A Historical Novel about one of Assam's Greatest Heroes

IN CONVERSATION

Right from the receptionist at the local Assam Bhavan to a principal of a school just outside of Guwahati, everyone had pride and a sparkle in their eyes when they spoke of Lachit. I have endeavoured to capture the reason for this sentiment in Lachit The Indomitable. I was also generously helped in the research part of the book by several friends from Assam

Why did you think of writing a book on Lachit Barphukan? What were your inspirations? Any particular ties or fascination with Assam and its history?

While in school, I once happened to chance upon an Amar Chitra Katha on Lachit Barphukan. A legendary commander from Assam, the title announced. My curiosity was piqued and as I read through the slim book, I came across familiar names – Aurangzeb, Ram Singh and an inspirational struggle against the Mughal Empire. Coming from the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji, there was an instant connect. The patriotism of Lachit Barphukan, his military acumen and his dedication towards his king and his people were exemplary qualities- all brought out during the epic struggle against the Mughals.

The story stayed with me and after writing books on Maratha history, I decided to turn to this little known but glorious personality from the north east of our country. I am happy to say that the whole effort has today culminated in this book.

What was your personal journey like in crafting this book?

At the onset, I must confess that I was a bit apprehensive. Whether the topic would click outside of Assam and the north east was the foremost concern that I had. There is still a general ignorance of that part of the country, would that prove to be a serious drawback and such other concerns troubled me for a short while. Still, what was foremost for me was that the topic was close to my heart. Therefore I went ahead and wrote the book. The research and writing part introduced me to a wonderful land and culture – and people who simply adulated Lachit Barphukan. Right from the receptionist at the local Assam Bhavan to a principal of a school just outside of Guwahati, everyone had pride and a sparkle in their eyes when they spoke of Lachit. I have endeavoured to capture the reason for this sentiment in Lachit The Indomitable. I was also generously helped in the research part of the book by several friends from Assam. The journey for the book showed me there was so much I did not know about Assam and so much to learn. While the book was about Lachit Barphukan, I found a land connected to the whole country with the Puranas, the Ramayan and the Mahabharat and one of the longest running dynasties in India.

How did you research on Lachit? What were your sources of inference and facts? Could you elaborate a little separately on your research journey too?

Although my aim was to write a historical novel and not an academic work, I still invested considerable effort into research. There was a general paucity of easily available literature on the subject. I began my journey by ordering a few books from Guwahati and a couple I could find online. It was quite a difference from the dozens of references readily available on Maratha history. I also travelled to Guwahati, where I could scour through the dozens of bookshops for reference books. A visit to the Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies proved quite useful as well. Over and above that, being in the land of Lachit Barphukan, seeing the battlefields he fought on and imagining life around the mighty Brahmaputra as it would have been in the seventeenth century helped me immensely in writing the book. Being a historical novel, one of the qualities I was keen on bringing out was the creation of an accurate milieu for the events in the book. Armed with dozens of references, photographs and memories I set to work on the book.

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