TRIBUTE PAID TO INDIRA GOSWAMI, NOTED LITTERATEUR & PEACEMAKER
Eminent litterateur, Jnanpith laureate, peacemaker between the insurgent United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the Centre and India's first Principal Prince Claus Laureate Indira Goswami, popularly known as Mamoni Raisom Goswami, passed away at 7.45 a.m. at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital here on Tuesday,29th, November,2011, after prolonged illness. She had been in hospital since February. She was 69. Her husband Madhaven Raisom Ayengar died in an accident within two years of their marriage in 1965. Dr. Goswami, an author of several best seller Assamese novels and short story collections, won the Sahitya Akademi Award for her powerful novel Mamare Dhara Tarowal Aru Dukhan Upanyasa in 1982 and the Jnanpith Award in 2000.
Assam government has announced that the last rites of the trend setting writer would be completed in full state hounour. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi led the state in mourning the demise of Dr. Goswami. Mr Gogoi described the demise of Dr. Goswami as an irreparable loss in the field literature. He went to the GMCH and paid homage to the noted litterateur before the mortal remains were taken to her residence. The mortal remains will be taken to the Judge's Field at 4 p.m. and kept there to facilitate people to pay their last respect. The last rite of Dr Goswami will be performed on Wednesday. As soon as the news spread a large crowd of her admirers including eminent litterateurs, writers, leaders of political parties, student and youth organizations, representative of the Asam Sahitya Sabha, Bodo Sahitya Sabha gathered at the GMCH and her residence at Gandhibasti to pay their homage.
It was Dr. Goswami, who mediated between the Centre and the ULFA and succeeded in convincing both the government and the ULFA to come forward for negotiation. Her initiative led to formation of the Peoples' Consultative Group (PCG) by the ULFA to prepare the ground for peace talks. Although the discussions between Centre and the PCG broke down, she continued to prevail upon both the sides to sit for talks and resolve the conflict through peace negotiation. She also played key role when the Sanmilta Jatiya Abhbartan, an umbrella body of civil society organisations of Assam, facilitated the resumption of dialogue between the ULFA and the Centre. Dr. Goswami donated the entire amount of Rs. 60 lakh she received as a Principal Prince Claus Laureate in 2008 for building of a government hospital at her ancestral Amranga village in Kamrup district. The hospital building is now ready for inauguration. She was also a recipient of Katha award, Karnataka Sangha Sammam, Manas Chatuechati Samiti Samman, Kamal Kumari Foundation National Awards, Sauhardya award and Bhart Nirman award. She was conferred a D Litt by Rabindra Bharati in 2002. Known for her scholarly work Dr Goswami's work Ramayana from Ganga to Brahmaputra is a highly acclaimed work on Ramayani studies. She worked in Delhi University as the head of the Department of Modern Indian Languages and briefly as a teacher of Sainik School, Goalpara.
Prof. John Kurakar
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