Parvati Prasad Baruva (1904–1964) was a noted poet, lyricist, and dramatist: an icon of Assamese literature and the culture of Assam. Known for his simple and sensitive use of the Assamese language, he is popularly known as the Geetikavi; the lyrical poet of Assam. He was also one of the early pioneering filmmakers of Assamese cinema.

Biography

He was born on 19 August 1904 near the banks of the Dikhow river in Sibsagar, Assam to Radhika Prasad Baruva and Himala Devi. Parvati Prasad's great-grandfather Jaduram Deka Baruva wrote the first bilingual Assamese dictionary in 1839. Parvati Prasad graduated in philosophy from Kolkata's Scottish Church College as a graduating student of the University of Calcutta. During his sojourn in Kolkata, he would watch plays, dance dramas (or Rabindra Nritya Natyas) and other musical events based on the works of Rabindranath Tagore. These experiences helped to further hone his creativity as a music composer later.

Works

Parvati Prasad, at the age of ten, for the first time, played the part of 'Joymoti', in a play staged by the local theater group. In 1921, he started a hand written monthly magazine called Jhupitora.

Cinema

Poetry and music

Dramas

Translations and awards

Baruwa's poetry has been translated into Hindi, English and may other Indian languages. English translation of his poems by Paromita Das under the titles "If Life Be Lost" and "Life Awakens" was conferred with Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Literary Translation Award in 2007.