First in Assam and First Assamese [List]
If I ask you “What is the name of the first Assamese Movie?”, you will say its “Joymoti”. You will have no problem in answering the question. The same can be said about the question “Who directed the first assamese movie Joymoti?”. The answer is Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala.
These questions are easy because from school days we have been reading or listening to those facts. Because of this we never forget about them.
However, if I ask you this: “Who was the first Assamese to hold the post of the President of Indian National Congress?”, you may have difficulty in answering. This is because these are questions we may not have encountered during our school or college days.
This is why we have compiled a list of First in Assam and First Assamese. Here, we have tried including most of the common as well as a few uncommon and important facts so that you can come back to this article every time you are confused and can practice.
List of First in Assam and First Assamese
| First in Assam and First Assamese | What / When / Where / Who / Whom / Which / Whose | Remarks |
| First Assamese movie | Joymoti | ‘Joymoti’ is an Indian film released on 10 March, 1935. It was based on Lakshminath Bezbarua’s play about the 17th-century Ahom princess Joymoti Konwari. Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala produced and directed the film which starred Aideu Handique and Phani Sarma. |
| First Assamese colour movie | Bhaiti | ‘Bhaiti’ was an Assamese film released in the year 1972. The movie was directed by Kamal Narayan Choudhury. It is regarded as the first colour film in Assamese cinema. |
| First Chief Minister of Assam | Gopinath Bordoloi | Gopinath Bordoloi served as the first Chief Minister of Assam from 1946 to 1950 and was popularly known as ‘Lokapriya’ (loved by all). He was posthumously conferred the ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1999. |
| First bridge over the Brahmaputra River | Saraighat Bridge | Saraighat Bridge is a rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra River in Assam and is 1492 meters long. Saraighat Bridge was inaugurated in the year 1962. |
| First woman Chief Minister of Assam | Syeda Anwara Taimur | Syeda Anwara Taimur served as the Chief Minister of Assam from 6 December, 1980 to 30 June, 1981. |
| First Director of an Assamese film | Jyotiprasad Agarwala | Jyotiprasad Agarwala was a renowned Indian poet, writer, songwriter, playwright, and film maker of Assam. He was popularly known as ‘Rupkonwar’ and was he first Assamese movie ‘Joymoti’ was directed by him. In his honour, his death anniversary (17 January) is observed as ‘Silpi divas’ (Artists’ Day). |
| First film Director from Assam | Pramathesh Barua | Full name: Pramathesh Chandra Barua. He was an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter of Indian films and was born in Gauripur in Dhubri district of Assam. Directed a Bengali film named ‘Devdas’. |
| First University of Assam | Gauhati University | Gauhati University was established on 26 January, 1948. Gauhati University is the oldest university in Northeast India. |
| First Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University | Krishna Kanta Handique | |
| First Assamese to become the Vice Chancellor of a University outside Assam | Sarat Kumar Dutta | Kurukshetra University |
| First Film Studio in Assam | Jyoti Chitraban | Jyoti Chitraban was established in the year 1961 at Kahilipara, Guwahati. The studio was named ‘Jyoti Chitraban’ in honour of Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala (Jyoti stands for Jyotiprasad Agarwala & Chitraban stands for the name of the studio established by him in his “Bholaguri Tea Estate” during the making of ‘Joymoti’ movie. |
| First High Court of Assam | Gauhati High Court | Established in 1948. |
| First Assamese Sonnet | Priyotomar Sithi | Written by Hemchandra Goswami. |
| First Romantic poem in Assamese language | Bon Kunwori | The first romantic poem in assamese language is Bon Kunwori (the Wood Nymph) written by Chandra Kumar Agarwala |
| First short story collection in Assamese language | Surabhi | Written by Lakshminath Bezbaruah |
| First Prose in Assamese language | Katha Geeta | Written by Bhattadeva. Full name: Baikunthanatha Bhagavata Bhattacharya. Regarded as the father of Assamese prose. |
| First assamese recipient of Arjuna Award | Bhogeswar Baruah | Won Gold medal in the 1966 Asian Games. His birthday (3 September) is celebrated as ‘Abhiruchi Sports Day’ in his honour. |
| First ICS from Assam | Anundoram Borooah | He was the first Assamese to have cracked the ICS (Indian Civil Service) exam in 1870. He was the 5th Indian to have become ICS officer. After independence ICS was renamed as IAS. |
| First woman IAS from Assam | Parul Das | |
| First printed book of Assam | Dharma Pustak | Baptist missionary William Carey first printed the original ‘Dharma Pustak’ (Bible) in 1813. Later it was translated into Assamese language by Atmaram Sarma. |
| First Assamese Recipient of Jnanpith Award | Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya | Won Jnanpith Award in the year 1979 for the book ‘Mritunjay’. The book depicted struggles of the Assamese people prior to independence. |
| First Assamese woman recipient of Jnanpith Award | Mamoni Raisom Goswami | Original name: Indira Goswami. Mamoni Raisom Goswami is her pen name. Won Jnanpith Award in the year 2000. |
| First Assamese Children’s Magazine | Lora Bandhu | Published in the year1888. Edited by: Karunabhiram Baruah. |
| First Graduate of Assam | Anundoram Borooah | |
| First ODI (One Day International) cricket match held in Assam | India -vs- West Indies | The match was played on 17 December, 1983 at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati, Assam |
| First President of India from Assam | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was the 5th President of India. He served as the president from August 24, 1974, until his death on February 11, 1977. |
| First recipient of Asom Ratna | Dr. Bhupen Hazarika | Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was awarde the Asom Ratna in 2009. |
| First woman recipient of Asom Ratna | Dr. Mamoni Raisom Goswami | Dr. Mamoni Raisom Goswami was awarded the Asom Ratna in the year 2010. |
| First Barrister from Assam | Anundoram Borooah | |
| First Assamese to hold the post of Chief Justice of India | Ranjan Gogoi | Ranjan Gogoi served as the 46th Chief Justice of India. His tenure was from 3 October, 2018 to 17 November, 2019. |
| First Assamese Justice of Supreme Court | Parbati Kumar Goswami | Parbati Kumar Goswami served as the Justice of the Supreme Court of India from 10 October, 1973 to 31 December, 1977. |
| First recipient of Dada Saheb Phalke Award from Assam | Dr. Bhupen Hazarika | Dr. Bhupen Hazarika won Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 1992. |
| First recipient of ‘Sir’ title in Assam | Sir Syed Muhammad Saadulla | |
| First Assamese Women’s magazine | Ghar Jeuti | First published in the year 1927 |
| First Printing Press of Assam | Mission Press | |
| First woman recipient of Arjuna Award from Assam | Monalisa Baruah Mehta | Monalisa Baruah Mehta received the Arjuna Award in 1987. |
| First Assamese to become the President of Indian National Congress | Devakanta Baruah | Devakanta Baruah was the 83rd president of the Indian National Congress. His tenure was from 1975 to 1978. |
| First Justice of High Court | Sir R.F. Lodge | Sir R.F. Lodge became the first Chief Justice of Assam High Court on 5th April 1948. Note: Gauhati High Court was previously known as Assam High Court. |
| First woman Graduate of Assam | Sukhalata Dowarah, Sudhalata Dowarah | |
| First Assamese Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court | Holiram Deka | Holiram Deka served as the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court from 3 January, 1961 to 29 June, 1961 |
| First Literary Pensioner of Assam | Padmanath Gohain Baruah | |
| First woman Literary Pensioner of Assam | Nalinibala Devi | |
| First Governor of Assam | Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari | His tenure was from 15 August, 1947 to 28 December, 1948 |
| First State Level Book Fair in Assam | 1978 (Nagaon) | |
| First National Level Book Fair in Assam | 1984 (Guwahati) | |
| First Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly | Babu Basanta Kumar Das | Babu Basanta Kumar Das served as the Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly from 7 April, 1937 to 11 March, 1946. |
| First Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly | Moulavi Muhammad Amiruddin | Moulavi Muhammad Amiruddin served as the Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly from 7 April, 1937 to 2 March, 1946. |
| First woman Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly | Bonily Khongmen | |
| First Medical College of Assam | Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh | Assam Medical College was established on 3 November, 1947. It was formerly known as Berry White Medical School. |
| First Assamese winner of Gold Medal in Asian Games | Bhogeswar Baruah | |
| First Assamese recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award | Jatindranath Duwarah | Jatindranath Duwarah won Sahitya Akademi Award in 1955 for his book ‘Bon Phul’. He is popularly known as ‘Bonphulor Kabi’. |
You can practice Multiple Choice Questions on First in Assam and First Assames by going to the below mentioned links.