Hindu Vivek Kendra
A RESOURCE CENTER FOR THE PROMOTION OF HINDUTVA
   
 
 
«« Back
Assamese general gets recognition after 300 yrs

Assamese general gets recognition after 300 yrs

Author: Samudra Gupta Kashyap
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: November 6,2000

Lachit Barphukan, the greatest general Assam has ever produced, Will get the recognition he deserved - though it comes over 300 years too late.  A bust of the all-time great Assamese hero is being dispatched to the National Defence Academy at Khadakvasla near Pune, where it is to be installed.

A medal instituted in Barphukan's name will be given to the best officer cadet of every batch passing out of the NDA from now on.

The 26-inch-high bust of Barphukan has been made by well-known Assamese sculptor Pranabenu Bikash Dhar, with the words "Lachit Barphukan: The greatest general of Assam, Victor of the Battle of Saraighat, 1670 AD" to he inscribed on a pedestal which, will be nine feet, five inches high.

Barphukan was the chief of the Assamese force which not only inflicted a crushing defeat on the great Mughal army headed by Raja Ram Singh and dispatched by Emperor Aurangzeb, but had also put an end to all Mughal ambitions, east of Bengal.

However, while names of other great generals who opposed Mughal rule, like Chhatrapati Shivaji and Rana Pratap, have received due recognition by historians and successive governments after Independence, Barphukan was mostly ignored.

The man behind this latest move to give the Assamese hero his due position in history is Assam Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha, who is himself a former vice-chief of the Indian Army.

"Lachit Barphukan was a military leader in the mould of Rana Pratap and Chhatrapati Shivaji.  All three fought for the freedom of their region against Mughal imperialism.

Whereas Rana Pratap's forte was burning patriotism and tremendous sacrifice, Shivaji and Lachit Barphukan demonstrated outstanding military skills.

While one thwarted Mughal expansion in the south, the other did so in the east," says Sinha, who has taken keen interest in ensuring that Barphukan's contributions are duly recognised, ever since he took over as Governor, three years ago.

"The fact that Rana Pratap and Shivaji are household names throughout our country and Lachit Barphukan is hardly known outside Assam shows the neglect of Assam by historians,"
the Governor further explained.

More interestingly, while Shivaji and Rana Pratap had fought the Mughals on land, Lachit Barphukan's was an outstanding naval victory at Saraighat on the river Brahmaputra, a spot that has been now commemorated by the first bridge on the Red River.

The newly-instituted medal will not only promote awareness about the Assamese general among the officers of the Army, but will also inspire them to emulate his great example, Sinha added.

The first medal will be given away on November 14, when the current batch of officer cadets pass out, with Sinha and Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta attending the function to witness Barphukan's bust being placed at the Academy and being given -the honour he so rightly deserved.
 


Back                          Top

«« Back
 
 
 
  Search Articles
 
  Special Annoucements