Sarma cherishes the serenity of the city of his youth but feels ‘abandoned’ and ‘lost’ in its modern hustle and bustle. Pictures by Eastern Projections

He calls himself the lost child of the lost city. Born in this city, Ranjit Sarma feels he is destined to live and breathe his last here. Perhaps that is why he never wanted to leave the city of his birth.

“It has been more than five decades and I am still closely observing, feeling and experiencing the city. It’s been quite a long time. By now the city has grown to be a part of me. When I see the city today, I feel it has become restless, lost and at times a bit out of sync. The painful scenario makes me feel abandoned and lost,” sighs Sarma, sipping his evening cup of tea on the verandah of his Uzanbazar residence.

It’s the same house where he was born to renowned advocate and follower of Gandhian philosophy, Pabindra Nath Sarma.

“Many of my friends and dear ones have left the city in search of greener pastures. However, the idea of leaving home never occurred to me. No matter what happens to the city, I will always be here, like the rooted and adamant old tree, which refuses to get uprooted even during a storm,” says Sarma, pointing towards the mango tree in his backward.

Sarma compares the city of his youth to a melodious song. “Life in Guwahati had a rhythm of its own, a lyrical magic attached to it. Sadly, all these are largely missing from the city today”.

He recalls the languid unfolding of time in the city during his days of youth. He used to cherish the solitude that prevailed in the city then. But now, he is trying to come to terms with the loss of innocence of the city as modernity has invaded his “Shangri-La”.

“Earlier, we used to have a serene and fulfilling time in the city. Life in the city involved no fuss at all, unlike today,” he smiles.

Sarma, the winner of the best scriptwriter award at state film awards, 2005 believes most of the ills of the city lies in its unplanned growth and unchecked influx.

“The city has no space now. Everyone is fighting with everyone else for a piece of land. This is something to think about,” he rues.

Sarma is the popular storyteller behind most of the critically acclaimed Assamese films in recent times.

Some of the films penned by Sarma are Boibhav, directed by Manju Bora, and Raag Birag, directed by Bidyut Chakraborty. Both bagged the prestigious National Award for best film.

The very first full-length drama, Sanglab (The Dialogue), written by him in 1982 brought him into the limelight. The play depicts one of the most tumultuous eras in Assam’s history, when the entire state was in the throes of the Assam agitation.

The play received the Asam Sahitya Sabha Award in 1985.

Sanglab, with its existentialist overtones, was made into a film, Sankalpa, by director Hem Bora in 1986.

Thereafter, he went on to write some of the most fascinating and much-talked about dramas and one-act plays for the theatre and radio. His play The Enchanted Flora was selected for Akil Bharatiya Kariakam by All India Radio and broadcast all over India.

Sarma also wrote the first-ever fantasy film in Assamese, 31st June. Directed by Bhaskar Bora, the film, with a touch of magic realism, received much applause from the audience.

Sarma is now working as the deputy regional manager (law) at the city’s branch of United Bank of India. However, the artiste in the bank official always pines for a moment of solitude.

“I wish the city was more peaceful and calm. Peace has become elusive. Regular bomb blasts in the city have made life miserable. We are the children of a disturbed time. Now is the time for us to stand together to give peace a chance in the city and the state,” he says.

A staff reporter