Assam: ABSU founder secretary Kanakeswar Narzary remembered on his 85th birth anniversary

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KOKRAJHAR: The founder secretary of the ABSU and former Chief Executive Member of the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC), Kanakeswar Narzary, was remembered on his 85th birth anniversary by the World Bodo Historical Society (WBHS) on Friday. Narzary was a prominent social reformer, politician, thinker, and revolutionist who was affiliated with the Bodo Sahitya Sabha. He played a significant role in the creation of the Bodoland movement and encouraged Bodofa Upendra Nath Brahma to head it.

Vice president of the World Bodo Historical Society Hiracharan Narzinary of West Bengal said Narzary was the architect of the Bodoland movement who founded the ABSU in 1967. “I fondly reminisce today of my great friend Kanakeswar Narzary. He was a flamboyant and diehard person and a great preacher of unity,” he said, adding that Narzary was born on April 19, 1942 at Gwmwbil (West Tengagaon) village in the undivided Goalpara district. His father’s name was Narayan Chandra Narzary, and his mother’s name was Dwisling Narzary. He was the founder and general secretary of the All-Bodo Students Union (ABSU). He did his elementary education at Gossainichina M.V. School and then went to Sapatgram Amalgamated Academy, from where he passed HSLC in 1963. He graduated with honours in history in 1967-68 from Korajhar College. He could not complete his law studies, as the Roman script movement had started, and he was jailed under MISA. He had obtained a B.T. from Kokrajhar P.T. College in 1984. He was the Assistant General Secretary of the Goalpara District Bodo Students Union, Assistant General Secretary of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS), and Convener of the Roman Script Implementation Expert Committee. In 1971 he was elected president of the Kokrajhar District Young Plains Tribal Council of Assam (YPTCA), and in 1972 he was elected general secretary of the Central Young PTCA. In 1975 he was elected president of Kokrajhar District BSS.

During 1974-75 he became the treasurer of the Central Action Committee of the BSS. He was the founder and general secretary of the Secondary Schools Bodo Teachers’ Association. He became General Secretary of PTCA (P) in 1978. He was appointed convener of the United Tribal Nationalist Liberation Front (UTNLF) in 1984. In 1990, he was appointed as the chairman for the Memorandum Drafting Committee. He was also chairman of the boundary committee. He was the vice-president of the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) in 1996.

Narzinary said late Kanakeswar Narzary became Chief of the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC) on June 19, 1996. It was he who started publishing the Bodoland Gazette in 1998. He also published a gazette called ‘The Indo-Mongolian Gazette’. He authored books like “Jaori” (1970) and “An Introduction of Missing and Bodos (1982)”. He was a great friend of mine. Memories of him are still afresh in my mind. Unfortunately, he left this world on October 12, 2003.

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