Makers of Indian Literature- Praphulladatta Goswami

Praphulladatta Goswami (1919-1998) was a multifaceted personality. One of the pioneers in the field of folklore studies in India, he has also a distinct niche of his own as a writer of Assamese fiction, especially novels. Goswami, a prolific writer of non-fictional prose as well, had colourful attributes to his character such as love for birds, connoisseurship of drinks which, to some extent, have been reflected in his works and in this title as well. His highly acclaimed works include Asamiya Jana-Sahitya (on Folklore), Mahatma Gandhi (Biography), Ei Yugar Sahitya (Essays), Sahitya Aru Jivan (Essays), Kecha Patar Kapani (Novel), Bilati Hoja (Work for Children), Antegone (Translation). Some of his major works in English are Folk Literature of Assam, Bihu Songs of Assam, Ballads and Tales of Assam. He has been honoured with several awards and accolades.

Birendranath Datta, a well-known name in folklore studies and many other fields, has presented papers in a number of International Seminars. He has more than twenty books in Assamese and English to his credit. Former President of Asam Sahitya Sabha (2003-2005), he received the Padma Shri in 2009.

Writing this biography of Professor Praphulladatta Goswami has been for me a labour of love on one hand, and a daunting challenge on the other. Professor Goswami happened to be my Guru as well as my mentor. I had the proud privilege of being the first research scholar to receive the Ph. D. degree under his guidance. Later, I became his junior colleague in the department of Folklore Research, Gauhati University until his retirement. But our relationship extended much beyond the academic area to cover many other fields including family ties. I consider this little volume as a symbolic offering of gratitude for all the debt I owe him. At the same time, I have a feeling that the long and abiding intimacy between the two of us might have worked as a sort of handicap standing in the way of true objectivity.

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