Aligarh(U.P.): Popular Assamese short story writer, novelist, columnist and scholar Dr Arnab Jan Deka’s completion of half a century as a published creative writer has been celebrated at the iconic top Indian academic institution Aligarh Muslim University’s international Literature Festival AMULitFest2025 held from 23^rd to 25^th of February 2025. On that occasion a commemorative book titled ‘Half A Century of An Incredible Odyssey’ containing compiled research papers, PhD thesis chapters, critical essays and reports on the half-centurion Assamese author’s writings published over the last five decades had been officially launched by top Indian historian, eminent scholar and academic Professor Emeritus Dr Irfan Habib and an English anthology of the writer’s short stories edited by Canadian author and editor Laurinda Hartt Fournier was launched by Somerset Maughm award winner and Booker long-listed British novelist Dr Simon Andrew North at the inaugural session of the literature festival. It is the first occasion when an Assamese author’s half century of writing career has been celebrated outside of Assam by an iconic university of the stature of AMU. Dr Arnab Jan Deka’s short stories are already part of post graduation English literature syllabus of universities in South India, and his novels are already being adapted in Bollywood into popular Hindi TV series telecast by Doordarshan National channel and also under production as feature films.

Addressing the audience, Dr Arnab Jan Deka elaborated in details how the local essence, communal cohabitation practices and legends as well as family heritage shaped his literary senses. He specially referred to the unique religious, cultural and social traditions set up by Srimanta Sankardev five centuries’ back in Assam with active support of disciples and associates from all local communities including Chand Kha from the Islamic community, and also the religious coexistence of Powa Mecca, Haygrib Madhab Temple and Buddhist Stupa at the same place at Hajo near his home city Guwahati. He fondly recalled writing his first Assamese radio-play ‘Mukti’ as a school student of ninth standard and acting in another Urdu language radio-play ‘Idd Mubarak’ later on glorifying the tradition of inter-religious respect and celebration in his native land of Assam, both broadcast by All India Radio Guwahati centre in early 1980s, and stressed on the fact that those creative pursuits were not his political statements or any extraordinary acts, as that is the way of life in Assam universally accepted by Assamese common people. It is pertinent that his first write up appeared in popular Assamese weekly in its issue dated 19 September 1975.

Many celebrated writers from around the world like Dr Geetanjali Singh Chanda, Dr Naved Khan, Dr Mohibul Haq, Dr Alexander Robert Philip, Dr Kamalananda Jha, Dr Rashid Nehal, Dr Ananya Vajpayee, Christophher Flakus, Dr Achingliu Kamei, Mohd Zahid, Dr Siddhartha Chakravarty, Dr Mustaq Ahmad Zargar, Dr Ayesha Munira Rasheed, Dr Nazia Hasan, Dr Sirajuddin Ajmali, Dr Mridula Garg, Dr Shagufta Niyaz, Azra Naqvi, Dr Nasira Sarma, Dr Sanjib Kaushal, Dr Anuradha Marwah beside Dr Deka participated at different panels over the next three days.

The Vice Chancellor of AMU Dr Naima Khatoon hosted Dr Deka at her office for an intimate discussion about bonding between AMU and Assam, during which she recalled her association and friendship with many Assamese individuals, and Dr Deka also fondly recalled his Cotton College English professor and a renowned Assamese poet Navakanta Barua who was also a proud alumnus of English department of AMU. The VC expressed her admiration for Assamese literature and late Barua though she never visited Assam. Dr Deka proposed that AMU should establish an Assamese Department in order to study both the Assamese literature as well as the special inter-communal camaraderie of the multi-religious Assamese nationhood, that may inspire rest of India and world to peacefully cohabit with all religious and ethnic identities.

Eminent scholar Dr Irfan Habib also hosted the invitee Assamese litterateur Dr Deka at his sprawling residence and exchanged historical knowledge about Assam. He expressed happiness for having the honour of officially launching a book amidst an international gathering of writers celebrating completion of half a century of writing career of an Assamese writer and wished Dr Deka a long future of academic and literary excellence. He also discussed about the critical writings and research based papers and theses compiled in the book, and opined that they put Dr Deka’s writings on a high pedestal. Dr Habib also pointed out that several ancient books elaborately mentioned about the existence and significance of the Powa Mecca of Assam as it is fairly well known among the academic circle. He hoped that acknowledgement of Dr Deka’s literary milestone by Aligarh Muslim University will lead to extensive research and deliberations of peculiarity of Assamese heritage and literature at AMU and other institutions of eminence in rest of India and elsewhere.

Accompanying photographs are felicitation of Dr Arnab Jan Deka at Aligarh Muslim Univeristy LitFest by the president Prof. (Dr) Nazia Hasan, official launching of commemorative book on his writer’s journey of half a century by Prof Emeritus Dr Irfan Habib and his English short story collection by Dr Simon Andrew North, delivery of speech by Dr Deka and his conversations with AMU VC Prof (Dr) Naima Khatoon and Professor Emeritus (Dr) Irfan Habib in company of AMU faculties Dr Yasmin Ansari and Dr Shahidul Hoque.