Being Modern: A Biography Of Anand Ram Dhekial Phukan

Ananda Ram Dhekial Phookan (182959) the subject of this first modern Assamese biography was the most significant figure in early colonial Assam. Born into a family affected by the regions political upheavals including the First AngloBurmese War (182426) Ananda Ram embodied the various social and cultural transformations of the early nineteenth century. Despite his short life Ananda Ram left an indelible mark on Assamese society and scholarship. His crusade to establish Assamese as Assams rightful court and official languagedisplacing Bengali from its entrenched positionwould prove pivotal to the making of modern Assamese identity. His diverse scholarship ranged from books for young readers to more serious and intellectually rigorous works on colonial law and language among other subjects. Gunabhiram Barua the author of this book intertwines Ananda Rams life story with a broader historical account of Assams transition into colonial modernity. History unfolds alongside biography in this book elegantly translated by Banani Chakravarty for the Chronicles seriesmaking it a window into nineteenth-century Assam as well as a portrait of a remarkable life.