Deo Langkhui
Encyclopedia
Deo Langkhui is an Assamese
novel written by Dr Rita Chowdhury. The book unveils some important aspects of then contemporary Tiwa
society and also a series of their customs and traditions. The novel is based on historical evidence of then Tiwa kingdom, but the main protagonist is the royal lady Chandraprabha, queen of Pratapchandra. The book is a detailed account of the time of then Assam
. It is full of romance, conflict, betrayal, aggression and loyalty. The novel can be read as a fantastic story or as a historical novel or as an epic.
The novel brought its author the Sahitya Akademi Award
for Assamese, by the Sahitya Akademi
, India's National Academy of Letters.
. She throws light on social, cultural and some other important aspects of Assam’s history. She also refers to Jonbeel Mela
, a symbol of union between the upper and lower Assam, which becomes not only a place of exchanging merchandise, but also a place for exchanging hearts. Through the writer’s dexterity of descriptive power, the novel delves into the readers’ mind like a vivid picture, meticulously reflecting all the aspects of every incident.
in 2008 for this much-acclaimed novel.
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
novel written by Dr Rita Chowdhury. The book unveils some important aspects of then contemporary Tiwa
Tiwa (Lalung)
Tiwa is a tribal group inhabiting the States of Assam and Meghalaya in Northeast India. They are recognized as a Scheduled tribe within the State of Assam...
society and also a series of their customs and traditions. The novel is based on historical evidence of then Tiwa kingdom, but the main protagonist is the royal lady Chandraprabha, queen of Pratapchandra. The book is a detailed account of the time of then Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
. It is full of romance, conflict, betrayal, aggression and loyalty. The novel can be read as a fantastic story or as a historical novel or as an epic.
The novel brought its author the Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
for Assamese, by the Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
, India's National Academy of Letters.
Synopsis
The story is about the life-struggle of Chandraprabha, the banished queen of king Pratapsingha. She was banished by him to the Gova kingdom for she made merry with the Gova king in the Jonbeel Mela. The Gova king reveals his chivalry by accepting Chandraprabha as one of the members of his kingdom. In the Gova kingdom, Chandraprabha makes herself familiar with the customs of the people, and she even changes her former identity to Konchari, a Tiwa name for women. Starting from Chandraprabha, the story goes till her great grandson and thus in between there are lots of characters who are fairly rich in their own qualities.The writer's approach
The writer has shown dexterity in depicting all the characters, their actions, inner conflicts, etc, and gives us a message that sex and beauty are not the root of all relations. Besides she gives a detailed account of that particular time of AssamAssam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
. She throws light on social, cultural and some other important aspects of Assam’s history. She also refers to Jonbeel Mela
Jonbeel Mela
Jonbeel Mela is a 3-day-long community fair held at the weekend of Magh Bihu at a historic place known as Dayang Belguri at Jonbeel. It is 5 km from Jagiroad in Marigaon district of Assam and 32 km from Guwahati. The National Highway connecting the mela is NH 37...
, a symbol of union between the upper and lower Assam, which becomes not only a place of exchanging merchandise, but also a place for exchanging hearts. Through the writer’s dexterity of descriptive power, the novel delves into the readers’ mind like a vivid picture, meticulously reflecting all the aspects of every incident.
Characters
- Chandraprobha/Konchari : Chandraprabha is the queen of Pratapsingha, banished by him to the Gova king for she had made merry with the latter. In Gova kingdom Chandraprobha is highly respected by the subjects and she makes familiar herself with its customs and traditions and also changes her identity to Konchari.
- Pratapsingha/Mayamatta :
- Xadhukumar: Xadhukumar, the Gova king, is an exceptional character with boundless respect for women. He gives shelter to Chandraprabha with immense respect. He even never married with a view to give the throne to the child which is yet to born from Chandraprabha.
- Jongal Balahu :
- Arimatta :
- Gangawati :
- Ratnasingha :
- Lakhaitara :
- Fa Badacha :
- Xukumola :
- Ratnawali:
- Dhaneswar:
- Samol:
Awards
Rita Choudhury has won the Kolaguru Bishnuprasad Rabha Award in 2006 and Sahitya Akademi AwardSahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
in 2008 for this much-acclaimed novel.