focuses various social issues which arouse the interest of the readers especially on the female empowerment. As a human being Anuradha feels for the society. The reason behind her popularity is her great respect for humanity and the family values . Assam is a land of romance and music. She loves to focus on the land of Nahor and the Assamese heritage .Her books intimately portras life that we see usually around us. She finds extraordinary in the ordinary elements of life the people live around her. She does not propagate any ideology but her philosophy is based on positive values of humanity. The distressed and the marginalized people of India are always in the mind of Anuradha the writer. As Editor she tries to focus on these issues. Gender writes in her novels but she is not a so called declared feminist. Her deep sensibility is reflected in each of her novels and short stories and even in her nonfiction. She shifted from journalism which began as a crusader against the corporation business . Professionalization of the heart in advertisement irked her as her first novel shows it. Her inspiration from the legendary writer Homen Borgohain is unforgettable by her and it was his inspiration that she shifted to a fiction writer from journalistic writing.

The exhaustion of the 28th edition of her book Kanchan and eighth edition of her Sahebpurar Boroxun very well justify this claim about the increasing popularity of this female writer cum editor of Assam. After her Masters in the Dirugarh university , She gained popularity with her column in ‘Letters from Kolkata’ in Asom Bani weekly and she won fame all over North East with her novel in English The Heart’s a Showbitz translated from fictional debut with her book Hriday Ek Bigyapan, published in 1998. She got inspiration from Homen Borgohain who called this novel’ a contemporary classic’as it raised some basic questions about modern Assamese life and the complexities of the glamorous corporate world that no other writer had raised before her in a fiction other than Monisankar. Till Mereng it was her masterpiece. The other remarkable experience that shaped her world vision as a writer was the invitation from the USA Government as a writer cum journalist to visit the continent and get exposure to remarkable people of the media world including the Editors of New York Times or Washington Times in New York ,California Florida and other places and in the workshops of Columbia or Iowa University as one of the two writers from India and along with one from Pakistan and Nepal as invitee with her. She recorded the priceless experience of her growing up as a writer with world vision in her travelogue American Charaikhanat in 2008.As a writer and Editor , she inspired writers of all colors to contribute to Sadin over decades to preserve the dignity of the Third Estate without compromising with injustice. .Her popularity is the real reward that came from the readers of all age groups for the wide range of her subjects which is never to wane also in future.

Born in Jorhat, she studied sociology at the Dibrugarh University, and though it is not a campus novel proper, in Nahoror Niribili Cha (Shadows of Nahor)in 2005 for which she got Basanti Bordoloi Award her experience is fictionalized This realistic touches are a secret to her popularity as a writer.In a recent article one writer suggests that all newly married couple should read Nil Prajapati (Blue Butterflies) 2013 to understand the complexities of love among married couple and all students should read her book Son Harinor Chekur( Race of the golden deer), 2012 which is dedicated to the youth who are very serious and tensed about their career and often commit suicide when they failed. Her message was that life is a very interesting journey and they should not .die before their death.. She in her childhood days in the tea estate of Assam lived her childhood alone like Emily Dickinson and reading was her pastime in her lonely hours of childhood as her father’s sudden accident caused a long separation with her parents.

• Journalism became her passion and sheher long decades of journalism brought her Asom Renaissance Award . Still ,Anuradha Sharma Pujaree maintained the balance and has been called "one of the most popular writers of this generation", and her work traversed "the varied textures of human conflict" and covered the tension between the society and the individual including explorations of femininity and "the gaps that exist between people in a relationship All these have an irresistible appeal for the wide range of readership ..Ejon Eshworor Sondhanot (In Search of a God) was also published in 1998.. Kanchan published in 2001 having 28th edition. depicts the life of a girl named Kanchan who is incessantly cheated and sexually harassed by some narrow minded men folk, Sahebpurar Borosun (Rains of Sahebpura), 2003 is another novel that exposed an adventurous journey of social workers especially in a village named sahebpura, Boragee Nodir Ghat (The Banks of Boragee River), published in 2004, Raag-Anurag, 2007, Mereng in 2010 which mad a histoy lik Rita Choudhury’s Ai xomoy Xei Xomoy or Makam (The Golden Horse) or Arupa Patangia Kalita’s Felanee is a wonderful story of a strong woman named Mereng or Indira Miri. In Merong where she depicts a society of the earlier years of old ancient Assam. The heroine Indira Miri narrated here the society of 1910s.The comparison between the society of present day Assam where people are victims of narrow parochialism reveals the difference when the ancient society of Mahichandra Sonadhar Senapati and Indira seemed to have been more advanced. Sonadhar Senapati sent his eldest daughter Indira to Scottish Church College. Even Mahichandra Miri was rhe first science graduate of the Missing community and worked as a Forest Officer. The value of education is assessed by Indira and her father warned her about the dangers of casteism",Jalachabi published in 2014 tranalated into English twice Ashes Still Whisper by Prof Bhaswati Parasar and also by Dr. Santana Saikia as In The Shadow of Light depicts how the problem of Alzheimer creates gap between old parents and their children. The narrative of Jalachabi is heart-touching and reveals a social commitment of the writer. Her Short story collections Boxontor Gaan (Spring-song), 1999.,Ejon Oxamajik Kobir Biography (An Unsocial Poet's Biography), 2001,Catherinor Soite Eti Nirjon Duporia (An Afternoon with Catherine), 2005,No Man's Land (short story collection) have won the heart of readers of all ages for their so marvelous focus on varied social issues which rouse the interest of the readers. Social realism is one very important factor in the novels of Anuradha Sharma Pujaree also in her Kolikotar Cithi (Letters from Calcutta), 1999.,Diary, 2001.,Autograph, 2004., Sanbad Basanta aru Bandhu(essays),Alop Chinta Alop Gadya (Editoials Collection),Priya Manuh : Priya Katha, 2013. Claude Mckay said : “ Idealism is like a castle in the air if it is not based on a solid foundation of social and political realism.” For Mereng she got Bishnu Rava Award . She was honored with Kumar Kishore Memorial Literary Award, from Asom Sahitya Sabha, in 2003. Asom Sahitya Saha made Jalasoi ‘ The Novel of the Year’ .She got Chandranath Sarma Award for her life time achievement and contribution to Assamese Literature. Lekhika Samaraho Society conferred on her Sahitya Samman and these are a few to mention of many of her awards. But still readers gave her the best award and her popularity reveals that a writer lives in the heart of the readers not in the certificates and medal. Sylvia Plath wrote : “ Let me live, love and say it well in good sentences.” This secret was known to Anuradha Sharma Pujaree

Article by Dr. Ratan Bhattacharjee, Affiliate Faculty Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond USA, and Trilingual poet and columnist may be reached at bhattacharjr@vcu.edu