Dileep Kumar Kalita (76 years), a former Associate Professor and Head of Chemistry Department, Tinsukia College, was a person of manifold qualities. During his student days (1970-1972) at Dibrugarh University (DU), he took part in fast unto death students’ agitation launched by Dibrugarh University PG Students Union (DUPGSU) in protest against the question paper leakage scam of Pre-University (PU) examination in 1971.
It was at the assurance of the then Chief Minister of Assam Mahendra Mohan Chaudhury (now deceased) who came to attend the Makum session of Axam Xahitya Xabha (AXX) that the DU students body finally withdrew the agitation. Needless to say, the university, still at its infancy then, had to undergo many reforms subsequently in the aftermath of this major and timely students’ protest.
After joining Tinsukia College, Dileep Kalita lived permanently at Tinsukia and got himself associated with a good number of socio-educational activities. He was a former president of Assam Science Society, Tinsukia Branch, President, Red Cross Society, Tinsukia district, and President, Reception Committee State Level Conference of National Children’s Science Congress (NCSC), held for the first time at Tinsukia in 1996.
Even after his superannuation from Tinsukia College in 2009, he became more active in the educational arena. He was a university-nominated member of Doomdooma College, Sadiya College, President Digboi College (now autonomous college) and Tinsukia College Governing Bodies (GB).
He was well versed in Assam Provincialized College Management Rules. For that, in any critical college-related issues, most of his fellow college teachers turned to him for a solution.
In Sadiya College, Dileep Kumar Kalita and I were both once DU-nominated members of Sadiya College Governing Body (GB) in the early part of the 21st century. The college had to undergo a critical phase because of the high-handedness of the then principal of the college. He even deprived the teachers of their legitimate senior scale for an indefinite period. At this, Dileep and I took a tough stand at the GB meeting and finally we got it approved by the Director, Higher Education (DHE), Kahilipara, Guwahati.
He acted as an external of Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA)’s HSLC examination for many years. What is significant is that he could control to a great extent the then widely prevalent unfair means of copying by the examinees. The very mention of his name as an external was enough to create tremors in the hearts of those involved in the said racket.
He also gave his thoughts for the improvement of Tinsukia, the headquarter town of Tinsukia district now. But poor management of the existing municipal bodies was the primary reason for the discouragement of many. The unfinished water tank for the piped water supply to the inhabitants in the heart of the town is a glaring example of this, a fact that Dileep lamented.
Yet against all these odds, he was a firm believer of science and tried to spread scientific temperament among the masses through organizations like Assam Science Society, Ellora Vigyan Mancha, and National Children’s Science Congress (NCSC). He didn’t give up teaching till his death and was the Principal of Inventure Academy, Bordoloi Nagar, Tinsukia.
On the day of his Adya Sraddha on Monday, I pay my tribute in his sacred memory.
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