HT Correspondent
SIVASAGAR, Jan 1: Ranjan Press of Jyoti Prasad Agarwala Path, Sivasagar, has brought out its 76th edition of the New Year Calendar, continuing a long-standing tradition established by its founder Monoranjan Baruah, a cousin of Radha Govinda Baruah.
In a brief function held on Wednesday, the New Year calendar was formally released by former president of Rangpur Sahitya Sabha and noted nature lover Zehiruddin Khan in the presence of guests and media persons.
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Speaking to The Assam Tribune, Monoranjan Baruah’s grandson and present proprietor of Ranjan Press, Manos Ranjan Baruah, said that the calendar was first published in 1950, inspired by a similar calendar published by Radha Govinda Baruah for The Assam Tribune. Since then, the publication has been continued regularly on the first day of every New Year.
Manos Ranjan Baruah said that at one time the Ranjan Press calendar was extremely popular among the people of Sivasagar town as well as the tea garden community of Upper Assam for its accuracy of dates and other information. Despite many challenges faced by the printing industry since 1950, Ranjan Press has traversed a long journey and continues to serve the people, he added.
He further shared that Radha Govinda Baruah’s mother passed away soon after his birth and he was brought up by Monoranjan Baruah’s mother, Hoimawoti Devi, at their residence in Phukan Nagar, Sivasagar. Radha Govinda Baruah later entered the printing business and set up a press in Dibrugarh in 1938, from where he began publishing The Assam Tribune in 1939.
Inspired by Radha Govinda Baruah’s enthusiasm and business acumen, Monoranjan Baruah established a press in Sivasagar in 1950. Later, Radha Govinda Baruah sold his share of the ancestral property at Phukan Nagar before moving to Guwahati, where the present Assam Tribune Group of newspapers eventually took firm roots.
