While I respect this man, but I fail to get his detention period by British.To
be called as freedom fighter, one man need to be under 6 months of detention by
RI. Would love to know it.Beacause I never heard of this person in my active
social life till today.???
Not to feel bad.I found even the thief was also given freedom fighter
status!! ( Late Banshi Sharmah of kalaigaon, who was jailed for theft)
Regards.
Dr.Bikash Kumar Das
4th Son of veteran freedom fighter Sri Pani Ram Das.
Founder,Rhino Jungle Adventures, Bangalore (India)0091-9480618880
www.rjadventures.org i...@rjadventures.org
--- On Mon, 18/10/10, Arunjana Das <arunjana....@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Arunjana Das <arunjana....@gmail.com>
Subject: [NorthEastIndia] Fwd:100-year-old freedom fighter pursues PhD
To: "Assam DC" <assam_dc_me...@yahoogroups.com>, "North East"
<northeastindia@yahoogroups.com>, "Arpita M Gogoi" <arpita_go...@hotmail.com>,
"Partha Gogoi" <partha_go...@yahoo.com>, "Prashanti Dutta"
<prashanti.du...@gmail.com>, "Loni Nath" <nath.l...@gmail.com>,
pranjalhazar...@gmail.com
Date: Monday, 18 October, 2010, 8:44 PM
Bholaram Das at his home in Guwahati. (TOI Photo)
100-year-old freedom fighter pursues PhD
GUWAHATI: Freedom fighter Bholaram Dasmarked his 100th
birthday this weekend by announcing that he was going back to school.
Das has enrolled in a PhD program at Guwahati University in the northeastern
state of Assam - making him perhaps the oldest university student in this
country of 1 billion.
"In my 100 years, I have done many things in the sphere of society, politics,
governance and religion," said Das, dressed in a suit, tie and white Gandhi cap
at his birthday celebration Saturday. "I thought I must work towards a PhD that
could satisfy my hunger for learning."
Das was 19 when he was jailed for participating in a 1930 protest against
British rule. He spent two months doing hard labor and went on to study
commerce and law.
In 1945, he joined the Congress Party that led India's drive for independence,
achieved in 1947.
Das worked as a teacher, a lawyer, a magistrate and a district court judge
before retiring in 1971. With his wife Mandakini, he had five sons and a
daughter.
For his doctorate, Das plans to study a subject close to his heart - how his
native Bohori village helped in the spread of neo-Vaishnavism, a liberal and
monotheistic stream of the Hindu religion credited with breaking down social
divisions in Assam, one of India's easternmost states.
The centenarian said he wanted to pursue his interest and belief in the
religion's philosophies of one God and humanism.
"It is indeed rare to find a student who is 100 year old," said the
university's vice chancellor, O. K. Medhi. "We are thrilled because Das can be
an inspiration for the youth with his formidable spirit and dedication to
public service."
Das, who now has 10 grandchildren and a great-grandchild, is being advised in
his studies by one of his granddaughters, a university professor, and other
family members. His wife died in 1988.
"It amazes me that, 40 years after retiring from service, my grandfather is
still mentally strong and wants to do new things," said grandson Abhinab Das,
an engineer. "This is indeed inspiring for all of us in the family."
--
आ नो भद्रा: क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वत: |
Let noble thoughts come to us from every side -Rig Veda
http://groups.google.com/group/shreyah
