Dr. Banikanta Kakati

An eminent personality of the Assamese literary world, Dr. Banikanta Kakati is known to have given a new dimension to Assamese language with his literary works. He contributed remarkably towards the different fields of cultural anthropology, literature, comparative religion and linguistics. He was scholar and one of the greatest prose writers and critics of Assam.
 

Dr. Banikanta Kakati was born in the year 1894 in Barpeta to Lalitram Kakati and Lahobala. He was the second child of his parents and showed the signs of intelligence since childhood by memorizing the Pāṇini, which were ancient Sanskrit works. Owing to this, he used to secure more marks than the actual maximum marks in Sanskrit. He completed his matriculation from Barpeta and moved to Guwahati to pursue higher studies and joined Cotton College from where he completed his intermediate and secured the first position. After completion of graduation from Guwahati University, he went to Kolkata and enrolled in Presidency College from where he completed his post graduation in English Literature in the year 1918. He also secured first class first position in his 2nd M.A. degree in English Language group from Calcutta University in the year 1923.
 

In the year 1918 he came back from Kolkata to Guwahati and joined Cotton College as a lecturer of English Literature and later in 1947 he became the principal of the college. A year later, he was appointed as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Head of the Department of Assamese of Guwahati University. After he joined Cotton College as a lecturer, he started the study of Srimanta Sankardeva and old Assamese literature and in no time was haggard into a controversy between two rival schools of Vaishnavism. He published his well-read explanation of scriptural teachings in the various issues of the Banhi under the pen name of Babananda Pathak, in justification of the values represented by the teachings of Sankardeva. His thesis ‘Assamese: It’s Formation and Development’ bestowed the people of Assam and the society with a new identity as well as established that Assamese is a language that has its own character and has not been derived from any other language for which he got his PhD degree from the University of Calcutta and it was later published by the Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies (DHAS).
 

Dr. Banikanta Kakati was a precursor of Assamese literature and language as well as a great scholar in Oriental and Western learning. Visnuvite Myths and Legends, Purani Kamrupar Dharmar Dhara, Kalita Jatir Itibritta, Pokhila, Sahitya Aru Prem, just to name a few are some of the noteworthy works of this great unrivaled writer. Several articles written by him were published in a number of magazines and journals in different language. He was one of the greatest critics of not only Assam but of entire India. His Purani Asomiya Sahitya provides the fire for the approval of Vaishnavite literature of medieval Assam. He was the descendant of the Romantic age and sketched the significant background for the 20th century Assamese romantic literature. Dr. Kakati not only wrote in Assamese language but also wrote a number of books in English language, namely Life and Teachings of Sankardeva, Mother Goddess Kamakhya, Assamese: Its formation and Development, Vaishnavite Myths and legends, etc. The great critic and writer passed away on 15th November, 1952 as his health deteriorated after the death of his beloved wife Kanaklata.