Jorhat, April 27: The North Eastern Small Scale Industries Association (Nessia) today for the first time observed Northeast Entrepreneurs' Day to pay tribute to India's first commercial tea planter and martyr, Maniram Dewan, on his 209th birth anniversary.
The association is a body of traders dealing with small-scale units in the Northeast, which was established in 1993, having its headquarters in Jorhat and a branch office in Guwahati. It has over 500 members from all over the region.
Five successful businessmen, including tea planter and philanthropist Anil Kumar Baruah were felicitated in a function here organised to mark the occasion in which a special mention of late Hemendra Prasad Barooah, a doyen of Indian tea industry and Padmashree awardee, was made.
The other four entrepreneurs felicitated were Dewan Singh, Nathmal Kalani, Kula Nath Changkakati and Himakanta Bora (a physically- challenged tailor).
Dewan, who gave stiff competition to British planters, was later hanged on charges of plotting against the British regime during the 1857 uprising. According to historical records, Dewan, whose real name was Maniram Dutta, had set up the Cinnamara garden in 1845 after resigning from his post of dewan (chief executive) with the British-instituted Asam Company, the first tea firm in Assam.
He was arrested in Calcutta when he went there to hand the British a memorandum from the last Ahom king, Purandhar Singha. He was 51 when he was hanged in public, along with his aide Piyali Baruah, on February 26,1858, on the banks of the Tocklai stream here.
Nessia general secretary Niren Sharma, in his address, said the association thought of observing Northeast Entrepreneurs' Day on Dewan's birth anniversary as it was the most fitting way to pay respect to a pioneer entrepreneur and a martyr as well.
"By observing Entrepreneurs' Day annually we want to pay tribute to the great man, whose courage and determination in establishing himself as an entrepreneur could inspire upcoming entrepreneurs," Sharma said.
He said Nessia has earlier submitted memoranda to the Assam government to officially declare April 27 as Entrepreneurs' Day and the same request will be made to other Northeast states.
Retired professor (history) of Jagannath Barooah College here, Ajit Dutta, who has several books on Dewan's life and had done his PhD on the planter, presented a glimpse of Dewan's achievements.
Dutta said Dewan, who during a certain period of his life was appointed by Purandhar Singha, as Borbhandar Borua (head of royal treasury), ran many other businesses such as coal supply, elephant-rearing, iron-smelting and salt-manufacturing.
Dewan later fell out with the British after receiving unequal treatment and his flourishing tea estates - Cinnamara and Singlo (near Sivasagar) - were seen as a threat by British planters to their trade, Dutta said.
Nessia additional general secretary Prasanta Baruah said last year the association had instituted an award in the name of Dewan - Maniram Dewan Udyog Ratna.
