The Bird Poet of Assam

Nature has often become the subject of expression to various poets and writers, Raghunath Choudhary, known for his poetry on nature and birds, part of the Assamese Romanticist movement, was born today in 1879

Raghunath Choudhary; Source: Assam Portal

The Jonaki era was the dawn of romanticism in Assamese literature. Chandra Kumar Agarwala had written the first sonnets in the language, and Hemchandra Goswami had his Letters from the Beloved. These authors would change the way themes were approached in Assamese literature, all in their efforts to articulate a unique Assamese identity by giving their language an anchor to base itself off.

Writing styles were standardized, and it became a part of focused effort when the Jonaki magazine was released. Thus with the waves riding high, numerous more authors would join the movement as it progressed from the late 1800s.

Raghunath Choudhary was the humorous pioneer of the Assamese language’s formative era. Choudhary himself was born in 1879, roughly on the 20th of January of that year. He was born in the present-day Nalbari district of Assam, and had his early schooling in Guwahati.

He was also a part of the Jonaki era, using his writings to usher in the dawn of modern Assamese literature. This he did via his poetry on birds and nature, which would earn him the title ‘Bihogi Kobi’ - the poet of birds.

His part in the Indian Independence movement (as every eminent literati of that era did) had gotten him imprisoned for the same. Being the president of the Assam Sahitya Sabha in 1936, he would be at the pinnacle of his career.

From his first works like Xaadori in 1910, to Keteki, Karbala, Gulap, Navamallika, Dohikatara, etc., his career spanned 5 decades, and he would also receive a chance to edit numerous magazines, from the prestigious Jonaki itself, to the children’s magazine Moina, to Jayanti and Surabhi. He passed away in 1967, but left behind a humorous, nature filled poetry collection which everyone loves till date.