Barak Valley remembers Netaji

Special Correspondent
SILCHAR, Jan 22: Barak Valley fondly recollected the days Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose spent in the valley on his birthday. Netaji visited this valley twice in 1938 and 1939 as records and reminiscences reveal. Two leading weeklies of the time Surama and Saptak published special supplements to commemorate Netaji’s visits.

His first visit was as the president of Congress and the second as the president of Forward Block. Eminent historian and educationist Dr Suhas Chattopadhyay recollects on Netaji’s visit by train via Kullora in the April of 1938. Arches were put up at several places in his honour and he was cheered all the way. He was felicitated at a public meeting. He stayed at the house of a freedom fighter Rukmini Das of Ukilpatty of the town. He also addressed a meeting organized by Congress which was attended among others by Europeans, mainly tea planters. The meeting began with the then president of Cachar District Students Association Sushil Ranjan Chakraborty.

Impressed by the dynamism of Chakraborty, Netaji left a message for the members of the Association to work for the present, but prepare for the future. In the following year, Netaji came on a sort of campaign to the valley as the president of the Forward Block, recounts Dr Chattopadhyay.

His speech at a public meeting at Gandhi Baag was so inspiring that many people of the valley joined the new party. Among them were Mata Das Roy, Moulvi Golam Sabir Khan, Debendra Purkayastha, Sukhamoy Singh and Hiranmoy Singh. However, the Forward Block had hardly any influence in the provincial politics of Asom out side this valley where some effort was made to propagate the ideology of the party.

News of Netaji’s exploits in Burma-Asom-Arakan front spread in the valley by the end of November 1943 with the arrival of war. But the local officials tried their best to prevent the news from spreading to other parts of the state. The late 94 year old Shaukat Ali Chowdhury of Sonai Road had recollections when alive, and said that the Indian National Army were airdropping pamphlets in Bengali, Urdhu and Hindi in the North Lushai Hills. They also contained pictures of Netaji and some Sikh soldiers in INA uniform and marching towards Delhi. Following this the Government of the time launched house to house searches in the valley to root out INA supporters. source: sentinel assam