Firsts in Assam

Firsts in Politics & Administration

First Chief Minister of Assam: Gopinath Bordoloi
First Governor of Assam: Sir Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari
First Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court: Justice R. F. Lodge
First Assamese President of India: Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
First Woman Chief Minister of Assam: Syeda Anwara Taimur
First Assamese to become a Governor of an Indian State: Bishnuram Medhi
First Woman IAS from Assam: Parul Das
First Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly: Babu Basanta Kumar Das
First Woman to be a Cabinet Minister in Assam: Rani Manjula Devi
First Assamese Woman MP (Lok Sabha): Renuka Devi Barkataki
First Lok Sabha MP from Assam (Guwahati constituency): Rohini Kumar Chaudhury

First Assamese to receive the Bharat Ratna: Gopinath Bordoloi
First Assamese to receive the Jnanpith Award: Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya
First Assamese to receive the Padma Bhushan: Krishna Kanta Handique
First Assamese to receive the Padma Shri: Nabin Chandra Bardoloi
First Assamese to receive a Gold Medal in Asian Games: Bhogeswar Barua (1966)
First Assamese to win the Sahitya Akademi Award: Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya
First Assamese to win the Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Dr. Bhupen Hazarika
First Assamese to receive the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award: Atul Chandra Hazarika (1963)

First Assamese Graduate: Anundoram Borooah
First Assamese Female Graduate: Sudhalata Duwarah (1916)
First University in Assam: Gauhati University (established in 1948)
First Vice-Chancellor of Gauhati University: Krishna Kanta Handique
First Medical College in North-East India: Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh
First Assamese Dictionary: Hemkosh, compiled by Hemchandra Barua
First Assamese Monthly Magazine: Orunodoi (1846)
First Assamese Printing Press: Baptist Mission Press, Sibsagar (1836)
First Modern Assamese Novel: Bhanumati by Padmanath Gohain Baruah
First Assamese Daily Newspaper: Dainik Assam
First Assamese Modern Short Story: 'Mor Jivanor Eti Smriti' by Lakshminath Bezbaroa

First Assamese Film: Joymoti (1935)
First Director of an Assamese Film: Jyoti Prasad Agarwala
First Assamese Actress: Aideu Handique
First Assamese Film to win a National Award: Piyoli Phukan (1955, Best Feature Film in Assamese)
First Assamese Poetess: Nalinibala Devi
First Assamese Full-Length Play: Chandravali, written by Jyoti Prasad Agarwala
First Assamese Animated Film: Sarbagunakar Srimanta Sankardeva (2008)
First Assamese Radio Station: All India Radio, Guwahati (established in 1948)
First Assamese to win a National Film Award (Best Actor): Bidyut Chakraborty (for `Bagh Bahadur`)

First Assamese to receive the Arjuna Award: Bhogeswar Barua (for athletics, 1966)
First Olympian from Assam: Dr. Talimeren Ao (captain of the first Indian football team at the 1948 London Olympics)
First Assamese Woman to represent India in the Olympics: Monalisa Baruah Mehta (table tennis)
First Assamese to win a medal in the Asian Games (female): Monalisa Baruah Mehta (bronze in table tennis)
First Assamese to win a World Cup Medal: Joydeep Karmakar (shooting, 2012)