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Assamese Optional Syllabus for UPSC 2025
Complete syllabus guide for Assamese Optional in UPSC Civil Services Examination. Master both papers with our comprehensive study material.
Important Note: Answers must be written in Assamese
Section A: Language
- (a) History of the origin and development of the Assamese Language —its position among the Indo-Aryan language—periods in its history
- (b) Development of Assamese prose
- (c) Vowels and consonants of the Assamese Language—Rules of phonetic changes with stress on Assamese coming down from Old Indo-Aryan
- (d) Assamese vocabulary—and its sources
- (e) Morphology of the language—conjugation—enclitic definitives and pleonastic suffixes
- (f) Dilectical divergences—the Standard colloquial and the Kamrupi dialect in particular
- (g) Assamese script—its evolution through the ages till 19th century A.D
Section B: Literary Criticism and Literary History
- (a) Principles of literary criticism up to New criticism
- (b) Different literary genres
- (c) Development of literary forms in Assamese
- (d) Development of literary criticism in Assamese
- (e) Periods of the literary history of Assam from the earliest beginnings, i.e. from the period of the charyyageeta with their socio-cultural background:
- - Proto Assamese Pre-Sankaradeva
- - Sankaradeva
- - Post-Sankaradeva
- - Modern period (from the coming of the Britishers)
- - Post-Independence period
- Special emphasis is to be given on the Vaisnavite period, the gonaki and the post-independence periods
PAPER—II
This paper will require first-hand reading of the texts prescribed and will be designed to test the candidate's critical ability.
Section A
- Râmâyana (Ayodhyâ Kânda) —by Madhava Kandali only
- Pârijât-Harana —by Sankaradeva
- Râsakrîdâ —by Sankaradeva (From Kirtana Ghosa)
- Bârgeet —by Madhavadeva
- Râjasûya —by Madhavadeva
- Kathâ-Bhâgavata (Books I and II) —by Baikurthanath Bhattacharyya
- Gurucarit-Kathâ (Sankaradeva's Part only) —ed. by Maheswar Neog
Section B
- Mor Jeevan Soñwaran —by Lakshminath Bezbaroa
- Kripâbar BorbaruârKakatar Topola —by Lakshminath Bezbaroa
- Pratimâ —by Chandra KumarAgarwalla
- Gâonburhâ —by Padmanath GohainBarua
- Manomatî —by Rajanikanta Bordoloi
- Purani Asamîyâ Sâhitya —by Banikanta Kakati
- Kârengar Ligirî —by Jyotiprasad Agarwalla
- Jeevanar Bâtat —by Bina Barva(BirinchiKumar Barua)
- Mrityunjoy —by Birendrakumar Bhattacharyya
- Samrât —by Navakanta Barua
Recommended Study Resources
Essential Books
- • History of Assamese Literature by B.K. Barua
- • An Introduction to the Assamese Language by G.C. Goswami
- • Assamese: Its Formation and Development by B. Kakati
- • History of Assamese Literature by S.K. Chatterji
- • Assamese Grammar and Origin of the Assamese Language by K.R. Medhi
Literary Works
- • Literary Criticism in Assamese by P.N. Dhar
- • Modern Assamese Literature by M. Neog
- • Classical Assamese Literature Collections
- • Contemporary Assamese Poetry
- • Notable Assamese Novels and Short Stories
Language Resources
- • Assamese Language Learning Materials
- • Assamese-English Dictionary
- • Comprehensive Grammar Guide
- • Linguistic Studies of Assamese
- • Dialectology of Assamese
Practice Materials
- • Previous Years' UPSC Assamese Papers
- • Model Question Papers
- • Writing Practice Materials
- • Literature Analysis Exercises
- • Grammar Practice Worksheets