A Tribute to Maheswari Devi

Death is inevitable and we are used to getting back to our day-to-day normal routine work immediately after the performances of the last rites of someone near and dear we have lost. Only the bereaved family members fail to forget the memories of the person they missed forever. The demise of my respected octogerian ‘Khurideu’ Maheswari Devi is such that everybody came into her close touch can never forget the persolity and spirit of this simple yet pious lady in whom every one could feel the love and affection of a mother.

She was born  on October 27, 1934 as the third of the four children of the family of a reputed village priest Jiba th Sarma –a popular religious soul with humble ture and his wife Chandra Bala Devi of the sleepy village of Pati Darrang near Deomornoi in Darrang district. Maheswari Devi started her school education in Mangaldai Town Girls’ High School staying in the house of her relative as she was deeply interested to complete her education due to non-availability of academic institutions in the locality.  But due to the prevailing social custom and tradition of that time, her parents arranged for her marriage at the very tender age of 14 years with Kirti Prasad Sarma ( Babu) –the second son of eminent Mouzadar Rajani Prasad Sarma of Silpota Mouza in Kalaigaon. After the demise of his father, Kirti Prasad Sarma was compelled to shoulder the responsibility of the Mouzadar and Maheswari Devi too at her younger age had to mage all the affairs of the family and acquired the popular identity of the ‘Mouzadarani Aei.’    

Following the close relation between our families and particularly as her youngest son Utpal is my class friend since the primary school days I had enjoyed more to feel the motherly care, love and affection of respected ‘Khurideu.’ I never had felt any sense of pride, ego or complex in loving Khurideu who always preferred to lead a very simple life style with her involvement in social works. In 1952 with active cooperation and support from eminent women activists of the area mely Swar Lata Hazarika, Kak Lata Das, Anupama Devi and others, ‘Khurideu’ took the initiative for organizing all the women of the area under one platform and founded the Kalaigaon Mahila Samiti and she was unimously elected as the founder secretary and was involved with it till her death. In 1970s, she was elected to Gaon Panchayat to take part in the local self government. In 1991 this pious lady received the deep shock and pain of the demise of her husband. But she, with strong feeling of determition and responsibility, stayed calm to hide the pain and sorrow and took the responsibility to lead the family as well as the affairs of Mouza.

Besides her involvement in social activities, she also concentrated in literary activities and in 2005 she published Bhava - a book of self composed poems which was highly appreciated by the readers for its literary value. For her contributions in the literary field, she was offered the Life Membership of Axam Xahitya Xabha. She was a regular contributor in Brahma Jyoti –the mouth piece of Darrang Zila Brahma Samaj. She was also actively involved with the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) sponsored Assam Agitation.

 Today she is no more. She left for the heavenly abode on the morning of July 3 at her residence on the bank of river Noa at Kalaigaon leaving behind her eldest daughter Kanika Bhattacharyya (eminent singer of AIR Guwahati), son Bimal Prasad Sarma, daughter Monika Goswami, Jutika Devi Phukan, son Kamal Prasad Sarma (now the Mouzadar of Silpota Mouza), Utpal Prasad Sarma and youngest daughter Mallika Bhagawati and their husbands, wives and a number of grand children and admirers and relatives. Her popularity again was witnessed as on the receipt of the information of her sudden demise, a large number of admirers from the cross section of the society, besides the family members and the relatives, made a beeline for her home to pay their love and respect.

On this auspicious day of Adya Shraddha today, I pray before the Almighty to grant eterl peace to Maheswari Devi and offer my deepest respect to respected and beloved ‘Khurideu’ whose motherly care, love and affection  shall always remain as a source of inspiration.

Om Shanti

— Bhargab Kumar Das