S. K. Bhuyan?s son, B.K. Bhuyan, in his father?s library. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Guwahati, Dec. 28: Pages of history from the private library of pioneering Assam historian Suryya Kumar Bhuyan will now be a part of the National Archives of India (NAI) in New Delhi.

NAI archivist T. Hussain examined the documents here after the doyen?s son, B.K. Bhuyan, communicated with the national archive about his father?s private collection of rare documents.

Hussain found the collection to be of rich historical and literary value and recommended that these should be added to the NAI?s valuable collection of private papers of eminent Indians. The documents will be scientifically preserved and retained as ?Prof. S.K. Bhuyan collection?.

The collection includes speeches and questions by S.K. Bhuyan as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1952 to 1954. His personal records (biographical), documents and correspondence, which throw light on his life and career, are compiled in Dr S.K. Bhuyan. An Assamese Miscellany by Dr S.K. Bhuyan contains a collection of literary, historical and miscellaneous papers, articles and notes compiled by him between 1918 and 1961.

About Others is a collection of certificates and testimonials issued by Bhuyan between 1929 and 1964. ?In his own words in the introductory note ? a certificate appears to me an unobtrusive piece of art. Hence, it forms a distinct branch of the author?s handiwork. This is another reason why they have been preserved by me,? said Hussain.

Bhuyan?s single-handed efforts produced a masterpiece of historical narratives inspired from indigenous buranji (historical) sources.

Bhuyan, who was born in Nagaon in 1894, published many monographs and edited buranjis in the early phase of his historical quest, such as the Kamrupar Buranji (1930), Tungkhungia Buranji (1932), Deodhai Buranji (1932), Padshah Buranji (1935), Kachari Buranji (1936) and the Jaiantia Buranji (1937). However, at this stage he was not a trained historian.

In 1936, he joined the School of Oriental and African Studies at the London University to undertake a PhD in history. There he completed his well-known work, which was later published in 1947 as Anglo-Assamese Relations, 1771-1826. For the rest of his life, he remained a tireless researcher of the history of Assam. Assam Buranji and Satsari Buranji were published in the later phase of his scholarly career.

He was also instrumental in setting up the Kamarupa Anusandhan Samiti (KAS) and the department of historical and antiquarian studies (DHAS) in Guwahati.

In 1999, Bhuyan?s family donated a bulk of his books and manuscripts to the DHAS.

The Cotton College Library, which has been christened after Bhuyan, has also benefited from the generosity of Bhuyan family. In 2001, the family donated S.K. Bhuyan?s private papers, manuscripts and documentary collections to the Library.

?The collection also has Bhuyan?s original thesis, where the Sir Edward Gait was the examiner. Sir Gait?s notes are also there in the thesis,? his son said.