The Britishday Rashtrapati of Charigaon

History in most parts of the world has records of brave and dedicated heroes who sacrificed a lot for their countries and their people but had to leave this world without getting proper recognition during their lifetime or even after death .Peculiar circumstances compelled them to retire unsung. Readers who are having this 'piece’ now in their front is the story of a valiant hero of India’s freedom struggle during the early nineteen forties. Definitely unheard of by many, this freedom fighter belonged to Jorhat of upper Assam in India’s north eastern region.

The title of this story may raise eyebrows among many readers as to when was there a ‘Presidential Cabinet’ formed in India .They may also get a jerk if they happen to read that the ‘first Rashtrapati’ was not the one they know. It may also sound surprising that a part of India declared itself a sovereign republic long before India attained her actual freedom on August fifteen, 1947.When the tempo of freedom struggle was in full swing under Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership, a valiant leader of Charigaon near Jorhat in Upper Assam rose to the occasion and declared the Charigaon Mauza as a Sovereign Independent State at a largely attended public rally held at a local high school playground at Charigaon on the 23rd of August,1942. This valiant freedom fighter was late Lakhyeswar Baruah who also proclaimed himself as the first Rashtrapati and formed his first Council of Ministers right at that public rally then and there and administered the oath of office to them on the spot . He termed it as the “ Presidential Cabinet “ which had seven ministers in all. 

This unique incident of the freedom struggle has been noted by the eminent politician Sharad Pawar in his book “Contemporary Political Leadership” and in some other notable books like “Quit India movement in Assam” by Anil Kumar Sharma who also takes note of this historic happening, though it is not getting it’s due place in the history of India widely. The self-proclaimed first ‘Rashtrapati’ Lakhyeswar Baruah's Cabinet initially included six ministers of whom the crucial Home department was held by one Jagat Chandra Saikia while one Debi Charan Borbora held the Defence portfolio. At such a turn of events, the British administration was taken aback but Lakhyeswar was soon overpowered. He was held and sent to jail while his 'ministers’ went underground.

Lakhyeswar Baruah, who studied at the famous Cotton College in Gauhati then,left studies halfway and joined the freedom movement at the call of Mahatma Gandhi earlier. At Jorhat, he spread his field of action and became very popular with the freedom loving people there. The drawing room at his house in Charigaon became a regular meeting place for the revolutionaries. With the popular catchword of that time “do or die”, on his lips, he made Congress a popular force but due recognition to his efforts remained a far cry to him. When this writer visited his house long time after his death,his proud family members showed a lot of mementos including press reports and photographs about this
courageous person. His residence at Charigaon, as mentioned above, is still referred to as the house of the “Rashtrapati”.

Going through the old reports, this writer came across an interesting thing regarding our former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed’s statement about Lakhyeswar Baruah.        
Once, while President Fakhruddin Saheb was addressing a meeting at the Assam Agricultural University in Jorhat, he noticed Lakhyeswar Baruah sitting at a far corner in the meeting hall.President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed called him to the dais, stating that ‘ he was the first “ real” President and should sit at the dais with due honour . This itself was a recognition to Lakhyeswar Baruah by no other person than the President of the country himself.

Eminent literary figure and Sahitya Academy Award winner Dr Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya said once that if Lakhyeswar Baruah happened to be from Bengal or elsewhere, he would have been known worldwide by now. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi surprised the villagers of Charigaon once when he visited Lakhyeswar Baruah’s house in 1988, an event which is fondly remembered by his family as a recognition to Lakhyeswar Baruah’s role during the freedom movement.August is the real month to remember such an eminent revolutionary who could stand like a rock before the colonial 'Lion'.

(The Author is Freelance journalist) His email > aswini.k.boruah@gmail.com