Anupam Kumar. A Telegraph picture

Aug. 24: The words that have been emerging from his pen to mesmerise poetry lovers across the country are in Hindi.

However, language will be no barrier when city-based award winning poet Anupam Kumar will attend the National Writers Workshop in Aurangabad in October to promote Assamese poetry at the national level.

Kumar will be grooming 25 promising Hindi poets, along with four other poets from across the country, at the workshop organised by the Hindi directorate of New Delhi.“I am happy to be entrusted with the responsibility of teaching the nuances of Hindi poetry to talented young poets. Although my prime duty will be to enlighten the participants about the recent trends and innovations in Hindi poetry, I will be using the opportunity to make Assamese poetry popular among the masses,” said Kumar.

The poet had won the best writer award in 2002, given by the Centre for his collection of Hindi poetry Main Bechta Hoon Dard.

Kumar has successfully translated the works of 25 legendary Assamese poets into Hindi in his anthology Lohitghati Ki Geet Aur Kavitayey published by Anamika Prakashan in 1995.

The collection contains the translated poetry and lyrics of doyens like Nabakanta Baruah, Nilomoni Phukon, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and other popular poets such as Jibon Narah.

The book had earned praise from all, including legendary singer and composer Bhupen Hazarika.

“Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was the doyen of Assamese culture. His Assamese lyrics, both revolutionary and romantic, are milestones in Assamese literature. Anupam Kumar has translated Agarwala’s lyrics into Hindi without destroying the meaning of the original text. He has woven the same magic with the other poems and lyrics in the book as well. I wish him all the best in life,” wrote Hazarika in a citation after the poet gifted him a copy of his book at his residence in Nizorapar.

“I will be carrying the book to Aurangabad to showcase Assamese poetry and prove that it is as good as that of poets across the world. I feel that translating Assamese poetry into various Indian and foreign languages will help me further the cause of Assamese poetry,” Kumar said.

Echoing Kumar’s sentiments, critic Utpal Dutta said translation of Assamese literature was the need of the hour.

“Without being translated, Assamese poetry, in spite of its richness, will be limited only to those readers who know the language. It is good news that Kumar will be popularising Assamese poetry at the national workshop,” said Dutta.

His book Mitti Mey Pran Phunkta Hai Asharikandi, a tribute to the artisans of Asharikandi in Dhubri who are famous for their terracotta art, has been selected by the Hindi directorate, New Delhi, for publication.

Kumar is also set to release his next book Assam Ke Lok Nritya soon.

Kumar has also won a scholarship awarded by the human resource development for two years in a row and has four highly appreciated poetry collections to his credit, including 13 books.

He has also translated several Hindi plays into Assamese including Girish Karnad’s Agnivarsha and Ajay Shukla’s Taj Mahal ka Tender.