Arup Kumar Dutta is an author, freelance journalist and social commentator based in Assam. He writes fiction, non-fiction, newspaper editorials, articles and columns, satirical pieces and so on for adults, and adventure novels for young people. In his five-decade-long career, he has authored thirty-five books including The Anagarika's Swansong (2009), The Bag (2018), The Brahmaputra (2001), Unicornis (1991), Cha Garam: The Tea Story (2001), The Roving Minstrel (2002), The Kaziranga Trail (1978), The Blind Witness 1983), among others. He has been conferred numerous awards, including the Padma Shri by the Government of India (2018), and DLitt (honoris causa) by the Dibrugarh University (2018) and the Gauhati University (2020). His website is www.arupkumardutta.com.
<p style="margin: 6px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; line-height: 24px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">The Ahoms</em> is an epic retelling of the 600-year rule of the Ahom dynasty.</p><p style="margin: 6px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; line-height: 24px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;">In 1228 CE, a group of Shan or Tai warriors, led by a brave leader named Sukapha, left their home in Myanmar and travelled to Upper Assam. Here, they set up the nucleus of what would become the powerful Ahom empire. Till it was annexed by the British in 1826, for nearly six centuries, Sukapha’s descendants reigned over a greater part of the Brahmaputra Valley.</p><p style="margin: 6px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; line-height: 24px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;">Few dynasties in the world have enjoyed such a long period of almost unbroken rule. It was primarily due to the Ahoms that the pre-colonial Assamese nation was born. Their reign witnessed the synthesis of disparate tribes of the Brahmaputra Valley and the evolution of a distinct Assamese language, culture and identity. The Ahom dynasty was one of the greatest political entities of medieval Asia, equal to, if not greater than, its better-known counterparts in other parts of the world.</p><p></p><div class="other-info" style="margin: 25px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;"></div><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 6px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 24px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The history of the Ahoms is replete with tales of war, bravery, brutality, love, loyalty, treachery and treason. This book seeks to imaginatively acquaint readers with the fascinating saga of the dynasty along with the major events during its rule.</p>