Notable Alumni

Prafulla Kumar Mahanta

LLB

At the age of 33, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta became the 11th Chief Minister of Assam in 1985, the youngest person to hold this office in any state of India. He came to power again in 1996. He holds an LLB degree from GU.

Rita Chowdhury

Class of 1984 - MA (Political Science)
Class of 1990 - MA (Assamese), LLB
2005 - PhD (Comparative Literature)

Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award, Dr Rita Chowdhury did her Master's in Political Science and Assamese from GU. She obtained her PhD from GU in 2005.

A poet and novelist of repute, Dr Chowdhury became the director National Book Trust (NBT) in 2015.

Satyendranath Sarma
(1917 - 1999)

1955 - PhD (Assamese)

A scholar, educationist, critic, and historian, Dr Satyendranath Sarma obtained hid PhD degree from GU in 1955. He also became the President of Asam Sahitya Sabha in 1975 (Titabor Session).

Tarun Gogoi
(1936 - 2020)

(Class of 1963 - LLB)

One of the most visible faces of the political arena of Assam (a Northeastern state of India), he was among the sixteen longest serving Chief Ministers of India and the only one to have been in power for 15 years as a Chief Minister of Assam. He also served six terms as a Member of Pariament in the Lok Sabha and as a Union Minister of State. Among his many achievements, he is credited with having brought certain insurgent groups to the negotiating table.

He was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan award in 2021.

Yeshe Dorje Thongshi

Prashant Goswami

Class of 1981 - MSc (Physics)

Winner of the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar award, Dr Prashant Goswami is a leading computational geoscientist and climatologist of the country. He onbtained his Master's degree in Physics from GU in 1981 and later became the Director of the National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies.

Rajkumar Ranjan Singh

Class of 1972 - MA (Geography)
PhD (Geography)

Popularly known as RK Ranjan, Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh is an academic-turned-politician, is the newest Union Minister of State in the BJP-led central government of India.

Born in 1952 in Kongba Makha Nandeibam Leikai village of Manipur (a Northeastern state of India), Dr Singh obtained his masters degree in Geography from GU in 1972. He then went on to complete his PhD in the same subject from GU. Prior to his involvement in politics, he has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences in Manipur University and has also been associated with the university administration.

Sarbananda Sonowal

LLB

A Bachelor of Law from GU, Sri Sarbananda Sonowal was the 14th Chief Minsiter of Assam. Prior to that, Sri Sonowal served as a Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs.

In the year 2021, Sri Sonowal has joined theBJP-led Union Goverment of India as a Cabinet Minister.

Syed Abdul Malik
(1919 - 2000)

Class of 1951 - MA (Assamese)

One of the most decorated litterateurs of the Assamese language, Syed Abdul Malik obtained his MA degree from GU in 1951.

Author of celebrated novels like Aghari Atmar Kahini (অঘৰী আত্মাৰ কাহিনী) and Adharshila (আধাৰশিলা), Malik has been honoured with both Padma Bhushan (1992) and Padmna Shri (1984). Among numerous awards that he won, notable are the Sahitya Akademi award in 1972 and Sahityacharya in 1977 (by the Asam Sahitya Sabha). He has also been the President of the Asam Sahitya Sabha in 1977.

Temsüla Ao