Book resurrects Assam scientist for millennials
A new book has resurrected an Assam scientist, who died four years before his British mentor won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1977, for millennials.
'Portrait of a Genius', released on Saturday (June 14, 2025), chronicles the 'extraordinary life and contributions' of Hiranya Chandra Bhuyan (1905-1973). It brings together essays and recollections from some of Assam's most revered intellectuals, including his colleagues, mentees, and admirers.
Dr. Bhuyan was Assam's first physicist to earn a PhD from a top Western university, internationally reputed for cutting-edge physics research. He worked under Sir Nevill Francis Mott, who went on to win the Nobel Prize along with Philip Warren Anderson and John Hasbrouck van Vleck 'for their fundamental theoretical investigations of the electronic structure of magnetic and disordered systems'.
A schoolteacher's son from Mulankota village in central Assam's Nagaon district, Dr Bhuyan, topped the Class 10 (1923) and intermediate science (1925) examinations in the undivided Assam. He secured first-class second positions in BSc Physics honours and MSc Physics from the University of Calcutta.
Assam was bifurcated into smaller States, beginning with Nagaland in 1963.
He was a teacher and the Principal of Guwahati's Cotton College (now a university), the Secretary at the Director of Public Instruction and Education, Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University, and Chairman of the Assam Public Service Commission.
Beyond these official positions, he served as the founding president of the Assam Tennis Association, Chief Commissioner of the Bharat Scouts and Guides, and as president and advisor to the Assam Science Society.
The contributors to the book underscored Dr. Bhuyan's enduring influence. Kamalendu Deb Krori, a former Principal of Cotton College, wrote about him: 'The only great genius I met in my life... a great scholar, a great scientist and a great teacher – all rolled into one person.'
Kishori Mohan Pathak, the founding Vice Chancellor of the Central Tezpur University, said, 'Dr. Bhuyan will remain immortal in the world of education, especially science education, till the Assamese people exist.'
Dhruba Jyoti Saikia, an astrophysicist and the founding Vice Chancellor of Cotton University, lamented that Assam 'lost out on developing a world-class school of physicists' mentored by Dr. Bhuyan. Author Arup Kumar Dutta highlighted Dr Bhuyan's resoluteness in overcoming obstacles to become 'the greatest scientific mind of his time in Assam'.
The book was conceived, curated, and presented by Jayanta Bhuyan, who said the objective was 'to resurrect and preserve the legacy of Dr. Bhuyan to inspire young minds across generations to achieve excellence in all domains.'
The book will be presented to leading educational institutions, libraries, exceptional students, and eminent intellectuals. It is available on Amazon at a fraction of its cost to ensure broad accessibility. It will also be released as an E-book shortly.
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