Dr Ananda Bormudoi

Rabindra Sarkar’s (1941-2023) demise is indeed a great loss for Assamese literature. He was one of those poets who provided vitality to the stream of poetry for the people. He has quite a few collections of poems like Britta Bhangar Samay; Kalantarar Kabita; Sattarar Padatik; Tumi Mok Sparsha Kara; Nijan Ratir Sabda and Dhuliyari Bharir Sanch. The poet won Sahitya Akademi award for poetry in 2017. His poems are lyrics in so far as they express a mood, a feeling or a thought with emotional intensity. The poet is concerned with the plight of the suffering masses like some other progressive poets. Sarkar is not simply expressing political beliefs in slogans. He knows the art of making poetry. Instead of describing situations and stating facts, he builds images which are complexes of thoughts and emotions. His poems from that point of view, are not personal utterances. The poet believes that a poem is not an autotelic verbal structure but a weapon that can change society. His images are drawn from nature and our familiar day to day life. Rabindra Sarkar is a poet who talks to the suffering people through his poems. As a poet he is loved by the people and he will be remembered.