A tale of a village along a river

Nature had been kind to Assam, evident in its rich natural beauty. Apart from adding colours to the scenic beauty of the State, nature has also worked its charm on the creative urges of many a writer, poet and artist. And now noted novelist Swarna Bora has come up with an enchanting tale on the lives of the people residing in a village of historical significance along the Buridihing River in Dibrugarh district. Veteran novelist Phanindra Kumar Deb Choudhury formally released the book, Buridihingor Moupya aru Acharya in Guwahati recently.

The writer Swarna Bora says that rivers have attracted him ever since childhood and most of his novels are based on the lives of people living on river banks. His new novel, Buridihingor Moupya aru Acharya is no different as it is based on the lives of the people of Namphake village on the banks of the Buridihing River.

The Namphake village in the Dihing-Patkai area is of immense historical significance. Spread across three odd kilometres along the Buridihing River, the picturesque village has an enticing charm of its own. It is the largest among the Tai-phake villages of Assam, housing 70 odd families which trace their ancestry to the great Tai race.

The people of the village speak a dialect similar to the Thai language and they still follow the rich traditional customs and rituals of the great Tai race. The hamlet is also home to the Namphake Buddhist monastery, one of the oldest and most respected Buddhist monasteries of Assam.

Bora recounts, “I always had a dream of watching the Buridihing River from close quarters. My wish was fulfilled in 2004 when I visited Namphake village near Naharkotia with my nephew and son-in-law. The beauty of the village and the overall environment inspired me to write a novel on the life of the village”.

Releasing the book, Phanindra Kumar Deb Choudhury said, “Creation is something which cannot be suppressed and creativity lords over every other thing in the world”.