Katha Biographical Society

Historica's Women: 1000 Years of Women in History
by Katherine Aaslestad

Although women make up half the world’s population, their representation in history is not even close to matching that of men. Apart from a few well-known examples like Cleopatra, who took control of Egypt from her brother Ptolemy and committed su***de rather than become a Roman slave, or Boudicca, who led an army of Britons against the Roman Empire, the contribution of women in our early history remains largely unknown. Some two thousand years later, traditional history is still dominated by the activities of men.
Historica’s Women showcases both the part women have played in the events of their times, and the ways in which the events of their time have particularly affected women. It ranges from the mostly little-known women of the Middle Ages to the famous women of the twenty-first century. In areas as diverse as art and politics, science and religion, government and sport, women have made a contribution to human culture that is, for the most part, unrecognized.
Historica’s Women tells the stories of women whose names we know, like, Elizabeth I and Indira Gandhi, Lady Godiva and Florence Nightingale, Joan of Arc and Mother Teresa, Greta Garbo and Madonna, Suzanne Lenglen and Venus Williams, Amelia Earhart, and Marie Curie, as well as the stories of many other noteworthy women, like Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) healer, musician, and visionary; Jacqueline Felicie De Almania, excommunicated in 1322 for practicing medicine without a licence; Mary Hays, a cannoneer in the American Revolutionary War; Lady Murasaki, the Japanese author of the world’s first novel in the eleventh century.
Like Historica, Historica’s Women covers the period from the year 1000 until the present, with feature stories, timelines listing the significant events for each period, contemporary quotations, black-and-white and full-color illustrations, and quirky “time out” facts. It is a fascinating historical resource, and an excellent companion to Historica.

মোৰ জীৱন সোঁৱৰণ
MY LIFE REMINISCENCES

First few paragraphs of the
Autobiography [FIRST DRAFT]

First Part
First Chapter

1st para
I do not remember the date and year in which I was born. I may have heard about it in my childhood from my parents, but I do not recall it now. As I grew up, I just conjured up a date to be used for all those purposes where date of birth was essentially required. If anyone requires this date and year of birth, I can provide it here itself ------ it is November, 1868 AD. What anyone would gain or lose from it, I do not know. I do not think that hearing, knowing or constructing the news of my taking birth in this world to destroy ‘Annasura’, the devils who were snatching away our livelihood, whether two or four years ahead or behind my given date of birth, will cause any great benefit or misfortune to this land of mankind.

2nd para
It is not that in our home, horoscope or life-forecast is not prepared for anyone; in fact this practice was diligently followed and this fact is well known to us. I can say without a doubt that as per the practice followed in the past, my horoscope was also prepared by my revered father and that horoscope was securely kept tied with care inside a packet like it was done in case of other children in our family. This is doubtless as I have seen the package with my own eyes. But that package was not easily accessible to us boys to rummage through as there was no order from our revered father. Needless to say that we held our revered father in great esteem and awe towards ; we were fearful to approach him easily on any matter. If he asked us not to do something, we dared not even steal a glance towards it. It was beyond our dreams to disobey him on any matter or to cross words with him. As our father forbade us to touch the packet containing our life-forecasts, so that was it. In a way, we had stopped thinking about it though it is prudent to mention here that I can not say for sure that one or two of our seniors stealthily had not, once in while, eaten that knowledge tree’s fruit in the packet and that we did not get a slice or two of that fruit from the partaker of the fruit.

3rd para
In the year 1886 after passing entrance examination from Sibsagar Government High School, I came to study in Calcutta. And two years after that when I cleared FA examination in the year 1888, I came to feel that I no longer fall into that earlier category of ‘ young boys’ and I had graduated to the ranks of elders ; therefore there should be no hindrance in easily fulfilling my long standing wish; strengthened by this impression, I once wrote a letter to my father asking for my horoscope. But though my father had no objection to my claim to independence
after passing FA, yet after getting acquainted with my farsightedness in my letter, he behaved like a proverbial ‘opposite comprehends Ram‘. My father might have thought that I had quietly plotted to go to foreign shores for studies and that was why the horoscope was required by me. Therefore in reply, in stead of sending the horoscope, my father chided me and asked me to take an un-breakable vow for not going to foreign land. Let me quietly mention here that though at the time of this business of asking for the horoscope , I had no hidden agenda of going overseas, but still I can not say with clear conscience
that after some time I was not consumed with such a burning desire and that I did not make efforts to realise that dream. But let me say this also that even then my revered father’s insurmountable dictat did not stop pushing and pulling the dead dream in my mental space, ‘ climbing on the high altar of my strong desire, catching the hair and ringing the bell’, after having it killed by the weight of the world of my father- devotion. After the death of my revered father, where had that packet of horoscopes vanished along with innumerable ancient valuable books
collected from the days of my revered forefathers and very carefully treasured and expanded by my revered father, I still do not know . This is how arose the saga of my ignorance about the year of my birth and the self- given explanations, if anyone wants it , then it is given for his pleasure; Otherwise, it is unnecessary and irrelevant.

4th para
As to my birth place, I can not tell with certainty where that important and fertile incident had happened. I do not believe , anybody among the living would also be able to tell it. Surely I am bound to tell the reason behind it . My birth- narrative that I came to hear is given hereunder-
My late father , on transfer , was travelling by boat on Munsiff duty from Nowgong to Barpeta. Needless to say that at that time ,there was no ferry service in Assam like we have today. As dusk fell, the boat was anchored on the sandy river bank of a place called Ahatguri. My late mother moved into a sandy area covered by a cloth-screen for preparing dinner, suddenly as she felt ill , she left cooking and came to the boat’s room, and today’s author of this life- reminiscence took birth, on one such auspicious moment, on the boat in stead of on earth. I heard it was a day of full moon and the day of worship to Goddess Lakshmi ; for that reason , later this writer’s name was kept Lakhinath. This is the drive and shape of this narrative. When that sand bank of Brahmaputra near Ahatguri where rice was cooked got submerged and when and where that slice of sand after erosion got re-established as a sand bank by ‘Shantanu- Kula-Nandan-infallible -purposeful‘ Lohitya (Brahmaputra ) , where did the flowing water of Brahmaputra which borne my load had flown, when and where that wooden boat with my birth room got merged into the ‘Five Elements’ ( panchabhuta) after rotting into pieces, who knows and who can tell? Perhaps that flowing water fell into the sea , in time vaporised into the sky and became cloud which was carried back to Brahmaputra by lashing wind as rain which again flowed into the ocean , again how many times this transformation game was played, and perhaps a drop of it mixed with a few drops of black solution today entered the ink-pot of this writer and then flowing through the pen had become an assistant to the writer to record his life reminisces on paper—-who knows, who can tell ?

Enquiry for translation of
মোৰ জীৱন সোঁৱৰণ
into English from Experienced Translators
shall be highly appreciated.