Kallol Choudhury, a prominent bilingual poet, translator, researcher and social activist from Assam’s Barak Valley, has gained international recognition after his English poetry collection “Buddha on Planchette” was listed among the top globally discussed books by The Hindustan Times.

About the Book – Buddha on Planchette

• The collection contains 42 poems exploring themes such as:
  • Peace and spirituality.
  • Nature and environmental consciousness.
  • Human emotions and introspection.
  • Cultural identity of Northeast India.
• The poetry reflects the philosophical influence of Buddhist thought, blending lyrical expression with reflections on society and ecology.

Major Achievements of Kallol Choudhury

• Received the Literary Wits Award 2025-26 as the Best Male Translator at the national level.
• Honoured with the Michael Madhusudan Academy Award 2025 in Kolkata.
• His stories were included in collections published by:
  • Penguin Random House.
  • Oxford University Press.
• In 2023, he received the Invierno Revista Official Magazine Award from Argentina.
• He also served as an international jury member for the Global Literary Award literary festival held in Goa.

Exam Hook – Prelims Question

Consider the following statements regarding Kallol Choudhury:

1. He is a bilingual poet and translator from Assam’s Barak Valley.
2. His poetry collection Buddha on Planchette explores themes of spirituality and environmental consciousness.
3. He received the Michael Madhusudan Academy Award in 2025.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

One Line Wrap

• Kallol Choudhury’s global literary recognition reflects the rising influence of Northeast India’s cultural and intellectual traditions in world literature.