From a Correspondent
TANGLA, Jan 11: Age seems to be just a number for him as it could not demoralize him, nor restrict his body movement and neither his spirit. Drapping a bihuwan around his neck, wearing a dhoti, donning a kurta and slippers and riding his bi-cycle with two baskets, this septuagerian man is an inspiration for the young generation as he cycles nearly 30 km a day for his livelihood.
He is Khulia bhao artiste, Pusparam th, a known face for people of Tangla town and its neighboring places, not as an artiste but more as a petty door-to-door trader of chicken eggs in which he has been relentlessly engaged for the past six decades. For the septuagerian born way back in 1940 at Boiragaripara village under Sipajhar PS in Darrang district, braving extreme weather and cycling to Tangla town and its neighbourhood has become a regular affair for him.
The time when the town was under dense jungle and wild animals like tigers roamed around is still fresh in his memory. “I was once attacked by a roaring tiger near Noi river of Tangla decades back, but I was luckily survived,” recalls th. He still recalls the time when the country gained Independence, and he, a seven-year old child, accompanied his grandmother to witness the hoisting of the tricolour and bonfire of foreign clothes when khadi became a symbol of freedom. The memories of his meeting with noted freedom fighter of Kalaigaon, Pani Ram Das and former Home Minister Ramesh Chandra Sahariah are still fresh in his mind.
While talking to this correspondent, the septuagerian expressed unhappiness at the present day status of Assamese ethnic folk song and dance. Unfortutely, even after repeated attempts at local panchayat offices and circle offices, the artiste is still waiting with a ray of hope to get his pension and recognition.