International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 6, (2020), pp. 8867-8870 Jyoti Prasad Agarwala: as a socio-political conscious person and a revolutionary dramatist. Dr. Kunhi Sikha Bhuyan Nagaon, Assam [email protected] Abstract Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was born at Tamulbari Tea Estate Tezpur on 17th January 1903. His father was Paramanda Agarwala and mother was Kironmoyee Agarwala. He was born in a Marowari family but his contribution towards Assamese culture and literature was huge for that he was known as Rupkonwar. He was matriculated in 1921 and went to Germany for learning film making. He started film making and released joymoti in 1935, the first Assamese film. He was a famous Assamese playwright, songwriter, poet, writer and film maker. His works include sunit kuwari, karengor ligiri, nimati koina, rupalim, labhita are remarkable. Jyoti Prasad had written around 300 songs, collectively these songs are called “jyoti sangeet”. Jyoti Prasad was born at a time when India was under colonial power, as a politically conscious person his works are reflecting patriotic feelings. He was a great disciple of M. K. Gandhi. Jyoti Prasad was a active satyagrahi who had spread the concept of freedom and the spirit of Non-Violence through his works. He also composed a good number of patriotic songs. He was a revolutionary dramatist, he was influenced by the works of like W.B. Yeats, Eliot, Bernard Shaw etc. in my paper I basically discussed about his works towards society and freedom struggle of India and as a revolutionary dramatist. Introduction: Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was the most celebrated twentieth-century Assamese poet, dramatist, composer, filmmaker, freedom fighter, and visionary, identified with youth, newness, and progressiveness. Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was born 17th June 1903 at Tamulbari Tea Estate Tezpur. He was the cultural icon of Assam. He was a descendant of a Marwari merchant who had made Assam his home, Agarwala ushered modernism into Assamese art, literature,andmusic. Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was born in a family which assimilated itself into the wide canvas of Assamese society. His great grandfather moved from Rajasthan to Assam in search of his fortune. He had wrote nine plays, two films, two poetry collection and also around three hundred songs, which are famously known as ‘jyoti sangeet’. Jyoti Prasad agarwala directed and produced ‘joymoti’ the first Assamese cinema. That’s why he was the founder of Assamese cinema. He also established the ‘chitrabon’ studio, the first film studio in Assam. He revolutionized playwriting, production, and music in Assamese theatre. For his works he was called ‘Rupkonwor’. Jyoti Prasad Agarwala completed his schooling from various schools in Assam and Calcutta and went to Germany for learning film making. Returning home, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala got involved in Indian independence movement. he started to actively participate in Indian independence movement. to his involvement in the movement, Jyoti Prasad was imprisoned for 15 months in 1932. He was also an underground leader of the Quit India movement in 1942. He was politically a very conscious person. Jyoti Prasad tried hard to unite the Assamese people against the Britishers and create awareness about their rights. He was an active Satyagrahi who had spread the concept of freedom and the spirit of non 8867 ISSN: 2005-4238 IJAST Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 6, (2020), pp. 8867-8870 violence through many organizational programmes. Through his literature he tried to make conscious the people about society and politics of the state. Jyoti Prasad Agarwala composed a good number of patriotic songs during these turbulent days of the freedom movement to inspire the masses of Assam. His works reflect the commitment to the people. His sense of patriotism, loyalty to his country and his spirit of service to humanity can be best judged from his poems, stories and songs. The life philosophy of Chandrakumar Agarwala had a far reaching effect on the evocative and the impressionable mind of Jyotiprashad. His sense of selfless patriotism, will power, dedication to duties, his poetry and above all his personality had powerful impact in the forming of psychological makeup of Jyotiprashad. As A Socio-Political Concious Person : Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was a very conscious person about society and politics of the state. He was belonging to a very aristocratic family but he was a man of masses. His works are towards the common masses development. At that time india was a colony of Britain so, as a patriotic person he participate in the india’s freedom struggle movement and for that he was sent jail by the britishers. Jyotiprasad emerged as a great product of the relentless spirit of his time who was bent on motivating and leading the masses with the concept of music and with the beautiful speeches. Jyoti Prasad Agarwala tried hard to eradicate social evils from the society he thought that social evils are the main obstacles in front of the society in the progress. As all social evils are caused by pseudo-culture in the guise of culture, he urged the artists to act like real doctors who would render their unfailing service for eradication of social evils through their artistic works. Jyotiprasad could not perceive the imperialist oppression on the common people of his motherland and he dedicated himself to drive away social evils from Assamese society. For the upliftment of oppressed Indians specially from assamese society he made his mind to fight against all mercenary self-centered outlooks, narrow divisive views of the society. His songs and poems reflect his conscious attempt to inspire the masses to develop a broader perspective towards life. Sankardevas ideology plays a very important role in the life of jyoti Prasad’s life. He was inspired from the the great works of sankardeva. As a dramatist with social commitment Jyotiprasad composed his plays with a resolute sense of social consciousness. Some speeches of his plays reveal his commitment to the society. If we closely analysis his works then we found the messages towards our society. In his play “Labhita” the protagonist Labhita says to her lover Golap- “Don’t call yourself a youth of advance days. Don’t pretend. A young man ceases to be so if his heart refuses to be kindled with the fire of revolt. The youth who has no courage to fight against the legal injustice, injustice of the state against the unjust rules and usages ceases to be a young man of today”. At the time of jyoti Prasad india was a colony of british so he actively participate in the freedom struggle of india. He loves his land very much. He had great patriotic fellings. Jyoti Prasad was greatly inspired by the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi specially his philosophy of non- violence and satyagrah. He was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence teachings and coming back from Europe, he plunged into the National Movement. A spirit of re-voluntary zeal started imprinting indelibly in his mind and a positive Gandhian philosophy flickered in him a deep sense of burning patriotism. Gandhi’s incomparable will power, noble sacrifice and strong sense of duty had boosted his feelings and started stimulating his emotive ideas. It inspired him to fight for the freedom his motherland. Jyoti Prasad Agarwala got involved in Indian independence movement. Through his writings and works he inspired the masses to actively participate in our freedom struggle. His songs written with high sounding revolutionary spirit became very popular amongst the masses- “Luitor parore ami dekalora Moriboloi bhoi nai” it was a inspiring song for the Assamese youth, encouraging 8868 ISSN: 2005-4238 IJAST Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 6, (2020), pp. 8867-8870 them to participate in the freedom struggle. he started to actively participate in Indian independence movement. Jyoti Prasad Agarwala had joined Gandhi`s non-violent freedom struggle in 1921. Due to his involvement in the movement, Jyoti Prasad was imprisoned for 15 months in 1932. After release from jail, Agarwala decided to start a film based on a play by Laxminath Bezbarua. The filming of Joymoti started in 1933 and was finally released in 1935. His film Joymoti was a tale of Ahom princess Sati Joymoti, who was imprisoned and tortured till death by Ahom king because she refused to betray her husband. This film was a great influence for the patriotic people of Assam, they inspired to participate in the Indian freedom movement. He was also an underground leader of the Quit India movement in 1942. Later in 1942, in order to avoid British repression, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala had to go underground. Agarwala leaned towards Marxism after Independence. So his next two plays, Khanikar , 1939-40 and Lobhita in 1948, are more realistic. The allegorical musical Nimati kanya , published posthumously in 1964. This was based on folklore, professes that real peace on earth will come only when the reins of power reach the hands of the grass root level or the common masses. His sense of patriotism, loyalty to his country and his spirit of service to humanity can be best judged from his poems, stories, films, plays and songs. As A Revolutionary Dramatist: Jyoti Prasad Agarwala starts a new trend in Assamese culture and literature. Jyotiprasad Agarwala, emerges as the dramatist with his play “Sunit Kuwari” which was composed by him when he was in his early age of life. This trend setting play of Assamese drama is a distinct departure from earlier stage directions, themes, settings and music. When he was at Europe for his studies he get inspiration from Dramatists like W.B.Yeats, T.S.Eliot, Henrik Ibsen, Bernard Shaw, Galsworthy .