Ariful Islam/Guwahati

Scriptures are not religion-specific; they teach humans the philosophy of life. Mukut  Sarma, a progressive writer of Assam has proven this adage through his work. A Hindu, Sarma has mastered most of the religious books including the Quran and makes efforts to spread its positive message in society.

Mukut Sarma, author of several books, has studied the English, Assamese, and Bengali translations of the Quran. He has held discussions with scholar of the Arabic language on the Holy book of Islam.

Sarma continues to holds debates on how the words of the Holy Quran should be accepted by society in the modern world. His book 'Ejon Brahmanar Dristit Quran (The Quran in the Views of a Brahmin)' has received a lot of attention and is selling like hotcakes.

So far, 10 editions of this book have been published.

Mukut Sarma and the cover of his book

In an interview with 'Awaz-the Voice', Mukut Sarma said: "We live in the Byaspara area of Sipajhar in Darang district. We, the Hindus and Muslims have been living together since childhood. We live together from morning till evening. So, naturally, I developed an interest in the Quran, and read it over and over again.

“Later, I studied it in depth. I read different interpretations by different authors and tried to understand the holy book better. The first word of the Quran is 'Iqra' which means to read or acquire knowledge.”

Mukut Sarma, who graduated from B Barooah College, Guwahati, has authored and edited 26 books so far.

"There have been misinterpretations of the Quran. Some clerics and religious leaders misinterpret the Quran for the general public without studying it properly. This is because children of different communities send their children, who are found to be weak in studies, to religious educational institutions.

Covers of some books of Mukut Sarma

“As a result, it is often that those children grow up to be priests and religious leaders without acquiring proper knowledge. I am a Brahmin by birth, but I am not sure whether I am a Brahmin by my actions. Likewise, not all Muslims are Muslims, there are certain conditions to become a Muslim, such as praying, doing good deeds, not being jealous of people, fasting, paying zakat, etc." Sarma said.

In his book Ejon Brahmanar Dristit Quran, Mukut Sarma writes: “A perfect Muslim cannot go to the court to solve his problems; he can solve all his problems within the boundary of The Holy Quran and Hadith'.

He says, “The solution to all our problems is in the Quran.”

“Many miracles have been recorded in the Holy Quran Sharif about 1500 years ago. Science, philosophy, medicine, fingerprints, property rights, etc. are all covered in the Quran. It’s a wonderful book from all sides,” he said.

“If you follow the Quran well, there will be no conflict, division of society, etc.,” Mukut Sarma says.

All scriptures have the same essence. The purpose of religion is to keep society in order. Religion was created to overcome the chaos that had prevailed at various times and establish communism or peace in society. All religious scriptures speak of peace, harmony, and brotherhood in society, Sarma said.

"If everyone is radical or orthodox in their respective religion, then there would be no chaos in society. There is chaos in society because we do not study religion. Also at times there is a lot of misinterpretation of the word jihad in our society. Jihad means a determination to reject evil and embrace good and positive thoughts,” Mukut Sarma said.

The author has also recently scripted a book on Bagh Hazarika. He said there are different opinions about Bagh Hazarika, who was Lachit Barphukan's battlefield companion. “But I have researched that Bagh Hazarika was there and his descendants still exist. There are genealogies etc. of Bagha Hazarika,” he said.

Mukut Sarma and other writers at book fair

Mukut Sarma, winner of the Buduram Panging Award of the Asam Sahitya Sabha, not everything is recorded in history, some are yet to be recorded. "There is no record of the Battle of Pathrughat. However, we can never dismiss the glorious history of Pathrughat.”

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In a message to the younger generation, Mukut Sarma said: "We are Assamese first. We need to know the nation, the soil, the foundation, and the culture. We have to work for our survival. We always have to work unitedly. If we create divisions among ourselves, we will not be able to move forward. If we are true Assamese and work for the sake of society, caste, and country, we can move forward.”