Being Modern

A Biography of Ananda Ram Dhekial Phookan

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Ananda Ram Dhekial Phookan (1829–59), the subject of this first modern Assamese biography, was the most significant figure in early colonial Assam. Born into a family affected by the region’s political upheavals, including the First Anglo–Burmese War (1824–26), Ananda Ram embodied the various social and cultural transformations of the early nineteenth century.

Despite his short life, Ananda Ram left an indelible mark on Assamese society and scholarship. His crusade to establish Assamese as Assam’s rightful court and official language—displacing Bengali from its entrenched position—would prove pivotal to the making of modern Assamese identity. His diverse scholarship ranged from books for young readers to more serious and intellectually rigorous works on colonial law and language, among other subjects.

Gunabhiram Barua, the author of this book, intertwines Ananda Ram’s life story with a broader historical account of Assam’s transition into colonial modernity. History unfolds alongside biography in this book elegantly translated by Banani Chakravarty for the Chronicles series—making it a window into nineteenth-century Assam as well as a portrait of a remarkable life.