Dr. Birinchi Kumar Barua’s Contribution to Assamese Literary Historiography

His ‘History of Assamese Literature’ is divided into ten chapters and each chapter is devoted to a critical study of the literature produced in a particular age, its socio-economic background with expository notes on the canonical authors and their works. His critical survey also provides a clear observation on the origin and development of Assamese language and literature, its religious tradition, political patronage, the impact of English and European literary traditions in cultivating innovative way of recycling contemporary realities and shaping of the Assamese mind and intellect. This compact volume is rich in many such brilliant observations put in the frame of lucid prose. An amazing quality of the literary history is that it not only places the authors and his works in their socio-political and cultural contexts but also finds out how there has been an engaging assimilation of the folk with the classical elements and how the plural cultural ethos retain its flavor  without getting lost. B.K Barua’s mind being already trained in folklore researches could add a rare critical insight into his interpretation. He was particularly aware of what can be termed as ‘transcultural mobility’ (Ashcroft.B.et all: 1996). B.K.Barua while offering a chronological narrative of the history of Assamese literature takes note of the various phases of ethnic migration, the Aryan and the non-Aryan elements mingling together, the early geography of Assam, the oral folk songs and narratives, the enduring Ahom rule that had given a secular character to Assamese literature.

Most of his views on the formation of an Assamese identity, migration of the early settlers to Assam belonging to the Tibetto-Burmese group, Assam’s early geography, the mighty Brahmaputra determining the socio-economic and cultural identities of Assam and its people are, however, available in his other writings too. B.K.Barua’s findings and arguments may be broadly organized in the following way:

1) He has argued that the Assamese literature has had royal patronage for its growth since the early period and it is during the period of the Ahom regime that Assamese literature began to appear in its secular credential. What we see in the literature of the Ahom period is an expression of the worldly affairs and social realities through narratives based on the Puranas. As the authors belonged to the common strata of the society their Puran-based renderings subsumed the popular myths, legends and folk traditions. The literature of the Ahom period is represented by the Buranj-sahitya (historical writings), historical ballads, books on medicine, astrology, dance-forms, architecture etc. and they prove the emerging secular credential in contrast to the earlier devotional nature of the Assamese literature.

2) The Bhakti literature preceding the literature of the Ahom period with predominance of spiritual contents and religious nuances is in-fact, a brilliant rendering of the classical sources of Sanskrit literature. This is not a literal translation, but endowed with local color and flavor. Madhav Kandali’s Ramayan is a classic work in as much as it effects a fusion of local landscape and idiom, enhances the beauty and wealth of the Assamese language and above all, a regional replica of Indian tradition could be moulded through it . According to B.K.Barua, the Manasa Kabya of Mankar-Durgabar-Narayandev is built around the myths and superstitions of ‘both the Assamese and the neighbouring tribes’, and contemporary social life are woven into the ‘tapestry of the Behula theme’. In his own words “Whatever may be the literary merits of the Manasa poems; they have the great value of preserving our cultural heritage, sustaining an interest in the old myths and legends and in strengthening the ties of our cultural life and literature.”( Barua.B.K. 2003: 16). B.K.Barua’s interpretation of the religious tradition, sociological vision and unique poetic quality in the literary works of both Sankardev and Madhav Dev shows his critical power and insight. He draws our attention to the simple, innocent, popular form hidden within the serious spiritual ideology. Despite being a distinguished Sanskrit scholar himself Sankardev wrote mainly in Assamese in order to familiarize the illiterate village folk with the rich treasure of Sanskrit lore. His poetry, songs and plays had an amazing popular reception and brought about a cultural renaissance besides infusing new life and rhythm to Assamese literature and culture. B.K Barua’s comment on Sankardeva’s Kirtana appears quite significant when he writes that a modern reader is delighted to find in this work literary form, picturesque descriptions, originality of treatment, and rhythmic felicities beyond its moral and theological content. “Sankardeva’s poetry fell upon Assamese ear with a cadence and music as familiar as their dialect” — such comments on the poetic qualities remind us of Dr. Hiren Gohain’s brilliant interpretation of this outstanding work in Kirtan Puthir Rasa Bichar.  B.K.Barua also points out that the first specimen of Assamese prose is found in the Ankiya Nats – a prose which is ‘sinewy, musical and elevated’. Sankardeva’s Ankiya Nats have also ‘dovetailed the dance tradition of the soil into the classical tradition of drama and music along with occasional gleanings of art fragments from different parts of India’ (Barua.B.K.2003:41). The recent research made in the field of Satriya Dance form has significantly found out elements of the various indigenous dance forms of our ethnic tribes. What we can draw from B. K. Barua’s findings is that Sankardeva’s contribution can be seen in the simple, innocent, rural environment and folk ways of life independently of its classical context. However, the influence of classical tradition upon the literature of the Vaisnavite period is undeniable. It gave such a distinction and vitality to Assamese language and literature that is expected to stay for all times. As B. K. Barua puts it, the Sanskrit or classical tradition “also tempered, refined and polished the manners and character of the Assamese society, built of diverse elements.” (Barua.B.K.2003:72).