Bhumidhar Bordoloi: An unsung hero who first hoisted the Tricolour in Assam

(The writer can be reached at rkpadmapati@yahoo.co.in)

The celebration of the 76th Independence Day of India is just over. Many prominent ones are well remembered. But still, some are left without any notice. They remain unsung. Bhumidhar is such an unsung hero. He was the first to hoist the Tricolour in Assam at the Tezpur court building on 18th March 1932. Sootea is a small town on the NH-52 situated at a distance of 60 km from Tezpur toward the east. Bhumidhar was born at Malar Gaon in Sootea. At Sootea Police Station too, the Tricolour was hoisted on 20th August 1942 by Golok Saikia, leader of Mritu Bahini (Death Squad) of the Sootea unit. The members present included Bijoy Chandra Bhagawati, Mahendra Borkataky, Biren Borkataky, Boloram Bordoloi, Biman Bora, Deba Borkataky and many others. All were arrested on 22nd August 1942. The Mritu Bahini was raised by Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla in Assam. Ten years before that Bhumidhar lowered the Union Jack and hoisted the Tricolour. Bhumidhar survived by the grace of God, not attained martyrdom.

Lahore Congress in 1929 declared Purna Swaraj and decided to hoist National Flag at all government buildings, offices, courts and police stations on 26th January 1930. Much before, in 1923, Flag Satyagrah was adopted by the revolutionary wing of the Congress, as propagated by Bipin Chandra Paul, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and others. The Flag Satyagrah gained momentum when the Ghadar Party supported the Dwaja Satyagrah. As a part of the Flag Satyagrah, Jyoti Prasad had planned for the hoisting of the national flag at the district court at Tezpur. The heroic deed of 1932 was an echo of the flag satyagraha which had received overwhelming support in other parts of the country, more particularly in Nagpur and Jabalpur. The campaign reached South India too. People came out in large numbers to hoist the flag, 32 persons attained martyrdom in 1938, and 96 rounds of shots were fired at Vidurashatha, a place near Mysore, known as the Jallianwala Bagh of South India.

Jyoti Prasad organized a training camp for one month at Sootea on the same premises of Bijoy Chandra Bhagawati where his old house stands today. At the end of the training, Jyoti Prasad had a discussion with the volunteers and a proposal was put forward to hoist the national flag at the court building, Tezpur. A youth with promises and determination came forward voluntarily. Jyoti Prasad asked him to go home and to think coolly for an overnight. The next morning, he came, reiterated his determination and said that he was prepared to die for the country. Accordingly, the date was fixed. It was planned for 18th March, Thursday, 1932. He, with two of his brothers, proceeded to Tezpur after handing over Rs 60 to his wife tied in a handkerchief for performing the religious rites in the event of his death. They arrived at the court building at the appropriate time and were sitting on the steps of the building. Jyoti Prasad was standing, gossiping with others at a nearby place, at the junction (Kachari Chari Ali) of the Dak Bungalow. At the stroke of one pm, the court bell rang loudly, lawyers, magistrates, and clerks were taking a little rest. Jyoti Prasad passed on the signal to go ahead. All three brothers reached the foot of the wooden ladder to climb the building from the rear side. Bhumidhar checked the flag concealed in a cloth bag hanging from his shoulder for the last time, and the volunteer's cap in his pant pocket. He immediately put off Dhuti–Chadar that he wore over his Congress volunteer's uniform, khaddar half pant and shirt to camouflage. He swiftly climbed up the ladder, lowering the Union Jack hurriedly hoisted the National Flag and shouted "Mahatma Gandhi jee ki Joy, Bharat Mata ki Joy and Vande Mataram" three times quite loudly. People were taken by surprise. The siren ( Pagla Ghanta) alarmed the police. All came out and assembled outside. Immediately Bhumidhar was surrounded by the armed police, two policemen climbed up, arrested him and produced him before the Deputy Commissioner. It was sheer luck that the police did not open fire, and his life was saved by the grace of God. After the trial, serving a warning note not to repeat such an act in future, he was set free after a detention of four hours.

Materials for this article are collected from a nonagenarian historian of Sootea, Prof Phatik Hazarika. Jyoti Prasad embraced him immediately after the release at the junction, took him to Pokee Ghar, and directed the two brothers to go to Sootea to spread the message. In the evening at Pokee Ghar he was congratulated by noted citizens of Tezpur. After two days, Bhumidhar reached Sootea and the villagers flocked to the house of Bhumidhar. His wife returned the handkerchief with Rs 60 that Bhumidhar had given her. It was a pitiable sight when Bhumidar gazed and gazed at the blood-red vermilion tilak, dazzling on the forehead of his wife. After searching intensely, I got only one line in the GOOGLE BOOK that Bhumidhar had hoisted the National Flag on 18th March 1932 at the Court Building, Tezpur.

The second part of the untold story is collected from a retired professor of Darrang College, Prof Gahan Mahanta. Ananda Kumar Padmapati, a lawyer of repute and celebrated actor of the Ban Stage of yesteryears, exhibited a rare example of the presence of mind to save Bhumidhar's life. When the police surrounded Bhumidhar, Annada Kumar Padmapati was in the crowd. He shouted to the police "mad man, do not fire. He is a mad person, do not kill him." The police did not fire. The Deputy Commissioner was convinced. With a warning, he set Bhumidhar free. Prof Mahanta divulged the incident in a public meeting at Tezpur. He collected the information from Keshab Mahanta. It is to be mentioned here that Annada Kumar Padmapati is the eldest son of anthropologist Rajani Kumar Padmavati. It is known that when Ballav Bhai Patel came to Becheria of Tezpur, Annada Padmapati translated the full text of their lecture of Patel into simple Assamese from his memory and explained it well to the public. At this, Sardar Patel came forward and shook hands with him, taking a note of his merit. Bijoy Chandra Bhagawati wrote that when Annada became a lawyer there were less than 100 lawyers in undivided Assam. Before practising law in Assam, Annada served as a professor of English in a college in Kolkota.