Floral tributes being paid to Pushpalata Das. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Nov. 19: It was a virtual “homecoming” for noted freedom fighter and parliamentarian Pushpalata Das, as the city paid homage to her departed soul here today.

The residents of South Sarania, under the aegis of Rhino Club, have sent a proposal to the government to erect a statue in her honour at an open space near the Kasturba ashram.

“We want it to be turned into a children’s park and be called Pushpalata Das Sishu Udyan,” said Rekibuddin Ahmed, a resident of the area.

The noted Gandhian breathed her last at a private hospital in Calcutta at the age of 88. Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, on receiving the news of her death, got in touch with the family and conveyed the state government’s decision to complete the last rites with full state honours.

However, as the family members informed Gogoi of their decision to complete the last rites in Calcutta, Gogoi immediately instructed Assam police officials in Calcutta to offer a guard of honour in respect of the departed soul.

At the function organised by Rhino Club near Kasturba Ashram in South Sarania today, Das’s sisters Kalpita Dowerah and Geetima Bhuyan were also present and paid floral tributes to their departed sister.

“Das, a veteran freedom fighter and former parliamentarian was an eminent social worker who had a strong faith in power of women. In those times, she took part in the freedom struggle and set an example for others,” said Anima Guha, social activist and academician.

A memorial meeting on the veteran freedom fighter will be held in the city on November 20 at Pandit Tirthanath Sarma Sabhaghar. Surabala Bordoloi, Indira Miri, Shakuntala Choudhury, Kamal Kumari Barua, Hema Bharali, Natwar Thakkar will speak on the multi-faceted personality of Pushpalata Das.

Born on March 27, 1915, at North Lakhimpur, Padmabhushan Puspalata Das joined the freedom movement at the tender age of six when she joined “Banar Sena” (monkey brigade) to popularise khadi among the people and organised Charkha Sangha.

Daughter of late Rameswar and Swaranalata Saikia of Jorhat, Pushpalata was thrown out of school at the age of 14 from Panbazar Girls High School, Guwahati, because she tried to protest in the school against Bhagat Singh’s hanging order.

She was selected by Mahatma Gandhi for Individual Satyagraha and remained in jail for two-and-a-half months as an under trial.

In 1942, she was arrested under Defence of India Rule and kept in solitary confinement for three-and-a-half years. As she fell ill in jail, the government requested her to go on parole, but she refused. She also refused to accept the “Tamra Patra” offered by the Assam government.

In 1934, Pushpalata Das passed the Matriculation examination as a private candidate and joined Benaras Hindu University from where she passed Intermediate. She then enrolled with Andhra University for graduation. She did her MA in Political Science in 1938 from the same university.

Afterwards, she joined Earle Law College, Guwahati, and was elected secretary of the college union in 1940. But her study in law came to an end when she was jailed for joining “individual satyagraha”.

She was elected member of the Rajya Sabha in 1951 and retained the seat for the next term till 1961. In 1958, she was elected as a member of the All-India Congress Working Committee. In 1959, she visited a number of East European countries as a member of parliamentary delegation. She was also a member of Assam Legislative Assembly.

Das was associated with a number of organisations and institutions in various capacities. Among these, All India Khadi Board (chairperson, Assam Branch), Planning Committee of Congress (women’s section), Central Social Welfare Board, East India Motion Pictures Censor Board are significant. She was the chairperson of the state Bhudan and Gramdan Board.

In 1942, she married veteran Gandhian and social worker Omeo Kumar Das despite strong opposition from some of her relatives and moved from Guwahati to Tezpur.