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Perpetual Search
A Profile of Homen Borgohain
by Subhajit Bhadra
Homen Borgohain is one of those few Asomiya writers whose works have attracted the attention of a wide number of readers and many acclaimed critics alike. He has carved a niche for himself in the domain of Indian literature by the magic of his words and his refined and dignified personality. He is one of those rare artistes who has allowed the flow of life to find its own form in art. Though he is a natural columnist, yet his multifaceted genius exhibits its prowess in the genres of novel, short story and poetry with equal aplomb. He is a prolific writer but that has in no way jeopardised his own artistic integrity. Writing for him is a deep ethical commitment. Inspite of having rural roots, Borgohain’s work shows a deep understanding about urban complexities. In the early phase of his life Borgohain led an almost bohemian existence and the reflection of that particular life can be visualised in many of his early stories.
Life, said Chaplin’s clown in the film Limelight, is all about desire, and has nothing to do with our beliefs. Borgohain effectively brings to light the hidden cravings and desires of human beings struggling to articulate their feelings. His works light up the dark corners of the mind. Borgohain paints the life of the mind with breathtaking simplicity and there is a perfect blending between the subject matter and style. He may be called a lonely genius because no other Asomiya writer has attempted to depict life in the way Borgohain has successfully done. He can be called a true modernist in his attitude towards art and life. As Carl Jung remarked : “The man whom we can with justice call modern is solitary... Indeed, he is completely modern only when he has come to the very edge of the world, leaving behind him all that has been discarded and outgrown, and acknowledging that he stands before a void out of which all things may grow.” For Borgohain, who does not believe in the concept of institutionalised religion and for whom no ideology can fulfil the spiritual void of human beings, the destiny of man is to undertake the perpetual search for meaning in an otherwise meaningless universe.
Though Borgohain has penned many controversial and thought provoking works like Shubala, Pita Putra, Timirtirtha, Kushilab, etc, yet the novels in which he most successfully scans the existence of man with all its complexities are Astarag and Edinar Diary. In Astarag, Borgohain shows us what it means to be alive in a world which is full of pain and suffering. The heartrending agony of old age is portrayed so vividly in the novel that the readers are drowned in a well of sympathy for both Dilip and his father. Borgohain strives to prove the truth that life is an indefinite reprieve from death and to be alive is to gradually wither away. But this gradual erosion does not mean that man is to give up all attempts to live a happy life. Towards the very end of the book, Borgohain states a deeply felt reality of existence –
“Man will come and go but what will remain forever is this beautiful earth and the love of mortals for this mysterious life. Man will live forever in the midst of this love.”
Borgohain’s language is urbane and the tone is that of an understated irony towards life and death. In Edinar Diary, Borgohain goes one step forward and tries to understand the essence of existence with a philosopher’s profound quest for truth. Borgohain is a widely read man and the gems of his erudition are scattered throughout the pages of the book which help us to come to terms with our existence in a better way. The sense of alienation, despair, boredom all find manifestations in that particular work and we close the book with an enhanced understanding of our existence. As one character, Aditya Baruah says towards the end of the novel – “Life must be having a meaning; I will endeavour to find out that meaning from today”.
Borgohain’s entire artistic career consists of this search for meaning.
Courtesy: The Assam Tribune (2007)
 
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