Homen Borgohain (7 December 1932 – 12 May 2021) was an Assamese author and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

. He was awarded the 1978

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 ...

Assamese language Assamese (), also Asamiya ( ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the north-east Indian state of Assam, where it is an official language, and it serves as a ''lingua franca'' of the wider region. The easternmost Indo-Iranian language, ...

for his novel ''Pita Putra''. He was also the President of

Assam 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 ...

from 2001 to 2002. Despite his rural upbringing, Borgohain also addressed issues of urban life in his writing. In the early phase of his life Borgohain led an almost bohemian existence and the reflection of that particular life can be visualised in many of his early stories. He later became editor for a variety of publications. He also wrote several novels, short stories, and poems.

Life

Born in a small village in

Dhakuakhana Dhakuakhana is a sub-division of Lakhimpur district in the north-eastern state Assam, India. History It started functioning in 1989 when naturalist-bureaucrat Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury of Assam Civil Service, joined as the first (founder) Sub-di ...

, Lakhimpur, Borgohain went to

Guwahati Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...

after completing matriculation from Dibrugarh Govt. Boys' Higher Secondary School and joined

Cotton College Cotton College was a Roman Catholic boarding school in Cotton, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. It was also known as ''Saint Wilfrid's College''. The school buildings were centred on Cotton Hall, a country house used by religious communities fro ...

for higher studies. He married Nirupama Tamuli, famous in Assam as

Nirupama Borgohain Nirupama Borgohain (née Tamuli; as, নিৰূপমা বৰগোহাঞি; 1932– ) is an Indian journalist and novelist in the Assamese language. She is a Sahitya Akademi award winner, best known for her novel ''Abhiyatri''. In ...

: one of the most popular writers of her generation and an exponent of early feminist writings in Assam. The writer couple wrote a novel called ''Puwar Purobi Sandhyar Bibhash'', which is the first and perhaps the only joint-novel written in Assamese. Borgohain first edited an Assamese weekly newspaper ''Nilachal'' and later he edited the weekly ''

Nagarik ''Nagarik'' ( bn, নাগরিক), also spelled as ''Nagorik'', ''The Citizen'' in English, was the first feature-length film directed by legendary Indian director Ritwik Ghatak. Completed in 1952 in film, 1952, it preceded Satyajit Ray's ' ...

''. Afterwards, he served as a senior staff member of Bangali daily newspaper ''Ajkal''. Borgohain's editorial articles in ''Nilachal'' and ''Nagarik'' are edited by Dr. R. Sabhapandit and published in two volumes in Assamese. From 2003 to 2015, he was the

editor in chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of Assamese daily

Amar Asom The ''Amar Asom'' ( Assamese: আমাৰ অসম) is an Assamese daily newspaper published by G. L. Publications Ltd. After the exit of Homen Borgohain as the Editor-in-chief, this newspaper tries to maintain its stand by siding with peopl ...

; he then worked as the editor in chief of another daily Niyomiya Barta from 2015 until his death. He returned his Sahitya Academy award in 2015 in protest against the lack of tolerance being created at the Indian society. He died on 12 May 2021 at the age of 88 due to complications from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Novels

* ''সাওদৰ পুতেকে নাও মেলি যায় (Xaudor Puteke Nau Meli Zay)'' * ''হালধীয়া চৰায়ে বাও ধান খায় (Halodhiya Soraye Bau Dhan Khay)'' * ''অস্তৰাগ (Ostorag)'' * ''পিতা পুত্ৰ (Pita Putro)'' * ''তিমিৰ তীৰ্থ (Timir Tirtha)'' * ''কুশীলৱ (Kuxilow)'' * ''এদিনৰ ডায়েৰি (Edinor Dayeri)'' * ''বিষন্নতা (Bixonnota)'' * ''নিসংগতা (Nixongota)'' * ''সুবালা (Xubala)'' * ''মৎস্যগন্ধা (Motsyogondha)''

Autobiography

* আত্মানুসন্ধান (Atmanuxondhan) * মোৰ সাংবাদিক জীৱন (Mur Xangbadik Ziwan) * ধুমুহা আৰু ৰামধেনু (Dhumuha Aru Ramdhenu) * মোৰ হৃদয় এখন যুদ্ধক্ষেত্ৰ (Mur Hridoy Ekhon Zudhyokhetro)

Non-fiction

* গদ্যৰ সাধনা (Godyor Xadhona) * মানুহ হোৱাৰ গৌৰৱ (Manuh Huwar Gourow) * প্ৰজ্ঞাৰ সাধনা (Progyar Xadhona) * উচ্চাকাংক্ষা (Ussakangkhya)

Editor of newspapers and magazines

# Aamar Asom # Axom Bani #

Nilachal The abode of Hindu deity Jagannath at Puri is known as the Nilachala or Niladri, ila (Blue) + Achala (Mountain)meaning, The Blue Mountain. The Nilachala is a place of high religious significance in Hinduism and is one of the four Char Dhams. R ...

# Xutradhar # Nagorik # Xatxori # Niyomia Barta

Awards

Assam Valley Literary Award The Assam Valley Literary Award ( as, অসম উপত্যকা সাহিত্য বঁটা) was conceived in the year 1990 by ''Williamson Magor Education Trust'' to honour creative writers who have enhanced Assamese literature. It ...

* Nilamoni Phukan Award from

Asom 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 ...

* Srimanta Sankardev Award * Matshendra Nath Award

References

External Links

Homen Borgohain Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borgohain, Homen 1932 births 2021 deaths Assamese-language poets Poets from Assam Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Assamese Asom Sahitya Sabha Presidents People from Lakhimpur district Indian editors Indian columnists Cotton College, Guwahati alumni Recipients of the Assam Valley Literary Award Journalists from Assam Indian male journalists 20th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian journalists 20th-century Indian male writers Assamese literature Writers from Northeast India Assamese novels Writers from Assam Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India Assam Valley Literary Award