Birinchi Kumar Barua was one of the brightest luminaries of 20th century Assam who excelled in all branches of Assamese literature. A prolific writer of outstanding merit, he concentrated all his energies, every moment of his life to the exploration, preservation and propagation of the rich cultural heritage of Assam. A pioneer in folklore studies of Assam, the multimentional life of Barua was a perfect blend of scholarship and creativity. The extraordinary researcher, academician, critic, novelist, writer of childrens literature, a compiler and editor of old books and manuscripts, Barua occupies a unique place in the Assamese literary world.

Birinchi Kumar Barua was born at Puranigudam in the present day district of Nagaon on October 16, 1908. His father Bijoy Ram Barua was a learned person and served at the Assam secretariate at Shillong. Passing the matriculation examination in first division from Nowgong Govt High School in 1928, Birinchi left for Kolkata to pursue higher studies. There he got himself admitted into the prestigious Presidency College. In 1930, he passed IA in first division and passed BA in 1932 with honours in Pali language. He obtained Ishan Scholarship for his outstanding performance in BA examination. In 1934, he passed MA in Pali language from Calcutta University securing first class first position. Simultaneously, he studied law at Calcutta University. After passing BA, he also passed the ICS examination, but the British government at that time refused to appoint him as an administrative officer on the ground that he could not ride horses.

After relentless effort by a number of Assamese students led by Birinchi Kumar Barua and Jatindra Nath Duwara, Calcutta University introduced Assamese as a modern language in 1938. Barua was appointed as a teacher by the university. He taught Assamese in the MA classes. Apart from teaching, he wrote a number of textbooks in Assamese for BA and MA classes of the university. In 1938, he left Kolkata and joined Cotton College as a lecturer in Assamese.

In 1945, Barua left for England for further study. There he did research at London University under London School of Oriental and African Studies. His indepth study on Assamese culture brought him the PhD degree in 1948. His thesis later published as, "A Cultural History of Assam" is now regarded as a milestone in Assamese literature.

In the early part of the 20th century, the people of Assam raised a demand for setting up a university in the State. To fulfill the demand, a trust was formed to collect funds with Gopinath Bordoloi as its secretary and Birinchi Kumar Barua as its assistant secretary. On January 1, 1948, Gauhati University was set up at Jalukbari with renowned scholar Krishna Kanta Handique as its founder Vice-Chancellor. In the last part of that year, Barua joined as a reader of the newly found Assamese Department of the university. On February 1, 1950 he became secretary of the university classes. With his innovative idea, plan and hard work, he moulded the university as an excellent institution for higher studies. Apart from administrative and constructive work, Barua carried on his academic work simultaneously. He taught linguistic, folklore, Prakrit and history of Assamese literature in the PG classes of the Assamese Department. In 1952, he became head of the Assamese Department and also became Dean, Faculty of Arts.

An erudite scholar and writer, Barua wielded a prolific pen and shone brilliantly in all the areas of Assamese language and literature. As a historian of Assamese literature, he traced the full history of the language in a number of brilliantly authored books like History of Assamese Literature, Studies in Early Assamese Literature, Assamese Literature, Modern Assamese Literature etc. An exponent of Vaishnavite culture and tradition, his book Sankardeva, Vaishnava Saint of Assam was one of the most stupendous and onerous works on the life of the great Vaishnavite saint of 15th century Assam. Labouriously collecting, compiling and editing the vaishnavite dramas written by Sankardeva, Madhabdeva and Gopaldeva, he published them with a vast English introduction as Ankiya Nat. He also proved his dexterity as a critic and Kabya aru Abhibyanhana bore testimony to his calibre. On the basis of his experiences of travelling to Europe and America, he wrote two widely acclaimed travelogues called Switzerland Bhraman and Professor Baruar Chithi.

As a novelist, Barua was comparable to none in the Assamese literary world. He wrote two novels on two different plots as Jibanar Batat and Seuji Patar Kahini in still regarded as one of the most successful social novels in Assamese literature. According to Dr Banikanta Kakati, "In point of artistry and local colour, it is only Assamese work of fiction that will be translated into an international language like English. Regarded as an index of the author's mind, the book reveals wide and intimate acquaintance with all phases and features of Assamese social life in their light and shade." Written on the background of the colourful life in the tea gardens of Assam, his novel, Seuji Patar Kahini created ripples in the literary circle, immediately after its publication in 1959.

Dominating the academic and literary world of Assam for more than a quarter of a century, Birinchi Kumar Barua died on March 30, 1964 at Guwahati. His death marked the end of an epoch. Condoling his death, renowned scholar Dr Sunity Kumar Chatterjee wrote, "The passing away of Dr Birinchi Kumar Barua a short while ago has been one of the greatest losses sustained by Indian scholarship in Assam, and we all mourn the sad untimely demise of such a fine scholar who brought kudos to Indian scholarship".