Raghunath Choudhary is regarded as a pioneer in the Assamese poetic world.
Raghunath Choudhary was born in 1879 in a small village called Laopara in the Kamrup district. He completed his high school education in Guwahati and then worked as a teacher for a few days. But he quickly left the job and returned to farming. During this time, he began writing poetry.
Choudhary’s first poem was published in the magazine ‘Jonaki.’ He contributed numerous poem collections to Assamese literature. The most well-known are Xaadori (1910), Keteki (1918), Kaarbala (1923), Dohikatara (1931), and Navamallika (1932). (1958). He was the editor of several magazines, including ‘Jayanti’ (1936-38), ‘Surabhi’ (1940, 1942-44), and ‘Moina,’ a children’s magazine (1923). For a time, he was also a sub-editor of ‘Jonaki.’
Raghunath Choudhary dominated Assam’s literary scene for many years. in the first half of the twentieth century for more than fifty years He In 1901, he made his debut at the foundation’s inaugural ceremony. Cotton College, where he recited his self-written poem,’Awahan’ (An Invocation).
In 1910, he published his first anthology of poems, “Sadari” or Xaadori (darling). As the title implies, the anthology immediately captured the readers’ attention as the “darling” of their hearts. Calcutta University wasted no time in recommending “Sadari” as a text book for Matriculation exams.
“Sadari” introduced a new note into Assamese poetry. On a purely romantic note Raghu Nath Choudhury was regarded as a high preacher of Assamese Romantic poetry. The new movement reached its apex in his “Keteki” (To the Nightingale) and “Dahi Katara” (To the Magpie).
Nature was given all living qualities by the romantics. The poet’s soul was eager to make contact with Nature’s soul. As a result, romantic poetry is frequently defined as the rediscovery of nature. Rousseau’s infinite introspections resulted in an intense attachment to nature. Nature, which had previously been used by poets as a source of similes and metaphors, images and symbols, became inextricably linked with the nineteenth-century poetic imagination.
অসমীয়া সাহিত্যৰ ৰোমাণ্টিক যুগৰ প্ৰখ্যাত কবি ৰঘুনাথ চৌধাৰীদেৱক স্মৃতি দিৱসত শ্ৰদ্ধাৰে সোঁৱৰণ কৰিছোঁ। 1/2 pic.twitter.com/7dx7BGUKV4
— Ranoj Pegu (@ranojpeguassam) November 18, 2022
Choudhary’s poetry encompasses a wide range of tastes and contexts. His thoughts can be quite ambiguous at times. Some of his poems express his love for nature and his appreciation for beauty. In others, however, he expresses the traditional Indian philosophy of disconnection from the material world. There are numerous poems that deal with various tragedies. Some of them are reminiscent of his optimistic childhood. His modern romanticism was tinged with classical beauty. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of the ‘Jonaki’ era.
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Choudhary is known as Bihogi Kobi (poet of birds) because the majority of his writings are about birds and nature. Choudhary also participated in the Indian independence movement and was imprisoned for it by the British. In 1936, he presided over the Tezpur session of the Asam Sahitya Sabha. Kabiratna was bestowed upon him by the Kamrup Sanjeevani Sabha.
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Poetry books of Raghunath Choudhary:
- Xaadori (1910)
- Keteki (1918)
- Kaarbala (1923)
- Dohikatara (1931)
- Navamallika (1958)
- Gulap
This great Assamese poet died in 1967.