Editorial

Vision 2014

As the country gears up to choose another Prime Minister, we ask people from a cross-section of society on their aspirations from Elections 2014

MITRA PHUKAN draws up her expectations from LS elections 2014

  • Firstly, peace. I hope to see, at least during my lifetime, a return of peace to this strife-torn land. Peace is the first requirement, the sine qua non, for development to take place. Peace will ensure that the people of various ethnicities can settle down to discussions, by which means the numerous problems that beset this land, can be solved, in an amicable manner.
  • An end to corruption. This is really eating into the vitals of our society. When corruption is wiped out, development will hopefully follow, bringing with it prosperity for all citizens of this State.
  • The endemic problems of floods and erosion in Assam will be solved. The sufferings and distress of the people of these valleys during the monsoons, and the hardships and economic losses they go through, should finally be alleviated. These problems have solutions. I hope that the political leaders and, more importantly, the bureaucrats, can finally get their act together, to put an end to this decades’ old problem.
  • I visualize a change in the mindsets of the people. We are a very conservative people. I hope to see social changes that will free people, especially women, from meaningless social restrictions.
  • I hope that religion will find its true place in the private lives and minds of the people, and will stop being used for political and sectarian causes.
  • I hope Assam becomes, once more, a green and gold land, whose abundance and prosperity make it the envy of the rest of the country.

Mitra Phukan19 Posts

Mitra Phukan is a writer, translator, columnist and trained Shastriya Sangeet vocalist. Her eighteen published volumes include children’s books, biographies, (including on Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika,) three novels, “The Collector’s Wife” “A Monsoon of Music”, and “What Will People Say”. a collection of short stories, “A Full Night’s Thievery” She has translated major Assamese authors into English, including Jyanpeeth awardee Birendra Kumar Bhattacharjee, “Blossoms in the Graveyard” Sahitya Akademi Awardee Harekrishna Deka, “Guilt and other Stories” etc. She has selected, partly translated and edited “The Greatest Assamese Stories Ever Told” . She writes extensively on Indian music. Mitra Phukan’s works have been extensively anthologized and she herself has been translated into several other languages. Her fictions are taught in colleges and universities across the country, and there are many research papers on them.

Artistic confluence

MITRA PHUKAN reviews a artistic experimentation of a kind rarely seen in Guwahati so far

Wed, 28 May 2014

Building Bridges

The Cultures of Peace Festival travelled to three cities all over India this year writes MITRA PHUKAN

Fri, 14 Feb 2014

Monsoon Music

MITRA PHUKAN reviews the Akhil Bharatiya Sangeet Sammelan in Guwahati

Fri, 04 Oct 2013

Piano redeemed

Mitra Phukan delves into Assam’s newfound acceptance of piano, and a recent concert’s grand step in that direction

Wed, 30 Jan 2013

Assam to Goa

MITRA PHUKAN is amazed at Goa’s culture of inclusiveness at the recently concluded Goa Arts and Literary Festival

Wed, 11 Dec 2013

Life and Death

MITRA PHUKAN delves into diplomat Amit Dasgupta’s latest book which is a simple story of loss and self discovery

Sun, 14 Jul 2013

Recapturing Guwahati

Mitra Phukan delves into the journey of her new book which is a collection of her columns

Fri, 05 Apr 2013

A Perfect Murder

Mitra Phukan feels that it takes a murder to know the life of a small town as she reads through Anu Kumar’s new book

Wed, 27 Feb 2013

In vogue, Guwahatis writerly events

Mitra Phukan writes about Guwahati's thriving literary ambience, the city's bustling venues and trends in organising literary events that have continued to draw dedicated audience through decades

Sat, 01 Dec 2012

Dilemmas of a fish eater

MITRA PHUKAN speaks as a true fish eater from Assam

Wed, 26 Mar 2014

Vision 2014

As the country gears up to choose another Prime Minister, we ask people from a cross-section of society on their aspirations from Elections 2014

Fri, 14 Mar 2014

Stimulating Minds

MITRA PHUKAN feels a multiplicity of divergent views were aired, discussed, and debated in The Thumb Print Conversations

Mon, 10 Jun 2013

Meeting Ground

Guwahati writer Mitra Phukan catches up with Steven Alter from Mussorie at the Shillong CALM Festival 2013

Tue, 14 May 2013

Rape, a hushed word

The delivery of justice must become much swifter if rapists are to be deterred at all writes Mitra Phukan

Tue, 01 Jan 2013

Balm for Assam

Writer MITRA PHUKAN tries to raise the voice of neutrality and humanism in scarred Assam

Thu, 08 May 2014

A Fistful of Moonlight

The “Write Assamese” project features 14 contemporary short stories

Thu, 23 Feb 2023

From Bedouins, the Vatican to Delhi Mistan Bhandar

Childhood Tales: Mitra Phukan recalls her varied childhood comprising of assorted people, places, cultures and languages

Sun, 08 Jun 2025

The Eccentric Genius

'Zubeen Garg's eccentricity was part of who he was,' writes Mitra Phukan

Mon, 22 Sep 2025

Mitra Phukan lists her top ten books of 2025

ThumbprintNE Best reads 2025

Sun, 04 Jan 2026