24th November 1946 – 20th May 2026
My father, Dr. Birendra Kumar Gohain, passed away on 20th May 2026, leaving behind a life of rare dedication to Assam, its people, its history, and its cultural memory.
He was a retired IAS officer, a social anthropologist, a scholar, an author, and a devoted family man. His life moved through public administration, academic inquiry, cultural work, and literary contribution with one guiding belief: a public servant must know the people he serves.
That belief shaped his work for more than 4 decades.
As an officer of the Indian Administrative Service, Dr. Gohain served Assam in several important capacities. He worked as District Collector and Magistrate in Tinsukia and Nagaon, Commissioner of Upper and North Assam Division, Education Secretary, Commissioner and Secretary in different departments of the Government of Assam, Commissioner and Secretary to the Chief Minister of Assam, and Commissioner and Secretary of the Home and Political Departments.
After retiring from the Government of Assam, he served as State Information Commissioner under the Right to Information Act. In that role, he remained connected to the rights of citizens and the duty of public institutions to answer the people.
His academic life was equally distinguished. He completed his Master’s in Physics from Gauhati University in 1966 and later earned his PhD in Social Anthropology from Gauhati University in 1990.
As a social anthropologist, he became an acknowledged authority on the Tai Ahoms and several other communities of Assam. His work covered the Hill Karbis, the Hill Lalungs or Tiwas, the Morans, the Mattaks, the Singphos, the Dimasas, and the Tai Ahoms.
His books remain an important part of Assam’s scholarly record. Among his English works are The Hill Karbis, The Hill Lalungs, Continuity and Change in the Hills of Assam, The Origin of Tai and Chaolung Hsukapha, The Ahoms and Their Traditions Volume I, The Ahoms and Their Traditions: The Ahom Religion Volume II, Lachit Barphukan: The National Hero, On Tai Myths of Creation, and The Tai Traditions.
His Assamese works include Tai Ramayana, Shri Shri Aniruddhadeva, Amar Devata Shiva, Moran Janagosthi, Mahamati Siu-Ka-Pha, Tai-Ahom Sristi-Tatwa Aru Ananya Prasanga, Tai-Ahom Janagoshti, Mahasati Joymati, and Tomar Maan Suwanee Nai. His Hindi work Hamare Devta Shiv also formed part of his wider literary contribution.
His pioneering work The Origin of Tai and Chao-Lung-Siu-Ka-Pha earned him wide appreciation. His Assamese translation of Thai Ramayana was also warmly received. He also wrote scripts for documentaries on Me-Dam-Me-Phi and Siu-Ka-Pha.
His last printed book was Social Change in the Society of the Singphos in Assam, published in 2021. It showed that even in his later years, his scholarly discipline remained intact. He continued to research, write, revise, and preserve material that mattered to Assam’s cultural and historical life.
Future Works of Dr. Birendra Kumar Gohain
At the time of his passing, he had been working on 4 more books on Aniruddhadeva, the Tai Ahoms, Mayamara Vaishnavism, and related areas of Assam’s religious and cultural history. These books are almost ready for print and will soon be published as ebooks on Amazon.
His daughter will continue his work – stay updated with the latest news on his Facebook page. She will take forward his manuscripts, publish his remaining books, and help make his scholarship available to readers who wish to understand Assam through its communities, faith traditions, histories, and people.
His contribution to Tai Ahom studies will remain one of the most important parts of his legacy. He wrote about Chaolung Siu-Ka-Pha, Tai Ahom traditions, Tai religious thought, Tai creation myths, Joimati, and the long history of the Ahom people. His scholarship gave structure, dignity, and documentation to histories that deserved careful public attention.
He was also closely associated with the Swargadeo Chaolung Siu-Ka-Pha Samanway Kshetra. As Vice-Chairman, he contributed to its design, construction, development, and collection of artifacts for its museums. He worked to make the institution a meaningful space for Tai Ahom and indigenous cultural memory.
His work was never limited to books alone. In Tinsukia, he helped construct the Sarbananda Singha Stadium in memory of the Mattak King Sarbananda Singha. He wrote dance musicals, public education material, songs for the National Literacy Mission, patriotic songs, and radio talks. He also took part in discussions on the RTI Act on Doordarshan, Guwahati.
He used writing, administration, scholarship, and culture for one purpose: to serve society with knowledge and responsibility.
To the public, Dr. Birendra Kumar Gohain was an administrator, scholar, author, and cultural worker.
To his family, he was much more. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, guide, and immense source of strength. His family knew the man behind the books and public roles: cheerful, disciplined, thoughtful, committed to his work, and rooted in duty.
His absence is deeply personal. His legacy is public.
He leaves behind his family, his books, his scholarship, his service, and the memory of a life lived with purpose.
We remember him with love, respect, and gratitude.
May his soul rest in peace.
If you have any specific query related to his books, you can use our contact page, or connect with me via the Facebook page.