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GUWAHATI| Writing under the shadow of the three-decade long insurgency in Assam, litterateur Indira Raisom Goswami wielded the pen not only to highlight the issue of violence but also took the initiative of persuading the banned ULFA to come to the negotiating table. Preferring to write under the pen name of Mamoni Raisom Goswami, she authored several novels, short stories collection and scholarly treatises reflecting the angst and pain of people from varied backgrounds whose sufferings have
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deprived them of basic dignity and respect that all deserve. She took the initiative of persuading the banned ULFA to come forward for dialogue with the outfit even setting up the Peoples' Consultative Group (PCG) in 2003 and appointing her as an advisor. Goswami's efforts may not have yielded immediate results but it
definitely paved the way for the ongoing talks process between a group of ULFA leaders and the government. Popularly called 'Mamoni Baideu', Goswami was born on November 14, 1942 in a traditional Vaishnavite family who owned a 'satra' (monastery) at Amranga in South Kamrup. The environs of the satra, both its pristine religious practices along with the prevailing social evils, had a profound influence on the psyche of the young Indira which later found expression in her writings, particularly in her path breaking novel, 'Datal Hatir Une Khowa Howdah'
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(The Moth Eaten Howdah of a Tusker). The book, which was later adapted into a national award-winning film 'Adajya', is considered a classic of modern Assamese literature and explores the plight of Assamese Brahmin widows and their exploitation by hypocrite and decadent custodians of power and customs. Awarded the highest prize for literature in the country--the Jnanpith in 2000, Goswami was also honoured with the Asom Sahitya Sabha Award and the International Tulsi Award from Florida University for her book Ramayana-Ganga to Brahmaputra. Goswami had her early education at Pine Mount School in Shillong but was later shifted to the Tarini Charan Girls' High School in Guwahati to enable her to acquire an education in Assamese and acquaint herself more about traditions and culture of the state.
Read Full: Goswami's prolific pen campaigned for dignity of human beings | The Asian Age
