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The Greatest Assamese Stories Ever Told
The Greatest Assamese Stories Ever Told spans more than a century of work by some of the finest writers of short fiction in the language. The storytellers range from literary masters such as Lakhminath Bezbaroa, Mamoni Raisom Goswami, Saurav Kumar Chaliha, Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya, and Homen Borgohain to contemporary writers like Harekrishna Deka, Debabrata Das, and Kuladhar Saikia.
Among the gems to be found in this selection are Lakhminath Bezbaroa’s ‘Patmugi’ which is a searing portrayal of the injustices of society, especially towards women; Mamoni Raisom Goswami’s ‘Values’, an unforgettable depiction of a destitute woman, for whom her Brahmin ancestry is the only thing that she can take pride in; Harekrishna Deka’s ‘The Captive’, a poignant account of the relationship between a kidnapper and his victim; Homen Borgohain’s well-known story ‘Looking for Ismael Sheikh’, which deals with the effects of religious violence on a community; and Sheelabhadra’s ‘Sweet Acacia’, a romance as evocative as the delicate fragrance of the flower that permeates it.
Selected and edited by Mitra Phukan, these and the other stories in this volume offer a fascinating glimpse of a culture and a people that will resonate with readers everywhere.
Among the gems to be found in this selection are Lakhminath Bezbaroa’s ‘Patmugi’ which is a searing portrayal of the injustices of society, especially towards women; Mamoni Raisom Goswami’s ‘Values’, an unforgettable depiction of a destitute woman, for whom her Brahmin ancestry is the only thing that she can take pride in; Harekrishna Deka’s ‘The Captive’, a poignant account of the relationship between a kidnapper and his victim; Homen Borgohain’s well-known story ‘Looking for Ismael Sheikh’, which deals with the effects of religious violence on a community; and Sheelabhadra’s ‘Sweet Acacia’, a romance as evocative as the delicate fragrance of the flower that permeates it.
Selected and edited by Mitra Phukan, these and the other stories in this volume offer a fascinating glimpse of a culture and a people that will resonate with readers everywhere.
328 pages, Hardcover
Published December 5, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 11, 2023
This was the best of the lot! I really enjoyed Assam far more than I ever expected. 25 wonderful stories and I didn't dislike a single one! 8 of them by women, so I think Goa still wins on this front. But the Assamese anthology has a wide variety of interesting stories that encompass women's rights, family life, tribal life, communism, violence, as well as some humour. The collection leans heavily towards communist literature from this part of the country.
Some of my favourite stories include:
Mistaken Identity by Syed Abdul Malik : You hear stories about India-Pakistan Partition, but the Assam side is little heard, so I was glad to read this story. It's the traditional trajectory of Hindu and Muslim friends who get divided during riots. A single misunderstanding gets them both killed.
Kathonibari Ghat by Mahim Bora : I loved this story! A young man befriends a young woman and her brother. The recently married woman is eager to return to her husband, but tragedy looms ahead. This is a classic in Assamese literature and explores themes of marriage, widowhood, family, etc. It's also very evocative of time and place.
Looking for Ismael Sheikh by Homen Borgohain : In chasing an elusive Muslim man, an ex-government employee finds himself in the rooms of a prostitute. Seeing her reading a book by Albert Moravia, he stays to chat. She explains her background as a Brahmin woman made destitute during the Purbo Banga (East Pakistan) riots. In return, the narrator tells her the story of the impoverished Ismael, who had moved to Assam for a better life and ended up losing his wife and children, as well as land. The prostitute is left to draw parallels between her fate and Ismael's, despite being on opposite sides, as well as raising a few anti-caste communist lessons.
Blood on the Floor by Apurba Sarma : When one brother joins the communist revolution and goes underground, it affects the whole family. The Army, unable to catch the troublemaker, troubles the already traumatised family instead.
The Captive by Harekrishna Deka : Yet another communist story! A kidnapped man is on the move with his erudite captor, who is part of an organisation hoping to get concessions from the government in return for his release. A typical case of Stockholm syndrome, the two become friends and the captive comes to understand the kidnapper's point of view.
The Green Serpent by Dhrubajyoti Borah : A woman raped by a "revolutionary" during a tribal agitation goes on to university. She she makes friends there, including a man to whom she connects very deeply. A last-minute revelation upended both their lives.
An Incomplete Story by Rita Chowdhury : A tale about a widow destined to rot away in bleak white. She almost found happiness again but her own willingness to be happy and take matters in her own hand led to her father deciding to retract his permission for her happiness. Disgusting show of patriarchy and definitely not winning father of the year!
Some of my favourite stories include:
Mistaken Identity by Syed Abdul Malik : You hear stories about India-Pakistan Partition, but the Assam side is little heard, so I was glad to read this story. It's the traditional trajectory of Hindu and Muslim friends who get divided during riots. A single misunderstanding gets them both killed.
Kathonibari Ghat by Mahim Bora : I loved this story! A young man befriends a young woman and her brother. The recently married woman is eager to return to her husband, but tragedy looms ahead. This is a classic in Assamese literature and explores themes of marriage, widowhood, family, etc. It's also very evocative of time and place.
Looking for Ismael Sheikh by Homen Borgohain : In chasing an elusive Muslim man, an ex-government employee finds himself in the rooms of a prostitute. Seeing her reading a book by Albert Moravia, he stays to chat. She explains her background as a Brahmin woman made destitute during the Purbo Banga (East Pakistan) riots. In return, the narrator tells her the story of the impoverished Ismael, who had moved to Assam for a better life and ended up losing his wife and children, as well as land. The prostitute is left to draw parallels between her fate and Ismael's, despite being on opposite sides, as well as raising a few anti-caste communist lessons.
Blood on the Floor by Apurba Sarma : When one brother joins the communist revolution and goes underground, it affects the whole family. The Army, unable to catch the troublemaker, troubles the already traumatised family instead.
The Captive by Harekrishna Deka : Yet another communist story! A kidnapped man is on the move with his erudite captor, who is part of an organisation hoping to get concessions from the government in return for his release. A typical case of Stockholm syndrome, the two become friends and the captive comes to understand the kidnapper's point of view.
The Green Serpent by Dhrubajyoti Borah : A woman raped by a "revolutionary" during a tribal agitation goes on to university. She she makes friends there, including a man to whom she connects very deeply. A last-minute revelation upended both their lives.
An Incomplete Story by Rita Chowdhury : A tale about a widow destined to rot away in bleak white. She almost found happiness again but her own willingness to be happy and take matters in her own hand led to her father deciding to retract his permission for her happiness. Disgusting show of patriarchy and definitely not winning father of the year!
January 12, 2022
The Greatest Assamese Stories Ever Told selected and edited by noted author Mitra Pukhan is another gem from the series that @alephbookco has been publishing. There are 25 short stories translated from the Assamese, bringing the works of some very well known names whose works would be familiar to readers reading in English - Indira Goswami, Harekrishna Deka ( a recent short story collection by the author is up in my feed), Arupa Patangia Kalita, Rita Chowdhury, Birendra Kumar Bhattarcharyya but also works by authors who have been very popular in the Assamese literary firmament but whose works are yet to read the mainstream literary consciousness.
To say that Assamese literary works (or any other for that matter) are confined only to the socio cultural or Assamese identity and other concerns around them would be wrong for literature can be rooted to one's immediate surroundings but also reach and embrace other world. This collection is proof of how the literature of a place, a state throws up writings that are of Assam but also the larger world. Mistaken Identity set in the Calcutta during the turmoil of pre partition days that brings out how a deep friendship reveals along the biases of religion shown by external forces while the many other stories around women caught up in acute poverty and then shackled by their widowhood status, how they try and negotiate their life, some failing, some suceeding can be of Assam or of any place in the world for in the scheme of things, don't the nature of society or a woman's place in it depend on her class, her caste, her lack of privileges?
The stories are varied in theme and I have many favourites from this one but Lakhminath Bezbaroa's Patmugi will have a special mention for the way the story moves from desires and the temptations of physical and social transgressions and then revealing itself as literary commentary on the push and pull of fiction and the nature of what is plausible for some readers/critics and the compulsions of a writer editor.
To say that Assamese literary works (or any other for that matter) are confined only to the socio cultural or Assamese identity and other concerns around them would be wrong for literature can be rooted to one's immediate surroundings but also reach and embrace other world. This collection is proof of how the literature of a place, a state throws up writings that are of Assam but also the larger world. Mistaken Identity set in the Calcutta during the turmoil of pre partition days that brings out how a deep friendship reveals along the biases of religion shown by external forces while the many other stories around women caught up in acute poverty and then shackled by their widowhood status, how they try and negotiate their life, some failing, some suceeding can be of Assam or of any place in the world for in the scheme of things, don't the nature of society or a woman's place in it depend on her class, her caste, her lack of privileges?
The stories are varied in theme and I have many favourites from this one but Lakhminath Bezbaroa's Patmugi will have a special mention for the way the story moves from desires and the temptations of physical and social transgressions and then revealing itself as literary commentary on the push and pull of fiction and the nature of what is plausible for some readers/critics and the compulsions of a writer editor.
December 23, 2023
Only if more people would try to know about Assamese history and culture.
January 12, 2022
I found these stories to be truly evocative and tranquil, and it almost made my heart long for something close to home. Whenever I read short story collections, I never tend to like all of the stories. There are always some which steal the show, and some just miss the chord for me. But while reading this anthology, I was pleasantly surprised. I even put up this book as one of my 12 Best Fiction books of 2021
What I liked about each of these stories, was the skilful balance of spoken and unspoken words. A lot in the stories seamlessly flowed along through the minds of the characters. A lot of the stories started and ended with the thoughts of the characters developing the aura of the plot. This put across a sense of deep imaginative fantasy, since there was no bound to the thinking. As the authors spun their stories based on cultural specialities, out came a bright picture of the interpersonal agents in the stories: how people mix and behave with one another, how they see things and how they choose to live their life.
Assam's political unrest also came as a secondary shadow in many of these tales, especially the ones where I did not need to feel remarkably sorry for the characters in order to understand their plight. Notably I observed that there was nothing superficial in these pieces of writing, nothing that was trying to catch my attention by contrast, abruptness or gore. It was all put across through a layered storytelling, evoking a balance between thoughts and speech.
I am not equipped enough to judge whether these set of stories are among the best of Assamese literature ever written. But personally can say: these stories left me thinking, and that too with such simplicity. They can bear privy to the fact that tranquil fiction stands a place alongside violent fiction.
You can read my 12 Best Fiction books of 2021 here.
Thanks Aleph Book Company for the copy.
What I liked about each of these stories, was the skilful balance of spoken and unspoken words. A lot in the stories seamlessly flowed along through the minds of the characters. A lot of the stories started and ended with the thoughts of the characters developing the aura of the plot. This put across a sense of deep imaginative fantasy, since there was no bound to the thinking. As the authors spun their stories based on cultural specialities, out came a bright picture of the interpersonal agents in the stories: how people mix and behave with one another, how they see things and how they choose to live their life.
Assam's political unrest also came as a secondary shadow in many of these tales, especially the ones where I did not need to feel remarkably sorry for the characters in order to understand their plight. Notably I observed that there was nothing superficial in these pieces of writing, nothing that was trying to catch my attention by contrast, abruptness or gore. It was all put across through a layered storytelling, evoking a balance between thoughts and speech.
I am not equipped enough to judge whether these set of stories are among the best of Assamese literature ever written. But personally can say: these stories left me thinking, and that too with such simplicity. They can bear privy to the fact that tranquil fiction stands a place alongside violent fiction.
You can read my 12 Best Fiction books of 2021 here.
Thanks Aleph Book Company for the copy.
June 29, 2023
A set of 25 stories written by writers from Assam curated by Mitra Phukan. Note that Assam is a state where people from various communities live together- Bodo, Bangla, Mishing, Nepali, Hindi, Dimasa, Singpho, Rabha, Sadri, etc. These are all stories from Assam, whether written or oral, bot not Assamese stories, in the sense they were not written in this language- Assamese.
Stories chosen shows the real spirit of Assam. These collection of stories covers various aspects of life for people living in Assam. From much talked about terrorism to sharing border with Bangladesh, clashes with tribal, youth entering Indian army, sexuality, moral dilemma, politics, development, etc. Despite the subject all stories were tranquil and artistic emanating a clear image of the background they are set in. The purity of the nature around and the yearning to escape it and get to a further off city, Guwahati to enhance their living standards, was a mirror to the human yearning to always reach out for something better, could be seen in multiple stories. Guwahati- a city where people come from all walks of life to save themselves from disputes, poverty for a better future.
Remarkable is the strength of the writers of the state of Assam. Because of multiple ethnicities living together, their lives are woven differently, their dreams are different and their routes different but everything that people do, without mentioning, shows where their stories are set in. A simple reference maybe of the trees, fruits found only or mostly in the state. The best part was how people from different walks of life, lived and shared as one. Some ethnicities yearn for settlement like countrymen migrating from Bangladesh, others take pride in their country and climb ranks in army, others find ways of survival like the tribal being tortured to leave the state, others looking for means of income like the Marwaris, some for recognition like the youth aiming for something higher.
Despite these yearnings and differences, the core remains intact and close to each other. Women still struggle to find their place in society and keep themselves safe, men tire and die with overwork, poor ruled over by rich, weak bullied by the strong. These stories are beautiful like any other stories that relates to humans. We, with all our differences are still so similar to each other. Our dreams so different but take us through the same goals via different routes. Imagination! Imaginative people live everywhere. We imagine in the magical stories we weaves to understand things beyond our understanding. We talk about magical potions, God, spirits to overcome the logical differences between what should have happened and what has happened.
These stories were everything stories are about and most of what Assam is about. Assam is a place with varied conflicts and state of affairs throughout. It must have been very difficult for the author to choose the stories she did amongst the various available to the audiences. But a good job was done and we are looking forward to more such books to enlighten our knowledge of the world we live in. Amongst all my favourites stories were- Bak: The Water Spirit by Imran Hussain and A Tale of Thirdness by Moushumi Kandali.
Stories chosen shows the real spirit of Assam. These collection of stories covers various aspects of life for people living in Assam. From much talked about terrorism to sharing border with Bangladesh, clashes with tribal, youth entering Indian army, sexuality, moral dilemma, politics, development, etc. Despite the subject all stories were tranquil and artistic emanating a clear image of the background they are set in. The purity of the nature around and the yearning to escape it and get to a further off city, Guwahati to enhance their living standards, was a mirror to the human yearning to always reach out for something better, could be seen in multiple stories. Guwahati- a city where people come from all walks of life to save themselves from disputes, poverty for a better future.
Remarkable is the strength of the writers of the state of Assam. Because of multiple ethnicities living together, their lives are woven differently, their dreams are different and their routes different but everything that people do, without mentioning, shows where their stories are set in. A simple reference maybe of the trees, fruits found only or mostly in the state. The best part was how people from different walks of life, lived and shared as one. Some ethnicities yearn for settlement like countrymen migrating from Bangladesh, others take pride in their country and climb ranks in army, others find ways of survival like the tribal being tortured to leave the state, others looking for means of income like the Marwaris, some for recognition like the youth aiming for something higher.
Despite these yearnings and differences, the core remains intact and close to each other. Women still struggle to find their place in society and keep themselves safe, men tire and die with overwork, poor ruled over by rich, weak bullied by the strong. These stories are beautiful like any other stories that relates to humans. We, with all our differences are still so similar to each other. Our dreams so different but take us through the same goals via different routes. Imagination! Imaginative people live everywhere. We imagine in the magical stories we weaves to understand things beyond our understanding. We talk about magical potions, God, spirits to overcome the logical differences between what should have happened and what has happened.
These stories were everything stories are about and most of what Assam is about. Assam is a place with varied conflicts and state of affairs throughout. It must have been very difficult for the author to choose the stories she did amongst the various available to the audiences. But a good job was done and we are looking forward to more such books to enlighten our knowledge of the world we live in. Amongst all my favourites stories were- Bak: The Water Spirit by Imran Hussain and A Tale of Thirdness by Moushumi Kandali.
February 1, 2022
It is quite a task to choose a great story out of a given few so I can only imagine how arduous it must have been for the editor and the translators when it came to choosing the greatest Assamese stories ever told from the vast collection of literary works. Nonetheless it is certain that the measure of greatness of these stories hides behind their universality and timelessness; bringing together people of varied cultures and beliefs.
The greatest Assamese Stories ever told is a collection of twenty five odd stories spanning more than a century of Assamese literary landscape while throwing light on the political as well as social unrest that was brewing in the state. The Assam Agitation of 1979 to 1985 found the land of Assam being torn into pieces as fear found its way into the hearts of people; kidnappings, extortions and murders were a common sight, and, the early 1970s which are notorious for the division of 'Undivided Assam' into Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya were crucial turning points in the history of Assam. Peppered with the pain, heartache and misery of witnessing this bloodshed and terror Assamese literature carries with it a reminiscent gaze. Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi's Journey encapsulates this very idea and subtly presents itself to the reader– how a development that isn't kept in check leads to destruction as skills and culture are lost to evolution.
The first story in the collection is Lakshminath Bezbaruah's 'Patmugi': the story of a girl and the injustice she faces being born into a family of lowly potters. The tone is partly superstitious and for the rest of the while plain sad. However the sudden change in Patmugi's character when she looks upwards and turns into a seductive woman from the poor and oppressed version of herself is somewhat bewitching and bewildering yet realistic.
Harekrishna Deka, who is one of Assam's prominent contemporary authors, weilds the magic of his imagination into 'The Captive' a heart-rending story of a kidnapper and his victim. Filled with many such poignant and heart touching stories selected and edited by Mitra Phukan The Greatest Assamese Stories Ever Told is a timeless potpourri of Assamese literature.
The greatest Assamese Stories ever told is a collection of twenty five odd stories spanning more than a century of Assamese literary landscape while throwing light on the political as well as social unrest that was brewing in the state. The Assam Agitation of 1979 to 1985 found the land of Assam being torn into pieces as fear found its way into the hearts of people; kidnappings, extortions and murders were a common sight, and, the early 1970s which are notorious for the division of 'Undivided Assam' into Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya were crucial turning points in the history of Assam. Peppered with the pain, heartache and misery of witnessing this bloodshed and terror Assamese literature carries with it a reminiscent gaze. Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi's Journey encapsulates this very idea and subtly presents itself to the reader– how a development that isn't kept in check leads to destruction as skills and culture are lost to evolution.
The first story in the collection is Lakshminath Bezbaruah's 'Patmugi': the story of a girl and the injustice she faces being born into a family of lowly potters. The tone is partly superstitious and for the rest of the while plain sad. However the sudden change in Patmugi's character when she looks upwards and turns into a seductive woman from the poor and oppressed version of herself is somewhat bewitching and bewildering yet realistic.
Harekrishna Deka, who is one of Assam's prominent contemporary authors, weilds the magic of his imagination into 'The Captive' a heart-rending story of a kidnapper and his victim. Filled with many such poignant and heart touching stories selected and edited by Mitra Phukan The Greatest Assamese Stories Ever Told is a timeless potpourri of Assamese literature.
February 15, 2024
Apart from 3 or 4 utterly boring and average stories, the remaining ones out of this collection of 25 stories are individual gemstones. Each story bring alive some notions of life, some specific to the Assamese history and culture, but most of them universal.
Picking a favourite is so hard, and many of the stories and characters tend to make a deep impression in the mind.
The various stories put together various aspects of the area like the migrant and naxal problems, simple life and death, families together or separated, stories of myth and magic, poverty and simple soul searching.
Overall, while a good read, it's not gonna stay in bookshelf for a re-read.
Picking a favourite is so hard, and many of the stories and characters tend to make a deep impression in the mind.
The various stories put together various aspects of the area like the migrant and naxal problems, simple life and death, families together or separated, stories of myth and magic, poverty and simple soul searching.
Overall, while a good read, it's not gonna stay in bookshelf for a re-read.
July 30, 2022
The book is great to get a feeling of the culture and vine of Assam. That said, this is my first attempt at short stories and I'm not 100 sure if it's because of the translation, that many of the stories felt incomplete. Personally, I need closure when I read a story. It needs to have an ending - good or bad. It needs to be there..
May 7, 2023
Not as good as the other anthologies.
June 20, 2025
3.5 stars would be the apt rating for this one. It has a lot of stories, some of my favourites from this one are : sweet acacia, the restless electron, kathanibari ghat and the journey.
March 1, 2025
The Assamese stories in this collection have a certain aesthetic appeal, yet the writing style didn’t feel exceptional. This could possibly be due to the translation, as some nuances and depth might have been lost in the process. Perhaps reading it in the original language would have provided a more richer experience.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews