A tribute to Gunada Das

Our dear Aitaa, modest-natured and a simple-living Assamese woman, Gunada Das (Aitaa) raised her children and created a home out of a mere shelter. She (Aitaa) was born in Guwahati, Uzan Bazaar, an original dweller of this region. Her father Bishnuram Medhi was an established man and fulfilled all the materialistic requirements of his family. In many of her (Aitaa's) age-old stories she used to say that whenever she cried as a child for fulfilling her small childish demands, her father used to give her a small basket filled with lozenges and candies to make her stop crying. But as bad luck stroked she had to lose her dear father at a very early age. That has crippled her family financially and compelled her mother Radha Bala Medhi to struggle real hard for survival. With all hardships of life at all cost Radha Bala Medhi gave education to all her 3 children.

Although Aitaa, could not study more, she was mettle in her studies. Her younger brother Prabhat Chandra Medhi became successful in his career to be a senior engineer of Assam Electricity Board & her youngest brother Mahesh Chandra Medhi became General Manager of Tata Group owned Company Rallis India Ltd. The urge for providing education was there with our Aitaa. And thus when she (Aitaa) made her family after marrying our Ataa Rajanikanta Das they both ensured education was fully provided to all their six children.

Our Ataa was a well known social worker and a brave hearted man who worked at Department of Telecom (DOT). All the six children were raised to be successful individuals in their lives too.

Aitaa was the founder member of Lachit Nagar Naari Sangha in late 1970s. Nurturing a big family, struggle to earn additional livelihood and supporting for the education of children are of course not an easy tasks to do.

Life was actually hard and hardest was to fuel it up to keep running. But never the less she did set an example of women having substance to endure life hurdles. In her last living years she suffered bed ridden ailment that lasted for 3 long years of suffering. She resided in her eldest daughter Prativa Das's residence at Beltola Bazaar and on October 18 she took her last breath. Now we are remembering her in snapshots of memory and in old photo albums only. Aitaa left us with a big lesson of life that struggle is essential and education should be prioritized. Remembering You.

Kalyan Kumar Das

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