Remembering Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi on his Birth Anniversary (6 June 1890 – 5 August 1950)
Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi was a politician and Indian independence activist who served as the first Chief Minister of Assam.
He had also served as Chief Minister of undivided Assam prior to independence.
He was a follower of the Gandhian principle of non-violence as a political tool.
Due to his unselfish dedication towards Assam and its people, the then Governor of Assam Jayram Das Doulatram conferred him with the title "Lokapriya" (loved by all).
The Man who saved Assam from being East Pakistan (and later Bangladesh), Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi did everything for recognition of this beautiful land its people.
Facts about Gopinath Bordoloi :
Gopinath Bordoloi was born on June 6, 1890, at Raha in the Nagaon district of Assam, to Buddheswar Bordoloi and Praneswari Devi. His family originally hailed from Uttar Pradesh
Bordoloi joined Indian National Congress in Assam as a volunteer in 1921.
His active participation in non-co-operation movement in 1921, led by Mahatma Gandhi to oppose British rule through non-violent means, saw him incarcerated by the British for a year.
In 1938 the first Congress government was established in undivided Assam and they took oath on September 21 that year with Bordoloi as the Chief Minister.
He took active role in establishing the ‘B. Borooah College’ and the ‘Kamrup Akademy’
Bordoloi witnessed the foundations laid of Gauhati University (1948), Gauhati High Court (1948) and Gauhati Station of All India Radio (AIR).
After India attained freedom, he worked in association with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to safeguard the sovereignty of Assam against East Pakistan and China.
Annasaktiyog, Shreeramachandra, Hajrat Mohammad, and Budhhadeb are the books he wrote when he was jailed.
Gopinath Bordoloi died on 05-08-1950 in Guwahati in the state of Assam, India at the age of 60.
Award and Recognitions of Bordoloi :
Gopinath Bordoloi was the first and the only person from the Northeastern region to be the awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of the country.
In 1999, he was posthumously conferred ‘Bharat Ratna’, the highest civilian award of India and with that he became the first and only recipient of such honour from the entire north-east region.
The Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Guwahati is named after him.
The credit of laying the foundation of modern Assam and nurturing it during its infancy goes to Gopinath Bordoloi.
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