Parvati Prasad Baruva (1904–1964) was a noted poet, lyricist, and dramatist: an icon of
Assamese literature
Assamese literature ( as, অসমীয়া সাহিত্য, translit=ɔxɔmiya xaɦitjɔ}) is the entire corpus of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, documents and other writings in the Assamese language. It also includes the liter ...
and the
culture of Assam
The culture of Assam is traditionally a hybrid one, developed due to cultural assimilation of different ethno-cultural groups under various political-economic systems in different periods of its history.
Historical perspective
The roots ...
. Known for his simple and sensitive use 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 langua ...
, he is popularly known as the ''Geetikavi''; the lyrical poet of Assam. He was also one of the early pioneering filmmakers of
Assamese cinema
Assamese cinema, also known as Jollywood, is an Indian film industry of Assamese-language motion pictures. It is based in Assam, India. The industry was born in 1935 when Jyoti Prasad Agarwala released his movie '' Joymoti''. Since then the A ...
.
Biography
He was born on 19 August 1904 near the banks of the Dikhow river in
Sibsagar
Sivasagar (Pron: or ) ("the sea of Shiva"), is a city in and headquarters of the Sivasagar district, Assam. Sivasagar is situated about 360 kilometers (224 mi) northeast of Guwahati. It is well known for its Ahom palaces and monuments. S ...
, Assam to Radhika Prasad Baruva and Himala Devi. Parvati Prasad's great-grandfather Jaduram Deka Baruva wrote the first bilingual Assamese dictionary in 1839.
Parvati Prasad graduated in philosophy from Kolkata's
Scottish Church College
Scottish Church College is a college affiliated by Calcutta University, India. It offers selective co-educational undergraduate and postgraduate studies and is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in A ...
as a graduating student of the
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every year, ...
.
[ During his sojourn in Kolkata, he would watch plays, dance dramas (or Rabindra Nritya Natyas) and other musical events based on the works of ]Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
. These experiences helped to further hone his creativity as a music composer later.[Parvati Prasad Baruva]
/ref>
Works
Parvati Prasad, at the age of ten, for the first time, played the part of ' Joymoti', in a play staged by the local theater group. In 1921, he started a hand written monthly magazine called ''Jhupitora''.
Cinema
* He directed the fourth Assamese movie ''Rupohi'' which was released in 1941. He also composed the music for this film.
Poetry and music
* Bhonga Tukarir Sur (?): book of poems
* Gungunani (?): published book of songs; including ''Pujo Aha'', ''Nobolo Tuk'', and ''Tor Nai Je Bondhuwa Baat''
* Luiti (?): published book of bongeets about the river Luit; including ''Luitor Saporit Kore Naworiya''
* Sukula Dawor Oi Kohuwa Phul (?): published book of songs about the seasons of autumn (fall); including ''Sarodi Sandhiyar Jonaki Mel ''
* ''Lakhhimi'' (?): dance drama
* ''Sonar Soleng'' (?): dance drama
Dramas
* ‘Lakhimi’ and
* ‘Sonar Soleng'.
Translations and awards
Baruwa's poetry has been translated into Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
, English and may other Indian languages. English translation of his poems by Paromita Das under the titles "If Life Be Lost" and "Life Awakens" was conferred with 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 of ...
Golden Jubilee Literary Translation Award in 2007.
See also
* Assamese literature
Assamese literature ( as, অসমীয়া সাহিত্য, translit=ɔxɔmiya xaɦitjɔ}) is the entire corpus of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, documents and other writings in the Assamese language. It also includes the liter ...
* Music of Assam
The music of Assam consists various genres of folk and modern music, drawing its artistic basis from the history of Assam, from Assamese culture and its ancient traditions. In recent times, starting from the late eighties, popular artistes hav ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baruwa, Parvati Prasad
Poets from Assam
People from Sivasagar
Dramatists and playwrights from Assam
1904 births
1964 deaths
Writers from Northeast India
Scottish Church College alumni
University of Calcutta alumni
20th-century Indian poets
20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
Writers from Assam