User:Anupam Chutia

Jonaki marked the dawn of romanticism in Assamese literature. I am going to tell you about first Assamese monthly magazine "Jonaki" which was published from Kolkata (1889-1898) and Guwahati (1901-1903). In this magazine, we got our first Assamese romantic poem "Bonkunwari"(the wood Nymph) by Chandra Kumar Agarwal, and the first Assamese literary works as well. "Jonaki" had to a lot contributions in development of modern Assamese literature. After the re-establishment of Assamese language, as state language in 1873,some youngsters,like Chandra Kumar Agarwala and Hemchandra Goswami started to think about an Assamese journal which will lead the modern Assamese literary works. Thus that group of Kolkata based Assamese students with modern approach formed a society for Assamese language development purposes with the name "Oxomiya Bhaxa Unnati Xadhini Xobha". Later on this society published Assam's very first monthly magaz6 "Jonaki" which means "Moonlight ". On 9 February 1889. "Jonaki" also was the mouthpiece of this Assamese language development society. Hemchandra Goswami's "Kaku Ruh Hiya Nibilaw" (No More Of my Heart to Anybody) was a unique poem of its kind. A regular humorous column titled " Kripabor Boruar Kakotor Tupula" By Lakshminath Bezbaruah, was also included. Kamalkanta Bhattacharya's Agarwala's "Niyor" (Dew- Drops) were two e- making poems published in the first year of the magazine.The first editor of the magazine was Chandra Kumar Agarwala, a prominent writer of those period. Below are the list of "Jonaki " editors______
 * Chandra Kumar Agarwala
 * Hemchandra Goswami
 * Satyanath Boruah
 * Kanaklal Boruah

"Jonaki" was published from Guwahati for the first time editor Satyanath Boruah. Along with those editors "Jonaki" had some regular writers too, like Lakshminath Bezbaruah. Jonaki period was the golden era of modern Assamese literature practice.

Anupam Chutia MAMC 3rd Semester Dibrugarh University