July 1: When he arrived at the courtyard of Bishnuram Barua Hall in Jorhat to deliver a speech at a CPI meeting in 1962, there were only party president Kirtinath Bordoloi, secretary Dadhi Mahanta and the operator of the mike to listen to him. But it did not dishearten litterateur Syed Abdul Malik.

Looking around for one last time, with a clear voice he started: “Comrade Kirtinath Bordoloi, Dadhi Mahanta, operator of the mike and people going on the nearby road...”

“And within half an hour the courtyard was jam-packed. That strong was Malik sir’s oratory skills and his capacity to attract people. He was a person of short stature but one of the geniuses in Assamese literature,” recalled litterateur Nagen Saikia.

Delivering the Syed Abdul Malik Memorial Lecture, organised by Al Ameen Welfare Society, a non-political platform of the Muslims at Bishnu Nirmala Trust, Saikia today recalled his association with Malik, highlighted his contribution to Assamese literature and urged the new generation to come forward for a thorough study of his works.

Saikia said Malik’s work is a treasure for Assamese literature for its wide array of characters as well richness of language. “He was a master in Assamese language. The new generation should study his works to know the richness of Assamese language,” he said.

Malik was one of the popular Assamese writers who wrote 130 books, including 70 novels, in his 80-year-long life. He was born in 1919 and died in 2000. For his contribution to literature, Malik was conferred with Padma Shri in 1984, Padma Bhushan in 1992 and Srimanta Sankardeva Award in 1999.

He got Sahitya Akademi award for the novel Aghari Atmar Kahini (Tale of Nomadic Souls).

Some of Malik’s novels are Doctor Arunabhor Asampurna Jivani, Adharxila, Kavitar Naam Labha, Pran Samudra, Trisul, Rup Tirhar Yatri, Dukhan Nadi aru Ekhon Marubhumi, and Dhanya Nara Tanu Bhal.

Saikia was one of the few who knew Malik closely. He met Malik as a teacher in his school days and later as a friend and guide when he was serving Asam Sahitya Sabha, the state’s apex literary body.

Saikia said despite Malik’s immense contribution to society and Assamese literature, people and the government have failed to do the needful to keep alive his memory.

“I still wonder how Malik sir, who used to say that he did not have a permanent table to write, could create so many characters in his literary works, Saikia said.