About Rita Chowdhury

Rita Chowdhury is an Indian poet and novelist who writes Assamese literature and is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award. She is the editor of the Assamese literary magazine Gariyoshi and a former director of the National Book Trust, India. She has been associate professor and lecturer at Cotton College, Guwahati, Assam in the Political Science Department and was active in the Assam Movement in the early 1980s.

Chowdhury began writing in 1981, during the Assam Movement. She wrote her first novel, Abirata Jatra, within three months, and it was published in 1981. She won an award from the Asom Sahitya Sabha for this book

Chowdhury then wrote a series of novels, including Tirthabhumi (The Shrine) in 1988, Maha Jibanar Adharshila (Foundation Stone of Great Life) in 1993, Nayana Tarali Sujata in 1996, Popiya Torar Xadhu (Tale of a shooting star) in 1998, Rag-malkosh in 1999, Jala-Padma (Water-Lotus) in 1999, Hridoy Nirupai (The Helpless Heart) in 2003, Deo Langkhui (The Divine Sword) in 2005, Makam (The Golden Horse) in 2010 and Mayabritta (The Circle of Worldly Illusion) in 2012.

Her poetry collections include Xudoor Nakshatra, Banariya Batahar Xuhuri, Alop Pooharar Alop Andharar, and Boga Matir Tulaxi.

She received Sahitya Akademi Award in 2008 for the novel Deo Langkhui which is based on the Tiwas of Assam. She spent four years writing her novel Makam (মাকাম) in Assamese, and it was published in 2010. After Makam was published, she publicly called for greater acceptance of Assamese people of Chinese origin, and met with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in November 2010 as part of her advocacy. In 2015, at a screening of the documentary Wars and Tears that she directed, she advocated for reunification of families separated during the Sino-Indian War in 1962. She also translated Makam into English, and it was published with the title Chinatown Days in 2018.

In 2011, she formed Adharxila, an organisation to support young writers and Assamese literature.

In 2015, she was appointed director of the National Book Trust in India. She resigned in January 2019.

In 2022, she became the editor of the Assam literary magazine Gariyoshi.