King Deep Singh Deu Raja releases the book, Deu Langkhui, by Rita Choudhury. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Feb. 10: The legacy of an 800-year-old royalty sits heavily on his young shoulders, but the 13-year-old king of the Tiwas, Deep Singh Deu Raja, is proud of the ?democratic monarchy? he lords over.

The king of Gobha was today the cynosure of all eyes as he entered the packed auditorium of Bishnu Nirmala Sadan in his royal attire to unveil the history of his forefathers, elaborately dealt in the novel Deu Langkhui by award-winning author Rita Choudhury.

The kingdom of Gobha is situated in the western fringe of Morigaon district.

The king was accompanied by 19 members of his court to the city.

?I am thankful to Choudhury that she took great pain in presenting the history, society, culture and in a way, the life of the Tiwas in her novel,? said the king while releasing the book.

?Even the pages of history neglected us, but the author has sincerely tried to portray a picture of the Tiwa dynasty during the medieval period, he said.?

After a gap of more than 150 years, the Assamese literary circle once again witnessed the release of a book where a small community of the state has been depicted in a fictionalised format.

Miri Jiori by Rajani Kanta Bordoloi was the first novel where the life of the Mising community was narrated vivaciously. The book went on to become one of the most loved classics in Assamese literature.

?After the legend of Jonki-Panei became a house-hold name, perhaps my ancestor Zongal Bolohu, the hero of this novel, will become a big name, too? Deu Raja said.

The young king, who is a student of Class VII, took over the charge of his kingdom at the age of 3 after the death of his father. But the king nourishes wishes like any other teenager.

He takes time off from his kingly affairs and studies to cultivate his passion for football. Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo and country-grown hero Baichung Bhutia are among his favourites.

The first visit of the young king to the city along with his royal entourage for a few hours was quite a rewarding one for him as well. He got to meet many giants of the literary world.

?I know I have to carry on the legacy of my forefathers,? said the king.

?The time is quite different now than 800 years ago. But I am proud to say that for centuries ours is a people-friendly kingdom, where even a commoner can remove a king for his grave mistakes,? he added.

As the king is yet to reach his adulthood, his court comprising 51 members helps him to carry out his day-to-day activities.

The book release function saw the simultaneous unveiling of two other books written by the grandfather and father of Choudhury.

Sri Sri Sankari Dharma Auri Bhakti Sar by Rama Nanda Choudhury and a collection of five novels Uponyash Somogroh by Biraja Nanda Choudhury were unveiled before the audience by Sahitya Akademi award-winning author L.N. Bora.