Verses of My Teenage Days

That happens to be the title of my first book. Verses of My Teenage Days is a compilation of the poems composed by me during my teenage years (esp. 1994 - 1999). The poems are interspersed with sketches made by me during my early childhood years (esp 1983 - 85). Conceptualized by my father, Mr. Prabin Choudhury, the book was published by the Himajyoti Educational & Socio-Cultural Trust ( Visit the Trust Website ). Most of the poems had been earlier published in the Assam Tribune, a prestigious English daily of North East India.


The book includes 27 of my poems (all in English, except three which are in Assamese). Some of my personal favourites are Blood, Loneliness, Dawn of Life, Those College Days and the Warrior. The book has been very well accepted by people who have read it, and I am flooded with encouraging feedback from several well wishers. I sincerely thank my readers for showering all the encouragement.

Verses of My Teenage Days is a special milestone in my life's journey, not only because it happens to be my first book, but because it reinforces in an unprecedented way the love & sacrifice of my dear ones, especially my father, who has been the sole propeller behind the conceptualization & publication of this book. For the last three decades, he has been meticulously preserving all my scribbles, which most parents would dispose as waste. Then he has taken all the pain to electronically reproduce them to be compatible for print (he had even had to type out all the poems himself as there were no digital copies of those poems). He has organized the material - the sketches & the poems - interspersing the poems with the sketches, designed the cover page, did the composition himself (including choice of font, adding short descriptions wherever applicable), handpicked the type of paper for print from a variety of options to ensure a classic getup, and personally supervised the composers at the print house. And the best part was that I was completely in the dark about all these until the day of publication, which happened to be my birthday (27th May, 2010).

There cannot be a better birth day gift that a father can give to his son. Probably this birthday would remain the most memorable birthday of my life. I have never had such a remarkable surprise, and I know I shall never have a more remarkable one ever.

To me the publication of my first book is not as significant as the inspiration & encouragement that it has infused me with. Now I am burning with a desire to write more, create more. Thank you Dad for this invaluable contribution. I hope to be able to give you a return gift in the form of my second book before my next birthday.