Ranjan Kumar Padmapati
(The writer can be reached at rkpadmapati@yahoo.co.in)
It is intended to remember two ladies from Assam who shone outside and scripted history in golden letters to become the first-ever graduates and Masters of Arts degree holders among the ladies from Assam. They are Sudhalata and Sukhalata Duara, born into parents Ramakanta Borkakati and Pavitri Duara of Siring, who belong to the clan of Duara-Kakati, near Sibsagar. Ramakanta Kakati, also a student of high calibre, passed the entrance examination in the first division, securing a monthly scholarship of Rs 20.00. It is to be mentioned here that Ramakanta was one of the four translators who translated Shakespeare’s ‘Comedy of Errors’ into Assamese under the name and style ‘Bhramo Rong’. ‘ Ramakanata, BL, started his career as a translator in the High Court, Kolkota, and retired as a chief translator. He stood first in the competition for getting into the post, selected among 252 candidates. Sudhalata was born on October 25, 1896, in Kolkota. The birthday of Sukhalata is not known and is not available in the memoir written by Dinesh Chandra Sen, the writing materials of which have been collected from the book translated into Bengali by Dr. Mandira Das in 2020 (first edition).
Both passed MA in Bengali literature in the first class. Sudhalata achieved the rare distinction of securing first place among all successful candidates. Both appeared as private candidates. Sudhalata scored the highest marks in 7 subjects out of a total of 8 subjects, including Assamese, Pali, Prakit, Bengali, etc., in the MA examination. Sudhalata had broken all the previous records of Kolkota University. She received prestigious medals like the Durgamani Devi Medal, the Annapurna Devi Medal, the Medal of Nashipur Maharaja, and books worth two hundred rupees. Their names appeared in all Indian newspapers. They are little known in Assam until a translation of a rare book, ’ A Memoir of Sudhalata Duara, MA BT, An Ideal Hindu Girl’ 1930, authored by her mentor Guru Prof. Dinesh Chandra Sen, was translated into Assamese by Sandhya Devi of the Dibrugarh University (1997) and into Bengali by Dr. Mandira Das ( 2020) recently.
Both passed middle school from the Missionary School, situated at CMS Church Compound, with a scholarship. Sudhalata always secured first place in the annual examinations. After having passed middle school, both entered Bethune School, Kolkota, in 1907. In 1911, Sudhalata received a gold medal for exhibiting good conduct. In 1914, she passed matriculation in the First Division and stood first, securing a scholarship of Rs 20.00 per month. She received prestigious medals like the Mrs. Ingles and Umesh Chandra medals, just to name a few. She occupied first place both in the IA and BA examinations at Bethune College among girls. Both sisters took Sanskrit with honours in the BA examination. In 1919, Sudhalata passed BT as well from the Diocesan College. At this point in time, Sudhalata joined a teachership at the Bethune School, where she had studied once, for a few months. After having passed the MA examination, she joined the Crosthwaite Women College, Allahabad, in 1920 as a teacher. There she taught Sanskrit, English, and logic. She became principal of the college in 1925, and in due course, she remained in that post till her death. During her stay in Allahabad, she learned Hindi and Urdu. Sukhalata also joined the same college and was promoted to the post of vice principal, but later on, after the death of her sister, she moved to Lahore to join as a principal. Prof. Dinesh Chandra Sen, her teacher and mentor at the university, mentioned in his memoir that Sudhalata’s writing skill was so brilliant that she would write very briefly yet very clearly in answering the questions in examinations and would score a cent percent. Unnecessarily, she would never write even a single word.
The Vice Chancellor of Kolkata University, Ashutush Mukherjee, was a class friend of Ramakanta Kakoti, their father. Once, Mukherjee took him to Dr. Dinesh Chandra Sen, the scholar par excellence of the university. Ashutush requested Dinesh Chandra Sen to extend a helping hand when both daughters showed intense interest in pursuing postgraduate studies privately. Accordingly, Dr. Sen agreed, became a guru in the real sense of the term, and guided the sisters in their pursuits of postgraduate studies. Noticing talents in them, Dr. Sen took in both as his daughters. This was a happy beginning; thereafter, there was no reason to stop, and both families gradually became friends. Sudhalata was extremely grateful to her Guru, as could be known from the writings of Dr. Sen. She requested her father to donate a plot of land as a Guru Dakshina, measuring one bigha, in Kolkata as her last wish, just a few minutes before her departure to the heavenly abode. This has been lamented by Dr. Sen in his memoir. Sudhalata died of food poisoning at Jorhat on May 5, 1928. Soon news of her death spread in Assam, Bengal, UP, Punjab, and South India in papers like The Statesman, the Pioneer, The Leader, the Ananda Bazaar Patrika, the Modern Review, the Times of Assam, the Assam Banti, etc. The Leader published a long article penned by Prof. Sheshadri, HOD of the English Department of the Benares Hindu University, on June 4, 1928.
Teaching was so ingrained in her life that she declined an offer from JR Cunningham, who carried a salary of Rs 500.00 per month in the education department. Sukhalata elevated the institution to a level of national importance that could be known from the names contained in the list of members of the college committee; they were all of high repute, such as the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, D.P.I., Tej Bahadur Sepru, Motilal Nehru, and others, just to mention a few. She remained a bachelor to render yeoman service for spreading women’s education in India. In her attitude, she was very secular and celebrated different festivals of Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity in the college. She joined the Bharat Guide Movement and set up a troop at the college. After her death, the troop was christened ‘Sudha Troop’. She was a member of the Court of Allahabad University, the Academic Council, the Text Book Committee, etc. She was thoroughly a religious lady and performed prayers, both at the girls’ hostel and college. For all-round physical and mental development, she introduced games and sports like badminton, tennis, and basket-ball and practiced them daily for an hour, and she too played with the students. Her mission was to make girls equal to boys. She was a perfect guardian of the students of a big hostel; she nursed and fed the sick students with her own hands. She stayed in a small bungalow, leading a simple life inside the college compound. Sukhalata moved like the shadow of her sister, helping her in all activities of the college. At her death, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya wrote, “The loss of such a high character is a loss to the cause of education in the provinces where she spent nine years of life.” Prof. Sheshadri wrote, “Her whole mission in life was devotion to teaching and study.” Though the Kakati family advanced in education yet met some tragic ends, as ill luck would have it, out of ten siblings, six died at a very tender age. It is gathered that till 1930, sisters Sukhalata, Shantlata, and Pritilata were alive, and only the surviving brother Ananda stayed with her parents at Jorhat, as mentioned in the memoir.