Smti Anuradha Das, the composer of such songs like �Phalgun tomak jonalo nimaatran�, �O Phalgunare Utala Ba, gusi ja�, is a familiar name. Tall, healthy, well built with ruddy complexion, Anuradha Das has a bright radiance of Knowledge on her face. She always has a smile of earnest desire on her lips. Anuradha Das was the first born daughter of Lalmohan Choudhury and Monorama Choudhury who were permanent residents of Tezpur. Aunradha Das was born in the year 1928 in Laban of Shillong, in her grandfather Atmaram Deka�s home. But of course Anuradha had spent her childhood in Tezpur.

Anuradha very much wanted to study in college after passing the matriculation examination in 1944. But not being able to go against the opinion of her parents her to stop her education with much sorrow. No college was started in Tezpur during that time. Her parents did not want to keep her in Guwahati to study as the Second World War was going on. They apprehended that girl�s hostels would be turned into army campus. Anuradha Das like to sing and dance, she liked to write along with her studies since childhood. She performed the role of Usha in Joytiprasad Agarwala�s �Sonit Kunwari� while studying in class VII. She received a medal as a present because of her beautiful acting. She has kept this medal even now with care. During that age only, talented Anuradha�s talent started showing prospects. Her parents and other family members tried to nature her talent and that is why we have got Anuradha Das as an artist and a writer amidst us.

Anuradha Das was married to Dr Bhabendranath Das of Barpeta in an auspicious moment on an auspicious day in 1946. She entered into the lovely garden of family life talking a long veil leaving there the free life of girlhood. The beautiful days of her conjugal life passed into years and in due course of time four children came to their lives and it enlarged her family. The children�s laughter and cry filled her world. But despite being too involved in her family life she wanted to get involved in social works amidst her busy schedule. So she came out of the four walls of her home and started her social being the Secretary of Barpeta District Mahila Samity. Gradually she became the member of Women Congress; Director of Moina Parijat, Selected Government Member of municipality, Vice President of District Congress, became the member of Barpeta District Sahitya Sabha and her taken initiative to serve the society.

Establishing the Nursery School of Barpeta she had taken the responsibility of teaching in the school for many years and she also contributed to the development of the school which is recognized today as a full- fledge school.

Anuradha Das�s husband suddenly expired on 30^th December 1966. And since then she had to take the entire responsibility of her family. But under such circumstances also she was able to educate her children overcoming various hurdles. After completing almost all her responsibility towards her children, she specially concentrated on getting involved in the world of literature.

Though Anuradha could step into the wide field of literature during her school days by writing stories and poems, but she got the opportunity to truly devotee herself to literature and culture only after she entered into family life. Smti Das is chiefly a lyricist. She could please many Assamese artist and lover of melody by composing many songs. Her first anthology of lyrics, �Surashri� was published in 1956. After that another anthology of lyrics �Giti Malika� was published in 1988.

The songs published in both the anthologies, �Surashri� and �Giti Malika� love become lovely with the beautiful combination of depth of thought, aesthetic sense and also for the metaphors.

Anuradha Das is basically a poet of love and nature. The word composition, beautiful imageries, unique orderly arrangement of words and technique of expression of her songs would overwhelm a group of art loving audience. One of the songs published in �Surashri� goes like this-

�Phalgun, I invite you

You will come and bring

Various colors of yours

With that you will paint my mind�

And one more song is-----

�Oh the restless wind of Phalgun

Go away, go away----�

The way the poet has expressed her emotions and feelings in these two songs to please the mind by brining the immense beauty of nature is wonderful. The melody of these songs fills the heart and mind of each art-loving audience.

The songs for children, holi-song, lullabies, bihu songs and modern songs and songs composed in Bengali language are also included in Anuradha Das�s �Surashri and �Giti Malika�. These songs can be categorized as love songs, devotional songs, on nature and lullabies composed of soft words coming out of the mother�s heart.

�Gitimalika� which basically comprise of devotional song and songs of nature also includes holi songs. A holi song goes like this------

"In such sweet spring, the color spreads in the Horizon

The wives of milkman are merged in playing holi.

Radha plays with Krishna; her mind is connected to the flute.

Mind is restless in each moment".

Through this song the poet has given the description about how Krishna and Radha were happily playing holi on the bank of Yamuna smearing color on each other amidst beautiful nature and how the wives of milkmen were dancing and singing the devotional songs in the name of Lord Krishna.

In the same way among the patriotic songs, the song which was composed in 1962 during the Chinese aggression is---

"Let�s proceed to this war

Rangman, Rsngili, Kaliman Pakhili

Don�t neglect the war of the Frontier

Cannons, guns, nothing is needed

Binding all by the thread of unity

Talking the sword of courage in each hand

Overthrow the idleness of enemies".

Through this song she displays her sense of patriotism and with that song she appealed to all to fight courageously. The poet says that there is no need of cannons and guns if preceded by being united.

Among the Bengali song of Anuradha Das, one is------

"Ogo chand, tumi sara gaya mekhe diyechile

Tomar premor goshana

Sei sukhe amar buk bhare ase

Gharay nahike bedana"�

Through this song the poet seems to try to express the earnest desire to touch upon human love and affection.

Her poem titled, �Past� was published in the first issue of �Aaidew�, a journal of Assamese women living in Kolkata, which was first published in 1974. Her poem was published even in the second issue of the second year of that journal which was edited by Juthi Bhuyan. Apart from this her six songs were published in "Range Range Phaku Khele" which was published from Barpeta in 1977. It is worth mentioning that his anthology was edited by renowned writer and the former president of Assam Satiya Sabha, Sri Prasanna Lal Choudhury. In �The voice of Assamese Women Poets�, her poem �Last Gift� was published and a translated version of Rabindranath Tagores�. �Devatar Gras� was published as a lyrical poem, Her article �My Songs the Hidden Story� was published in �Barpat� a Souvenir of Barpeta Sahitya Sabha, edited by Sri Munindra Nath Das. In the Bihu magazine titled �Rongali� edited by Ranjit Patra her song, "Kapuphul in the hair Knot was published. Her travel writing �Few Days outside Assam� was published in the magazine, ��Sarathi� edited by Smti Padmakumari Gohain. Her poems were published in the magazine �Sulekha� published by Barpeta Lekhika Samaroh Samiti and edited by Smti Malaya Devi.

The manuscripts of many stories and translated works are still with Das. The translated works are still with Smti Das. The translated version of the Bengali novel �Chitar Bahniman� by Phalguni Mukherjee is still unpublished�.

Apart from all these Smti Das written �Sri Sri Santoshi Mata�s Stories� a book about the history of Goddess Santoshi and the rituals of Puja. She also published a Bengali book titled �Baukhaki�.

In brief, the literary talent of Anuradha Das has been widely published and extended through her lyrical Composition, writings in magazine, newspapers, radio and film. We wish she would enrich our language and literature by her new literary creations.

Anuradha Das has earned much fame being a film artist. In 1969 she acted in the film �Aparajeya� for the first time. The director of this film was renowned dramatist and learned dancer of Barpeta Sri Munindranath Bayan, Sri Phani Talukdar and Gauri Barman.

Apart from this she also got the opportunity to act in films like �Uttran�, �Hridayar Prayojan�, and �Manasi�. Brojen Baruah invited her to act in the film; �Ito Sito Bahuto� and Nip Baruah invited her for the domestic problems.

She likes to do all household works despite devoting herself social, cultural and literary activities. Cooking, weaving, kitchen- gardening and looking after the flowers plants in her garden are among her daily chores.

She was very fond of fishing. Whenever she had the urge to go for fishing, she drove along with her children to a small stream, three km away from Barpeta town.

Smti Anuradha Das loved to visit places. She had the chance to visit many places in India while her husband was alive. One could enjoy and learn many things by traveling to difference native and foreign places than one could learn about a place and a nation by reading books and news papers. All should travel if one has time and opportunity. Smti Das commented that it is our sacred duty to go to the people, to be with them. So she has been traveling to different places of India with her entire family if not yearly but in the interval of two years.

After many years of her husband�s death her only son, who is a doctor went to England, and it�s been many years that he has been working in a hospital in Carlyle near Scotland. Taking the opportunity Smti Das gone to her son and daughter- in- law�s place and visited many places in England. She has seen and learnt about their culture, manner, and social system and also about the development of education system. She revealed that though we have to learn many things from that country, yet to learn from Indian Society and culture.

At present Smti Das stays in her home in Guwahati, yet the household responsibility lies on a Nepali boy who was brought up like her own son. She has kept the boy with her since his childhood and an Assamese girl was married to him giving the recognition the son daughter-in-law, she has left all the household responsibilities on them.

We hope that Anuradha Das who is now above sixty would spend her days being secured and in peace and she would fill the gamut of literature and culture with new resources and production. Many rhythmic songs have enchanted many Assamese melody lovers through All India Radio, Guwahati since 1956. Each of her melodious songs goes on narrating the tender stories of her beautiful mind.

In 1988 she was felicitated with a certificate as a renowned lyricist, actress and a social worker by All Assam Lekhika Samaroh Samiti in the 20^th Annual convention held in Barpeta.

Recollecting many big or small things of her life Smti Anuradha Das told us- "today I feel sad when I think about how the childhood days have gone with time without being aware�. Regretfully, she utters what Rabindranath Tagore wrote,

�My days did not stay in the golden cage�.