Litterateur Pramod Chandra Bhattacharya passes away

Guwahati, November 12, 2018:

Renowned litterateur Dr Pramod Chandra Bhattacharya passed away on Monday morning.

He was 94.

Born on February 16, 1925 in Digheli in Nalbari district of Assam, Bhattacharya was a life member of the Assam Sahitya Sabha. He completed his matriculation from the Gurdon School, Nalbari in 1943 securing 1st division with letter marks in two subjects and received Rs.15 scholarship from the Assam government.

In 1942 when he was a Class X student, he participated in an Assamese essay competition and received the All Assam Auniati Satradhikar Dattadev Goswami Memorial Gold Medal. He also secured a silver medal for standing first among matriculation candidates from the Gurdon School.

He was among the first batch of B Barooah College where he secured 1st division in intermediate (Arts) in 1945 under the Calcutta University with letter marks in Assamese and completed BA with distinction from the Cotton College under the Gauhati University in 1948. He also did his MA from the Gauhati University in 1950 securing second class 1st position.

Bhattacharya underwent three training sessions in linguistics in the School of Linguistics, Deccan College, Pune, during 1954-56; later in the Winter School of Linguistics, Agra University in 1960. He then completed did his PhD from the Gauhati University in 1965.

He was a lecturer of Assamese in B Borooah College. He had served as its principal from 1964 till retirement in 1986.

Bhattacharya was among the founder members of the Guwahati Sahitya Sabha, Guwahati Alochana Chakra and a life member of Linguistic Society of India.

He received the Lila Gogoi Memorial Award, conferred by the Asom Sahitya Sabha, in 1999 for his contributions to folkore research. He also received the Kamarupa-ratna honour given by the Kamrup Sahitya Sabha in 2000.