Mangal Singh Hazowary
A Bodo poet, playwright and teacher-educator from Kokrajhar who has written more than 80 books, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2021.
Mangal Singh Hazowary is a Bodo writer and educationist, and retired principal of the Government College of Teacher Education in Kokrajhar. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2021 in the field of literature and education, from Assam [1].
Teacher of teachers
Hazowary was born on 2 March 1954 [2]. He took his BA from Gauhati University in 1975, then a Bachelor of Teaching in 1977 and an MA from the same university [2]. He taught at the Government College of Teacher Education in Kokrajhar from 1984 to 2000 and was its principal until 2014 [2]. He also lectured at colleges in Kokrajhar as a guest professor [2].
He served on the executive council of Gauhati University from 2001 to 2014, set and marked Bodo papers for the Union Public Service Commission, and has sat on academic bodies of Bodoland University [2].
Bodo literature
His work has helped lay foundations for the Bodo language and culture, including the traditional Bathou faith [2]. His books include 21 of poetry, 8 of essays, 5 of short stories, 7 of criticism, 9 biographies, 11 full-length plays, 15 one-act plays and 5 novels, along with textbooks and reference books for schools and colleges [2]. He is an adviser to the Bodo Writers’ Academy and to the All Bathou Mahasabha [2].
Gauhati University gave him an honorary doctorate, and he has received the Assam Ratna award among other honours [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2021: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2021: citation for Mangal Singh Hazowary — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
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