Veteran journalist and litterateur Lalit Barua passes away

A CORRESPONDENT

DHEKIAJULI: Veteran teacher, journalist, and author Lalit Barua, a literary pensioner and noted cultural figure of Sonitpur district, passed away on Monday morning. He is remembered as one of the foundational pillars of grassroots journalism and literary activism in the Dhekiajuli region.

Born on November 1, 1939, at Konwargaon in Dhakuakhana of Lakhimpur district, Barua later made Moinajuli village his permanent home and workplace, where he shaped generations of students and readers through his contributions to education and literature.

A founding teacher and later a retired faculty member of Rangagora Higher Secondary School, Barua built a parallel and impactful career in journalism at a time when rural news reporting was still in its formative stage. He served as a local correspondent for several leading Assamese newspapers and periodicals, including Natun Asomiya, Ajir Asom, Dainik Asom, Dainik Janambhumi, and Mahajati, earning recognition as one of the early news pathfinders of Dhekiajuli.

Coming from a family rooted in the Freedom Movement, he was the son of freedom fighter and social worker Chandrashekhar Das and freedom fighter Akanbala Das. His father is also noted in literary history for having admitted renowned writer Homen Borgohain to primary school, a contribution later acknowledged by Borgohain in his essays.

Barua’s literary output spanned poetry, fiction, biography, essays, and songs. His published works include Jibon Jeuti, Jibon Aru Bastab, and historically significant writings on the 1942 Movement in Dhekiajuli. He also authored biographical works on his parents, documenting their role in social awakening and women’s empowerment. In addition to his own writings, he edited several important literary and commemorative volumes associated with literary bodies and social organizations. Deeply associated with literary institutions, Barua held leadership roles in the Axam Xahitya Xabha and the Sonitpur District Xahitya Xabha, besides contributing to poets’ forums, teachers’ associations and cultural organizations.

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