Guwahati: It is a trip down memory lane to read the accounts of owners of Assam-type homes: unique structures fast disappearing in the state.
A group of friends from various professional backgrounds connected and embarked on a challenging journey to create a coffee-table book based on the traditional Assam-type houses’ unique structures.
The result is ‘Aakriti – The Unique Journey of Assam Type Houses’, a coffee table book. It is an attempt to portray and document a wide spectrum of Assam-type houses, ranging from simple Assamese family homes to the elite bungalows of business and cultural icons, government residences to public institutions.
The volume has photographic and literary accounts capturing architectural elegance and exploring the sociological evolution of houses from the early 1900s to the mid-20th century. The team comprising writers, researchers and photographers had their own experiences in contributing to the book.
The book was conceptualised by Nandinee Kalita, photographed by Ochintya Sharma and edited by Indrani Rajkhowa Banerjee.
Houses have been captured from interesting angles and perspectives to give creative life to the book.
The book was released by Jishnu Barua, (IAS, former Chief Secretary of Assam) in Guwahati recently.
The book has accounts of homeowners’ families presenting rare opportunities to learn and understand the richness of these families and their passion for painstakingly maintaining these houses, which would otherwise have already gone into oblivion.
The writers have spontaneously and passionately brought alive interesting anecdotes and memoirs about the houses.
“The book is a long journey on how the Assam Type houses came to being, who made them, who lived in them and how they are still going strong. It attempts to capture the essence of these heritage houses along with its history and its dwellers” Ochintya Sharma who has done the photography told East Mojo.
It is a 162-page coffee table book with more than 250 photographs.
“We travelled close to 7000 km in 2021 and 2022, from Digboi to Dhubri, to photograph houses and talk to owners/residents. The book is organised in terms of clusters from East to West along the river Brahmaputra,” he said.
Architecturally, a typical Assam-type house has distinctive features which are aesthetically soothing and at the same time sturdy enough to withstand natural forces. Topcem Cements, Guwahati, supported the book.
Assam’s architectural journey goes back to ancient Kamrupa. During the Varman, Pala and Salasthambha dynasties, stone was the common building material. After the Tai-Ahoms arrived in the Brahmaputra Valley in the 13th century, they primarily used materials such as wood and bamboo to build their range of residential and religious structures.
Jishnu Barua, who released the book, said, “Preservation and restoration are the way forward for so many of our historic Assam-type houses. The benefits are not just the preservation of our past but also by way of tourism and all its attendant economic benefits. One fine example of restoration is The Royal Palace in Mandalay. Built as a great palace in 1857, a few years later it was in a dilapidated condition. Later it was reconstructed and preserved and has added to the glory of the town. We also have the Sahitya Sabha building in Jorhat and the Cathedral Church of the Baptist Mission in Guwahati.
“It is time we collectively come forward to preserve and conserve these houses. Government, as well as public and private participation in preservation, will play an important role in times to come,” he said.
“I am confident that the readers will find this volume of Aakriti absorbing and interesting, filled as they are with aesthetically beautiful photographs accompanied by excellent text. All this might propel many readers to see these unique heritage buildings with fresh eyes,” he added.
People from across the state have voluntarily contributed information, images and logistics to make the project happen.
“The book captures a wide spectrum of houses, ranging from simple Assamese family homes to the elite bungalows of business and cultural icons, government residences to buildings of public institutions. There are still many more such houses outside the geographies that we could cover,” says Nandinee Sharma Kalita.
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“It was a challenging project for photography. In Assam, we have a very small window when there is no rain, dust or fog. But the beauty of the houses and charm of their residents kept us inspired,” says Ochintya Sharma.
“We wanted the design to be of world-class standards. We feel very proud when we hold the book in our hands today,” says Indrani Rajkhowa Banerjee.
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