Nalini Prava Deka
| Nalini Prava Deka | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
11 March 1944 Assam, India |
| Died | 15 June 2014 (aged 70) Guwahati, India |
| Occupation | Author, poet, storyteller, playwright, social activist, feminist |
| Years active | 1964–2014 |
| Spouse | Bhabananda Deka |
| Children | Ankur Deka, Arnab Jan Deka, Jim Ankan Deka |
Nalini Prava Deka (11 March 1944 – 15 June 2014) was an Assamese-language author, poet, storyteller, actress and playwright from Assam, a state encompassing the Brahmaputra Valley in India. She was honoured at a 2012 gathering in Ledo by the Assam Sahitya Sabha (Assam Literary Society). Deka promoted Assamese heritage, traditional customs, weaving and fabric art, cooking and folk music with her husband, Bhabananda Deka. They researched traditional Assamese lifestyle, art, literature and culture. Deka was the first female editor and publisher of a children's magazine, Phul (Flower), and wrote 30 critically praised books. All India Radio broadcast Deka's radio plays on issues related to women and children.
According to the Assam Tribune, Deka has "been like an institution to our society" and "has contributed immensely to the cultural and economic spheres of our state".Dainik Sankarjyoti, an Assamese daily published in Guwahati, described how she played a significant part in nurturing the traditional Assamese lifestyle and social ethos by promoting Assamese weaving traditions (maintaining taat xaal—hand looms for weaving mekhela chador and churiya chapkon) and dheki (traditional Assamese crop grinders for rice and pithaguri. Deka died on 15 June 2014 in Guwahati. ChaiTunes released a music video as a tribute.
A poet, Deka inculcated the legacy of Assamese culture and heritage in her children. She set up an Assamese traditional hand loom (taat-xaal ) at her homes in New Delhi and Guwahati to produce hand-woven fabrics and garments. Deka wore her hand-woven mekhela-chador and wove suriyaa-saapkons for her husband to wear. She set up a crop-grinding tool (dheki ) at home, using it to producing her family’s food from organic herbs. Raw paddy, including rice, wheat and lentils, was ground to produce traditional Assamese food and snacks such as chaul, chira, aakhoi and sandoh. Deka demonstrated self-reliance, even in the city.
Deka wrote and edited a total of 30 books, mostly in Assamese. Some of her writing, including short stories, have been translated into English. Deka's books have been reviewed by Maheswar Neog, Bhupen Hazarika, Pramod Chandra Bhattacharya, Sheelabhadra, Rammal Thakuria, Bhabananda Deka, Bisweswar Hazarika and Kanak Chandra Deka. She had a cordial relationship with Bhupen Hazarika and Mamoni Raisom Goswami (Indira Goswami), and Hazarika wrote an article about one of her books. A compilation by Deka and her husband entitled Sahityik Dampati Adhyaksha Bhabananda Deka–Nalini Prava Deka was introduced on 4 December 2014 in Guwahati. Another book (An Extraordinary Assamese Couple, about Deka and her husband) was introduced on 28 February 2015 by Dutch scientist and author Constantin Aurel Stere.
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