Imran Shah

Imran Shah, known as “Katha Shilpi” Nawab Imran Shah, is an Assamese poet, novelist, short story writer, lyricist, columnist and playwright, and a former head of the Assamese department at Sibsagar College. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2021 in the field of literature and education, from Assam ^[1].

Early start

Shah was born on 23 November 1933 at Dhai Ali in Sivasagar, the youngest child of Muhammad Shah and Mariam Nissa ^[2]. He studied at the Government High School in Sivasagar and took a BA from Sibsagar College in 1958, then an MA in Assamese literature from Gauhati University, where he was literary secretary of the students’ body ^[2].

He began publishing young. His first book of poems, Banavashi, came out when he was in Class 9, and his first novel, Sangeetor Sipare, the following year ^[2].

Seventy years of writing

His best-known work is Jaban Bandi ^[2]. Over seven decades he has written 10 novels, 11 collections of short stories, 6 essay collections, 3 books of poems, 2 plays, 11 radio plays and a book of songs, and translated 6 books ^[2]. He has also written under the pen names Ishan Dutta, Anamika Baruah, Kumbhakarna and Animesh Baruah, edited 5 volumes and edited 3 newspapers and magazines ^[2].

In public life

From 2013 to 2015 Shah was president of the Asom Sahitya Sabha, Assam’s foremost literary body ^[2]. He was the founding principal of Arunodoi College from 1993 to 2003, and in 1951 helped found the Tarun Sangha Reading Club ^[2]. He has served on the court of Dibrugarh University and on programme boards of All India Radio and Doordarshan in Dibrugarh ^[2].

His honours include the Assam Valley Literary Award and the Assam government’s Ajan Pir award ^[2].