Renowned Assamese poet Anis Uz Zaman dies at 79

Guwahati: Poet and lyricist Anis Uz Zaman died Sunday morning at Nemcare Hospital in Guwahati. He was 79. The writer passed away at 7:40 am, according to family members. Born February 3, 1947, in the Sivasagar district village of Baruah Bamunbari, Zaman built a career rooted in both education and the arts. He spent years as a teacher, holding posts at Guwahati University and R.D. Higher Secondary School in Mirza.

Zaman leaves behind a deep literary footprint. He debuted in 1989 with the collection Agnjate, later publishing Seujia Joon, Gadhuli, Ei Batediei, and Dokmokali. His work crossed borders, translated into English, Hindi, Bengali, Odia, Tamil, French, and Spanish. He led the All Assam Poets’ Conference and held membership in the Asom Sahitya Sabha.

Awards defined his career. The Asom Sahitya Sabha named him National Poet in 2025. He also held the Kabyaratna title from the All Assam Poets’ Conference, alongside the Gangadhar Meher National Poetry Award, the Ganesh Gogoi Award, and the Amulya Chakraborty Memorial Translation Award.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma mourned the loss of the orator and critic. Sarma wrote, "The news of the demise of eminent poet, translator, critic, eloquent orator, and an immensely positive and simple-hearted personality, Anis Uz Zaman Dangoriya, has deeply pained me." Sarma called the death an irreparable void for the state’s literature and social life.