As the eldest grandchild of Lakshminath Bezbaruah’s second child, Ratnavali Baruah, I was privileged to hear many stories about my great-grandparents from my elders. In my early years, I was entertained by stories from Burhi Ajir Sadhu. And while growing up and attending school and college in Assam, I felt Lakshminath Bezbaruah’s influence was everywhere. It was also a great honour to travel around Assam and attend the ceremonies and festivities of the 100th centenary of his birth so many years ago.

What influenced me most about my great-grandfather was his deep appreciation of many cultures and people of all walks of life: from all areas of Assam; from Bengal where he spent many years, enjoyed the literary scene, married into the Tagore family, and honored and appreciated my Bengali great-grandmother Pragyasundari Devi; and from Odisha, where he lived and, later, ran a business.

Lakshminath Bezbaruah endured his share of adversity, but faced all troubles bravely and with a bright sense of humor that is reflected in his writings and his life. According to my grandmother, he loved practical jokes.

In addition, Lakshminath Bezbaruah was very supportive of women and lovingly encouraged his wife and his three daughters in their endeavours and life choices. He was Pragyasundari Devi’s patient taste-tester when she was working on her seminal cookbooks “Amish O Niramish Ahar”, although he did make wry jokes when he was asked to eat 5-6 different tomato dishes in the same meal. His awareness of women’s situations are reflected in many of his writings, including “Joymoti Konwari”.

Although he lived and traveled widely, my great-grandfather dearly loved Assam and missed it when he was away. And his love of Assam is reflected in his poems and writings. Today, as I live and travel far away from the place where I was born, “O Mor Apunar Dex” still rings in my heart.

Indira Kleen
Davenport, Florida
U.S.A