Two new books by eminent Assamese author Arup Kumar Dutta—Leaves No Longer Green and The Bag (Assamese translation)—were released in Guwahati on the occasion of the author’s 80th birthday.

Key Highlights

• The books were released by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, along with eminent educationists, writers and journalists.
• Leaves No Longer Green, published by HarperCollins, explores the history of Assam’s tea plantations, focusing on the exploitation and suffering of tea garden workers during British colonial rule.
• The Bag, published by Assam Book Hive, is the Assamese translation of Dutta’s English novel and examines the social impact of the Assam Movement and the rise of armed insurgency during the 1980’s.
• The objective of both books is to preserve historical memory, encourage critical understanding of Assam’s past, and present the state’s rich heritage before a wider audience.

About Arup Kumar Dutta

• Arup Kumar Dutta is a prominent literary figure in English from North East India.
• He wrote in a global language about Assam, showing how unique its people and culture were.

• Moreover, his diverse and deeply researched writings have chronicled Assam’s culture, society and history, placing the region on the global literary stage.
• Born in 1946 at Jorhat, he completed Senior Cambridge from Lawrence School, Sanawar, and completed his BA (English honours) as well as MA from Delhi University. 
• Before becoming a full-time professional writer in English, he served as a professor in English for many years at JB College, Jorhat. 

His Literary Journey 

• He wrote a total of 18 books for adults and 17 adventure novels for the young reader.
• The Kaziranga Trail, a thrilling narrative around rhino poaching in Kaziranga National Park, was his first published work in 1978. 
  • It educated the young reading public globally on the need for conservation.
• He is the first writer who writes juvenile English detective novels from the region.
• His other adventure novels for young people include The Blind Witness, Smack, Trouble at Kolongjan, Revenge, Lure of Zangrila, Footprints in the Sand, The Boy who became King, A Story About Tea, The Crystal Cave, The Counterfeit Treasure, Oh, Deer, Save the Pool etc. 
• His books have been translated to many Indian languages as well as foreign languages such as German, Japanese, Russian, Czech, Hungarian etc.
• Three of his books have been made into feature films — 
  • The Kaziranga Trail into the film “Rhino” directed by Shashank Shankar, The Blind Witness into “Netraheen Sakshi” directed by Nabendu Ghose and Revenge  into “Pratisodh.”
• Dutta’s short stories, satires, and social commentaries made a mark in national journals such as The Illustrated Weekly of India, The Caravan, Femina, JS, and Eve’s Weekly. 
• His popular satire column Columnous Venomous in The Assam Tribune—known for its wit and fearless critique—was akin to R.K. Narayan’s “Common Man.”
• Breaking out of expected patterns, Dutta’s The Anagarika’s Swansong stands out as a bold experiment in anti-novel form. 
  • Here, he explores the journey of a modern-day ascetic who ends up in a mental asylum. 
• His bestseller The Brahmaputra is a fitting tribute to the flourishing civilisation that developed in the river valley. 
• His book Gauhati High Court – History and Heritage retraces the institution’s past. 
• Unicornis, a documentation of the Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros, when first published, was the only work available on the endangered animal endemic to Assam.

Historical Fiction and Biography

• • Dutta is also a master of historical fiction, a genre he uses with exceptional craft to render real events and periods with imaginative detail. 
  • His magnum opus The Ahoms is an epic retelling of the 600-year-long Ahom dynasty that ruled Assam. 
  • The historic journey of Assam’s gift to the world – tea – is traced in his books, Cha Garam and Hammer Blow.
  • In Assam’s Braveheart, he brings alive the legendary valor of Lachit Barphukan, the 17th-century general who defended Assam from Mughal invasions. 
    • The book’s widespread popularity led to its translation into 23 Indian languages.
  • His imaginative biography Saint, Saviour, Soul, Society is a comprehensive tale of the life of Mahapurush Sankardev.
  • Similarly, The Bag sensitively explores the trauma of insurgency faced by Assam through a fictionalized yet rooted narrative.
  • His narrative of the Pothorughat peasant uprising of 1894 against the British, reminds the nation of Assam’s contribution to the independence movement. 
  • Dutta has also penned biographies of cultural stalwarts like Bhupen Hazarika and Jyoti Prasad Agarwala.

• His book, The Final Frontier is a thrilling account of the history of establishing the railway network in the Northeast, from the British era to the end of the 20th century.

Exam Hook (Prelims)

1. Consider the following statements regarding Arup Kumar Dutta:

1. He is a noted English-language author from Assam.
2. His work The Kaziranga Trail is associated with Assam’s wildlife and conservation.
3. His novel Leaves No Longer Green explores the history of tea plantation labour during British rule.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 

One-Line Wrap

Arup Kumar Dutta’s latest works revive important chapters of Assam’s colonial and socio-political history while strengthening the state’s literary and cultural legacy.