Painting exhibition of Lakhiram Baruah in Jorhat

A Correspondent

JORHAT: Tilmizur Rahman, a prominent artist from the State, inaugurated the two-day exhibition of paintings of Lakhiram Baruah, an unsung name in the world of art, at Vision Art, Asom in Jail Road in presence of Raj Kumar Mazumder, conveyor of RJ Foundation and Assistant Professor of the Department of Visual Art, Assam University, Silchar, on Tuesday in presence of Rev Anil Baruah, Amiyo Baruah, Dr. Anjan Baruah and Dr Sajib Baruah.

Tilmizur Rahman spoke about the contribution of Lakhiram Baruah whose paintings depict Biblical themes with adequate skill and craftsmanship.

Raj Kumar Mazumder, the conveyor of RJ Foundation, said that Lakhiram Baruah was perhaps the first person of the entire north-eastern region who studied at the Government School of Art, Kolkata. He took up a teaching job at Dergaon High School in which his brilliance in drawing attracted the attention of a British school inspector. The school inspector arranged a scholarship of Rs 10 per month for him to study at the Government School of Art, Kolkata. So he went to Kolkata and joined the Government School of Art there. After his completion of Diploma in Art course in Fine Art from 1914 to 1919, he returned from Kolkata and worked as a teacher at the Government Boys HS and MP School, Jorhat where he severed for 26 years from 1923-1950.

Moreover, Lakhiram Baruah was born in 1889 at Mangaldai in Darrang district, his father was Tuniram Baruah who belonged to a strict Brahmin family of Jorhat. He was Baptised at the later phase of his life and used poetry, songs, drama and paintings as tools for preaching the Gospel in Assamese cultural context. He died on April 1, 1977, said Rev Anil Baruah, one of his seven siblings.

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