That was an auspicious occasion to pay tribute to a dedicated tribal leader turned true nationalist, where the extraordinary contributions of Bhimbar Deuri (16 May 1903–30 November 1947) to the country, while it was preparing to adopt a new identity as a sovereign nation after decades of foreigner’s rule, were fondly remembered.

The gorgeous function at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati on 30 November, 2023, witnessed various programmes on Jananeta Deuri’s 76th death anniversary, where the guests spoke a volume about the legendary personality and a successful social organiser in the presence of thousands of audience members along with Deuri’s close relatives.

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Patronaged by the Assam government’s cultural affairs department and initiated by the Deuri Autonomous Council (DAC), the All Assam Deuri Students’ Union (AADSU), along with the concerned residents of Guwahati, Bhimbar Deuri Divas was graced by state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, along with State Legislative Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, State Minister Ranoj Pegu, Legislator Bolin Chetia, Kalakshetra Secretary Sudarshan Thakur, Principal Secretary to Cultural Affairs Department B Kalyan Chakravarthy, DAC Chief Bhairav Deuri, AADSU President Niren Deuri, Secretary Tapan Deuri, etc. CM Sarma, who unveiled the statue of Deuri and a Bhawan at Borbari in the city virtually from the dais, paid floral tribute to the most popular leader from the indigenous community of Assam before delivering his elaborate speech.

The saffron leader termed Deuri a visionary personality who always raised voices for the benefit of indigenous people. Maintaining a strong stand against the infiltrators, Deuri played a vital role along with Assam’s first chief minister, Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi, in dismantling the conspiracy of British colonial forces to include the region in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the partition. Bordoloi, initially known as the Prime Minister of Assam, termed Deuri a Jananeta (people’s leader).

Deuri was also a successful lawyer who logically fought against the British officers in accommodating due space for the tribal in general and common residents in general. One of the prime architects of the Khasi Darbar Hall Resolutions held in 1945, where various ethnic leaders resolved for independence, Deuri also played a leading role in forming the Tribal League. An undisputed leader among different tribes in Assam, Deuri insisted on sanctioning land papers to indigenous Assamese families, providing education to every child, and providing adequate political patronage to the deprived sections of society. For records, Bhimbar was born in Shivsagar, eastern Assam, to the family of Gadaram Deuri and Bajati Deuri.

Since his childhood days, he has been brilliant in his studies and hence received a scholarship from the government. He completed his school education in 1925 from Shivsagar successfully and arrived in Guwahati to get admitted to Cotton College (now it’s a university). Passing IA in 1927, he completed his graduation from the same institution in 1929. Soon, he shifted to Kolkata (then Calcutta) to study law and subsequently completed the graduation course in 1931.

He was interested in pursuing the postgraduate course in law from Presidency College Calcutta, but did not complete it and returned home. Here he appeared in the Assam civil service examination in 1932 and also succeeded, but unfortunately he was not authorised to get appointed because of some prejudices against the tribal people. He then started practising the law in court and continued the independent practice for some time with full commitment to the common people. His public life began in 1933, when Deuri convened and later formed the Assam Backward Plains Tribal League (popularly known as the Tribal League) in Roha, Nagaon, with the aim of uniting all tribal and underprivileged people in the region.

Two years later, 10 seats out of 108 state legislative assembly constituencies were reserved for plains tribal people, where Deuri took a decisive initiative. The Governor of Assam nominated Deuri as a member of the upper house of the state assembly (the Legislative Council of Assam) in 1939. His married life began in 1940 with his nuptial tie to Kamalvati Brahma. He always emphasised education, as Deuri believed that the backwardness of tribal families was due to illiteracy for generations.

Even though the tribal peoples are the oldest inhabitants of this land, Deuri strongly argued that they need to pursue education to stand with other communities. So he raised voices for declaring primary education mandatory for the tribal people so that they can uplift themselves with others in society. In his address at the Kamrup district tribal convention (1938) in Barama, western Assam, Deuri pointed out the importance of primary education along with modern agricultural practices and business strategies. Deuri was often termed a tribal leader; however, his wisdom helped him grow as a true nationalist.

Realising the looming threat to the Assamese community and the tribal people in particular because of the continued flow of migrants to Assam from East Bengal, Deuri pursued the Line System across the state. Deuri argued that Assam cannot be a charitable place where every landless family from other parts of Bharat can come to settle and acquire land. Leaders like Maulana Hamid Khan Bhasani or Syed Saddulla opposed the idea. Later, many indigenous leaders, like Deuri, had to insist on creating tribal belts with some exclusive protection laws.

A souvenir was also published on the occasion, where a number of articles highlighting different aspects of Deuri’s life and struggles were incorporated. Edited by award-winning writer Bipul Deuri, the souvenir reprinted some articles penned by veteran personalities like Nibaran Bora, Golap Borbora, Medini Choudhury, Indibar Deuri, etc. It also comprises thought-provoking pieces by eminent author-scholars, namely Hiren Gohain, Udayaditya Bharali, Anil Bharali, Paramanda Majumder, and Mayur Bora, along with Dilip Patgiri, Adip Kr Phukan, Ratneswar Deuri, Soranan Deuri, Nandeswar Deuri, Anup Kumar Deuri, Hem Ranjan Deuri, Subanti Deuri, Rupjyoti Konwar, Ratneswar Basumatary, Bhadreswar Deuri, Niroj Kr Raimedhi, Binu Deuri Barua, etc. In my speech, as the assigned speaker of the function, I emphasised recognising Deuri, who died at the age of only 44 but contributed immensely for Assam and India, at the national level with a coveted award.

Moreover, Deuri’s contributions should get their due space in the history of India’s freedom movement. The educational institutions may consider academic research on his activities, and an annual lecture will be an important tribute to the great social equaliser. At the same time, Assam should start debating over an upper house so that the tribal and underdeveloped communities with tiny populations can enjoy the political space they deserve.

(The writer is a Guwahati-based special representative of The Statesman)