Sankar Barua: A tribute

My immediate elder brother Sankar Barua was such a person, the kind of whom is rarest of rare nowadays. In fact, he sacrificed his all for the well-being and happiness of our family. Like the great Bhishma of the Mahabharata, he remained a bachelor to serve other members of his family freely without caring for his own comfort and happiness. He always maintained a simple lifestyle avoiding any luxury, so that he could give his all to help the family. Today, when he is no more with us, it is a great emptiness that our whole family is feeling with grief and pain.

Born of the famous Barua family of Gauripur on September 16, 1949, Sankar Barua, whom I fondly called ‘ChotDa’, had his education at Gauripur PC Institution and Dhubri BN College. Starting his professional career as a teacher, he retired as National Insurance personnel. Though a citizen of Baruapatty, Gauripur, he had been living in Guwahati since 1991 . Unfortunately, for the past five months, he suffered from liver cancer and went for treatment to Chennai and Kolkata. He breathed his last in Kolkata on February 21 at the age of 69.

Having a genuine artistic mind, he loved flowers and music very much. He was deeply interested in music - classical, folk and all kinds of melodious songs. He could sing and play several musical instruments like dotara, guitar, violin, benjo, sarinda, mouth organ and keyboard. But as he was shy of publicity, he had hardly any public appearance. As a soft spoken, amiable and kind-hearted man, he was loved and respected by all. His demise has saddened everybody whosoever came in contact with him.

Today, on his adya shraddha, I pray and wish - wherever he is now, beyond this earthly horizon, our beloved and noble brother stays blissful in eternal peace and happiness !

– Rupam Barua