Jyoti Prasad Agarwala Death Anniversary

 

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, who passed away on 17 January 1951, was a prominent Assamese playwright, songwriter, poet, writer and film maker from Assam, India.

Agarwala is considered the father of Assamese cinema and is credited for making the first Assamese language film, Joymoti, in 1935. He wrote the story, produced and directed the film, which was based on the legend of the Ahom princess, Joymoti Konwari. The film attained critical and commercial success and is considered a classic in Indian cinema.

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was an accomplished artist and a multi-faceted personality. He was not only a filmmaker, playwright, and poet, but also a journalist, songwriter, and social reformer. He was a prominent figure in the cultural and literary scene of Assam in the early 20th century. Agarwala was also a prolific playwright and wrote many plays in the Assamese language, many of which were later made into films. Some of his famous plays include Sonit Kunwori, Rupalim, Nimati Kanya, Lobhita, Karengor Ligiri, Siraj, etc. His plays were known for their strong social and political themes and were very popular in Assam.

Agarwala also participated in India’s freedom movement under Mahatma Gandhi leadership at the age 17. He spent 15 months in hard jail in 1932 and was fined Rs 500 for actively participating in the freedom movement. He also suffered from physical health movement during his imprisonment. During this period, he was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. Jyoti Prasad Agarwala joined the Congress volunteer force in 1941 after completing his jail term. He had to flee the British government and hide in Kolkata on many occasions because of his active participation in India’s freedom movement. He also played an active role in the Quit India Movement of 1942.

His day of demise i.e. 17 January is celebrated as “Artist’s Day (Silpi Divas)” every year as memory of Agarwala. The day was celebrated on 17 January 1953, to commemorate the artist for the first time since the artist’s death. However, then it was named Jyoti Diwas. It was later named Artist’s Day (Silpi Divas) instead of Jyoti Diwas.