A CORRESPONDENT
JAMUGURIHAT: Barchala Constituency Gorkha Jagaran Mancha organized a memorial lecture on ‘The Dhekiajuli Episode of India’s Freedom Movement: Martyrs and the Contribution of Freedom Fighters’ in honour of freedom fighter and social worker Ganganath Upadhyay at the Dhirai Majuli Community Hall here on Sunday.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr Chandan Kumar Sarma of Tezpur University said that the Dhekiajuli incident of September 20, 1942, was a rare and significant episode of the Freedom Movement that had not received due national attention. “The stories of the martyrs’ sacrifice kindle a sense of patriotism in every individual. It is unfortunate that such an important episode has remained outside the national discourse,” he said.
Dr Sarma emphasized the need for extensive research, documentation, and publicity to present the 1942 Dhekiajuli episode at the national level. He urged writers, researchers, litterateurs, and journalists of Assam to work collectively to publish books and studies on the subject in different languages. He also called upon students to undertake serious academic study of the episode, describing the association of Dhekiajuli with martyrs and freedom fighters as the region’s distinctive historical identity. Referring to the declining readership of newspapers and journals, Dr Sarma further appealed to people to cultivate the habit of reading, and lauded the Gorkha Jagaran Mancha for organizing the lecture to raise public awareness.
The daylong programme began at 11.30 am with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by Gop Bahadur Thapa, President of the Singari Regional Senior Citizens’ Association and a retired teacher. Explaining the objective of the event, Mancha Secretary Chandan Timsina said that the lecture series were intended to familiarize people, especially in rural areas, with the historic events associated with the Freedom Movement in Dhekiajuli.
The programme was conducted by retired teacher Indra Prasad Phayel. A folk song was presented by artiste Sagarika Barman, following which Mancha President Narayan Phayel delivered the welcome address. The memorial lecture was formally inaugurated by Dr Sukadev Adhikari, President of Sonitpur Zilla Xahitya Xabha and Principal of Lokanayak Omeo Kumar Das College. In his inaugural address, Dr Adhikari said that the people of Assam take pride in the role played by Dhekiajuli in the freedom struggle and stressed the need for wider dissemination of this history. He noted that freedom fighter Ganganath Upadhyay was among the many unsung contributors whose role deserved greater recognition.
Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar recipient Anjan Baskota, writer and Axam Xahitya Xabha publicity subcommittee Executive President Mahendra Kumar Nath, social worker Mahabir Sethia, and 1942 Martyrs and Freedom Fighters Memorial Trust President Debicharan Neog shared the dais as distinguished guests.
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