HT Correspondent
SIVASAGAR, March 8: The 125th birth anniversary of the former MP, educationist, the first Assamese singer to record songs in HMV gramophone company in Kolkata, and noted tea planter Karmajyogi Prafulla Chandra Baruah was observed by the socio-cultural organisation ‘Agantuk’ in Sibsagar Girls College on Friday.
The meeting held on the occasion was presided over by Juga Gogoi, former president of Sivasagar Jila Sahitya Sabha and president of Agantuk. Jayshree Chaliha, daughter of Rupkonwar Jyoti Pd Agarwala, lit the ceremonial light before the portrait of Prafulla Chandra Baruah. Students of Sundaram Kabya Kanan school sang the chorus while Dr Protim Sharma, principal of the college, inaugurated the programme with a brief speech and Dilip Saikia, spoke on the objectives.
Dr Anil Saikia, noted researcher on folk culture and a member of Sangeet Natak Academy General Council, delivered the keynote address and said that Prafulla Chandra Baruah began his career from a scratch and went on to become a shining star in Assam’s cultural landscape. Baruah , he said, eked out the school fees by selling rice in childhood and later went to Kolkata to enrol in Ripon College. He was the first to boycott British college education for joining the independence movement, and was elected MP from Assam for two times. As a tea planter also Prafulla Chandra Baruah delivered invaluable contribution to socio-cultural sector of Assam
Writer Dr Prasanta Kumar Chutia released a novel in the meeting, ‘Mon Akasar Tora,’written by Mamoni Gogoi. Pallobi Phukan, student participant, also delivered a speech on Prafulla Chandra Baruah. Jyotisman Phukan, Daisy Priyam Konwar, Thomas Baruah, Seuj Pokhi Buragohain, Liza Handique, and Bagmi Saikia sang Bushnu-Jyoti-Parbati songs in the programme. Sonaram Baruah, former principal, Sibsagar College, Suresh Saikia, president of All Assam Senior Citizens’ Forum, writer Hem Baruah, Amitabh Baruah, president, Rangpr Sahitya Sabha, Somesh Deka, Tarun Chandra Nath, Prasanta Gogoi, Prasanta Borgohain, Sanjeev Bailung, Usha Gogoi,Kunti Rani Gogoi, Dipali Radhika Duwora, Jeuti Bora Bhayan, and many others were present in the meeting.