Burhi Aair Sadhu

Burhi Aair Sadhu
বুঢ়ী আইৰ সাধু

Author	Lakshminath Bezbaruah
Country	Assam, India
Language	Assamese
Genre	Story book
Publisher	Banlata Prakashan[1]
Publication date	1911
Media type	Printed
ISBN	81-7339-215-3 [1]

Burhi Aair Sadhu or Burhi Aai'r Xaadhu (Assamese: বুঢ়ী আইৰ সাধু) (literally translated to Grandma's Tales) is a collection of stories or folklore, that have been compiled by famous Assamese author and poet Lakshminath Bezbaruah.^[2] It is one of the most popular texts in Assamese literature.^[3] This book was first published on October–November in 1911.^[4] After the first publication 100 years^[5] have been passed and countless editions of the book have been published till now. This book is in now in public domain as per copyright law of India.

Book description

Some of the 30 (Thirty) folklores included in the book were his own. The preface itself was a brilliant narration regarding genesis, movement and importance of folklores in different societies and communities of the world. Some of the stories are: Bandor aaru Xial, Dhowa Kauri aru Tiposi Sorai, Budhiyak Xial, Gongatop, Tejimola, Xorobjan and Burha Burhi etc.

Source of stories

The author collected these stories from the common people of Assam and then prepared this book. The names he mentioned in the preface of the book who contributed the folklores (but without explicitly mentioning who contributed which one) were Bhramarendra Saikia, Mahi Chandra Bora, Sitanath Sharma, Sarveshwar Sharma Kotoky, Rudrakanta Goswami, Wajed Ali, Naranath Sharma, Rusheswar Sharma, Padmadhar Chaliha, Ratnakanta Sharma, Haladhar Bhuyan, Guluk Chandra Sharma, Meghnath Deka, Roop Chandra Barua, Dinanath Medhi, Lokonath Das, Gobinda Chandra Choudhuri, Dineswar Dutta.

English translation

This book was translated to English as "Grandma’s Tales" by Deepika Phukan and published by Bhabani Offset Pvt.^[6][7][8]

Modern uses and adaptations

The stories have been notably adapted for screen, stage, and television over the years.

Films

• An Assamese film namely Haladhar (1991) was made from a story of this book by Sanjeev Hazorika.^[4]
• Another Assamese movie Tula aru Teja, directed by Junmoni Devi Khaund and released on April 13, 2012 is based on one of the stories of this book in the same name.^[9][10]
• In 2013, Metanormal Motion Pictures announced a new project inspired by four stories contained in Burhi Aair Sadhu.^[11] Titled Kothanodi, the film is expected to release in 2015.^[12] The four stories referenced in the film are Tejimola, Champawati, Ou Kuwori (The Outenga Maiden) and Tawoir Xadhu (The Story of Tawoi).

References

1. "Prakashan". Retrieved July 13, 2012.
2. mariette (March 6, 2013). "Resources on the history of Assamese children’s literature | A small journey into Indian Publishing for Children". Marietterobbes.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
3. "Welcome to Muse India". Museindia.com. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
4. "Burhi Aai to cast her spell on listeners — Yahoo! News India". In.news.yahoo.com. September 28, 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
5. "Burhi Aair Sadhu undergoes revision Assam Tribune". Kishys.com. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
6. "The Sentinel". Sentinelassam.com. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
7. "The Sentinel". Sentinelassam.com. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
8. TI Trade (July 30, 2012). "The Assam Tribune Online". Assamtribune.com. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
9. "Tula aru Teja (তুলা আৰু তেজা) - Assamese Film Promo". YouTube. April 4, 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
10. "Assamese Films in 2012". The Sentinel. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
11. New film based on Buri Ai’r Xadhu
12. Four iconic fables to feature in film

External links

• Lakshminath Bezbaruah at OnlineSivasagar.com
• Audio links
• Colours of a folk tale a novel by Mridul Sarma reinterprets the story in her novel Tejimalar Makar Sadhu.
• Gather Around Grandma, Screen — The Indian Express.
• 6 times 6 translates into 180, all children's stories Screen — The Indian Express.
• Burhi Aair Saadhu ebook at AssamKart- North East India's only ebookstore