SPACE OF WOMEN IN ASSAMESE LITERATURE

 

WOMAN AS CHARACTER AND WRITER IN ASSAMESE LITERATURE:

                    The writings of writers from Assam trace the position of woman in Assamese society and culture. Gunaviram Baruah in his drama ‘RAM NABAMI’ depicts the love of Ram and widow Nabami. The whirlpool of consequences led Nabami to commit suicide. Her sacrifice marked a new dawn of reawakening of the society. However, The real boost came during the colonial period with the influence of western education; a feminist consciousness was born. The Assamese journal Awahon published writings of woman writers on different issues of woman from 1929 itself. Chandra prabha Saikiani,Swarnalata Saikiani and many other female writers were contributors to the journal. They found the literary enterprise a means to reflect their possibilities and ideals of life. Awareness of power politics in male/female relationship has become the point to focus in the writings of Assamese writers of later stage. Mamoni Roisom Goswami needs to be cited here. Her woman characters rebel against the patriarchal norms of the society. She has shown some other women too who act as the agents of the patriarchal society. Thus Damayanti in the story the ‘OFFSORING’ is the symbol of woman's plight in a patriarchal society where woman is treated not as a human being full of emotion and sensibility, but as a machine to run the family line. Indira Goswami, the creator of Damayanti, is herself a victim of patriarchal social prejudices. Her stories and novels depict her revolt against the society. During her childhood astrologer asked her mother to drown the child in the river instead of bringing her up. That ominous child has become the bright star of Assamese literature. 

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