SRIJUT HEMCHANDRA GOSWAMI
A SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
The late Srijut Hemchandra Goswami's chief claim to the recollection and gratitude of posterity consists in his life-long devotion to the cause of Assamese literature and history. He pursued his labours in the midst of the heavy duties of an executive officer of the Government, and there is hardly any branch of historical investigation in which he did not actively and arduously exert himself. A born scholar and investigator he was & source of inspiration to all who came in contact with him, and wherever he went, he, by his earnestness and affability created an atmosphere of learning and scholarship. By the art of gentle persuasiveness of which he was an adopt master, he enlisted the sympathy and patronage of high Government officials in the cause of historical research. His personality was of no less consequence than his performance,
Hemchandra Goswami was born on January 4, 47, at Gaurang Satra, near Golaghat in the district of Sibsagar, Assam. His father Srijut Dambarudhar Goswami, mauzadar, died at Benares when Hemchandra was only eight years old, His mother Srijukta Ghanakanti Devi, now the sole guardian of the family consisting of two sons and a daughter was reduced to the verge of despair regarding the maintenance and education of her children, Hemchandra had to remain at home for some time without any school education, but this was the time when he learnt from his mother. a large mass of traditional, history, with which every Assamese lady of the older generation was naturally equipped. He further initiated himself in the reading of manuscripts and committed to memory a large portion of the Amar-kosha, the two things which marked the early education of every-Brahmay youth
