Surya Kumar Bhuyan


Surya Kumar Bhuyan MBE was a writer, historian, and a poet from Assam. He presided over the Asam Sahitya Sabha held at Shillong. He was the elected member of Rajya Sabha during 1952–53, and was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1956.

Life history and achievements

Bhuyan was born on 27 January 1894 to Rabilal Bhuyan and Bhubaneshwari Bhuyan at Fauzdaripatty, in Nagaon district, Assam. He began his education at Nagaon but in 1904, moved to Shillong. He graduated from the Shillong Government School in 1909. In 1913, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in the Presidency College, Calcutta, and in 1916, completed his master's degree English in the Calcutta University. He started his career as a teacher in Jorhat Mission School. In 1918, he was appointed as a lecturer in Cotton College at Guwahati. In 1936, Bhuyan went to England to work on his PhD at the London School of Oriental and African Studies. Bhuyan became the first Assamese to be the Principal of the Cotton College, Guwahati. After which, Bhuyan began to resuscitate the Buranjis and formulate a distinct past for Assam, against its inclusion within the framework of the Indian state. In this, he continued the work of Sir Edward Gait, collecting historical manuscripts from old families and converting them into a readable format. He retired as the DPI Assam and took charge as the Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University.

Literary works

Surya Kumar Bhuyan compiled, collated, and edited a number of books and articles in the Assamese language. He also wrote a few books in English and Bengali, which include:

Historical books