LAKHIMPUR: An eminent journalist of Lakhimpur district, an academician, a popular teacher-cum-social activist in the true sense, Chandreswar Duworah is no more. He breathed his last around 8.15 pm at his residence on Saturday night due to old age ailments. He was 90.
Born to Sitaram Duworah and Bhubaneswari Duworah in 1933 at No. 2 Bohupathar village under Narayanpur area of Lakhimpur district, Chandreswar Duworah was a permanent resident of Nakari, Ward No. 1 of North Lakhimpur town. With a brilliant academic career, Duworah was potent enough to achieve MA B.T. Degree and earned name and fame as a popular teacher of English subject. Duworah started his service life as a teacher in 1962 and retired as the principal of Saboti HS School in 1997. Then he joined as founder principal of Abdul Latif Baruah Junior College in 2008 and served in the academic institution till 2017. The Government of Assam honoured him as a teacher of credit.
Duworah heralded a new era in the field of journalism in Lakhimpur district by editing the ‘Na-Lakhimi’ in 1971 as the founder editor of the fortnightly newspaper. As a journalist, he worked dedicatedly for several newspapers of the State, like weekly ‘Janambhumi’, ‘the Ganatantra’, ‘Mahajati’ and ‘Asom Batori’. He was the associate editor of weekly ‘Natun Batori’ and editor of literature and cultural magazine ‘Manisha’. He was the secretary of Undivided Lakhimpur and Dhemaji District Journalists’ Association. Axam Xahitya Xabha accorded him special felicitation in its tenth special Raha session in 2019.
As a creative writer, Chandreswar Duworah published several books on different subjects. ‘Utkanthita Hriday’ is his anthology of poems while ‘Nikhoj’ is anthology of translated short stories writen by globally acclaimed writers. On the other hand, ‘Jonakir Pohar’ is anthology of his own short stories, poems and articles. He also edited a widely read book named ‘Lakshmipur ne Lakhimpur?’ in 2019. The transcreation of the epic novel ‘Paraja’ in the Assamese language by Duworah was released in North Lakhimpur Press Club in 2021. This novel ‘Paraja’ was originally written in the Odia language by Gopinath Mohanti, the Jnanpith and Sahitya Akademi award winner litterateur of Odisha. Moreover, a big number of his write-ups, written on various occasion, had been published in several magazines, journals of the State. He was the first secretary of the literature and magazine section of North Lakhimpur College. He was also the lifelong member of the Axam Xahitya Xabha.
On Sunday, Duworah’s body was taken to Saboti HS School and last homage was paid to him there. Various individuals and organizations of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji, including Lakhimpur Jila Xahitya Xabha, Tilak Mohan Dastidar Smriti Rakhya Samiti, expressed grief at the demise of Chandreswar Duworah and prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul while extending grief to the bereaved family. He is survived by his wife, retired principal-cum-noted writer Arati Gohain Duworah, two sons and a daughter along with a host of families.
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