Centennial reflections: Mahatma Gandhi’s transformative journey in Assam

 Dipak Kurmi

(The writer can be reached at dipaknewslive@gmail.com.)

Mahatma Gandhi didn’t sit still during the Non-Cooperation Movement; he crisscrossed India to make sure it succeeded. He didn’t just talk the talk; he walked the walk, going all over the country, including Assam, to inspire people. With his powerful speeches, charismatic personality, and inspiring ideals, he lit a fire under the freedom fighters, urging them to keep pushing for independence.

Back in 1921, Mahatma Gandhi made his debut appearance in Assam. He didn’t travel solo; he had a crew of eleven notable people with him, including Krishna Das, Meeraben, Jamunalal Bajaj, and Maulana Chowkat Ali. The primary mission of this visit is to promote the non-cooperation movement. Krishna Das, one of his companions, later penned an enlightening book called ‘Seven Months with Mahatma Gandhi,’ where he shared the delightful tales of Gandhiji’s time in Assam.

On August 18, 1921, Mahatma Gandhi, along with his comrades, rolls into Amingaon railway station via the Darjeeling Mail at 4.30 p.m. Now, here’s the twist: there wasn’t a bridge across the mighty Brahmaputra River back then. So, what did they do? They hopped on a boat and sailed across to reach Pandu Ghat. While waiting, there were hordes of freedom fighters, including the renowned writer and politician, Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bardoloi. It was a grand welcome committee. From there, they whisked Gandhiji away to the home of the patriotic Tarun Ram Phukan in Bharlumukh.

In those days, Tarun Ram Phukan was a standout figure in Assam—a man known for his wisdom, education, and the high regard he commanded. When word got out that Gandhiji was bunking at his place, it was like a wildfire in Assam. People from every nook and cranny of the state made a beeline to Mr. Phukan’s exquisite home, all just to catch a glimpse of Gandhiji, if only for a fleeting moment.

Krishna Das, who joined Gandhiji on his Assam journey, paints a vivid picture in his book ‘Seven Months with Mahatma Gandhi’: “In Guwahati, Mahatma Gandhi crashed at Mr. Tarunram Phukan’s crib. Right outside his pad, there was this sprawling open space. Beyond that, you had the public road and, if you squinted far enough, the mighty Brahmaputra River. Picture this: on that open ground, they threw a big public shindig one evening. I’d wager around twenty-five thousand people showed up for the gig. They even set up a raised stage not far from Mahatmaji’s quarters, where the bigwigs hung out and kept an eye on things. Mahatmaji, with Mr. Phukan’s translation skills, delivered a speech in Assamese. By 9 p.m., they had wrapped up the whole shebang.”

Tarun Ram Phukan had this incredible talent—he could take every word of Mahatma Gandhi’s speeches to the freedom fighters and turn them into Assamese gems that anyone could grasp. So, when Gandhiji spoke, the freedom fighters from Assam didn’t have to scratch their heads to figure out what he meant. Tarun Ram Phukan’s quick translation skills were nothing short of astonishing, leaving Gandhiji’s comrades in awe of his linguistic prowess.

Mahatma Gandhi kicked it off at Tarun Ram Phukan’s place for a solid couple of days. He didn’t just lounge around, though; he had a message to deliver. On both days, he stepped up and spoke to the folks, urging them to give foreign goods the cold shoulder. And you know what? He had a request that really caught fire. The freedom fighters, at his call, didn’t just talk the talk; they walked the walk. They set foreign clothes and other imported stuff ablaze in public, making quite the statement.

During Gandhiji’s stay at Tarun Ram Phukan’s place, some well-informed and thoughtful folks from Assam had a bone to pick with Mahatma Gandhi. They handed him a written complaint, letting him know that his earlier book, ‘Hind Swaraj,’ had hurt the feelings of the Assamese people by labelling them as ‘barbaric and ncivilized’. In response, Gandhiji explained that he wrote that book way back in 1908, when his historical knowledge wasn’t all that sharp and he hadn’t really crossed paths with Assamese folks. He admitted his hasty judgement was based on just a few English books. However, his visit to Assam had been an eye-opener. Witnessing the warm hospitality, knowledge, simplicity, and cooperation of the Assamese people firsthand made him realise his earlier remarks were way off the mark, and he genuinely regretted them.

During his time in Guwahati, Gandhi got a real taste of Assam’s cultural riches. They showed him the good stuff—ancient inscriptions, intricate ivory craftsmanship, and Assamese translations of the epics ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’. There were also stacks of vintage Assamese textiles, special eri-muga cloth, and bustling weaving mills. But what really grabbed his attention were the Assamese weavers and artisans. He couldn’t help but be captivated by their skills. In fact, he later remarked that every Assamese woman seemed to have a talent for weaving, regardless of their social status. It was almost like a way of life. Gandhi noted that knowing how to weave was so important that even in the marriage market, a girl who couldn’t sew clothes had a tough time finding a groom. He even marvelled at how Assamese women would choose flowers for their clothing, creating a visual narrative of their dreams. To him, the old-school Assamese weavers he met at Tarun Ram Phukan’s place were living relics of India’s past grandeur and a forgotten artistry.

On a warm August day in 1921, Gandhiji bid farewell to his friend Tarun Ram Phukan and set off on a journey to Tezpur. Hundreds of thousands of followers gathered at Pandu Ghat to bid him adieu, their hearts filled with reverence and hope. At two o’clock in the afternoon, Gandhiji and his comrades boarded a ship and sailed down the mighty Brahmaputra. As the sun began to set, they gazed upon the breathtaking beauty of Tezpur, its verdant hills, and its sparkling river, a feast for the senses. The next morning, Gandhiji addressed a huge public gathering at the Polo Field. His words, translated into Assamese by Tarun Ram Phukan, resonated with the hearts of the people, inspiring them to join the struggle for freedom. That night, Gandhiji found refuge in the famous residence ‘Paki’, where he began his weekly 24-hour silent fast. In the stillness of the night, his thoughts turned to the millions of Indians who were oppressed and suffering. He vowed to continue his fight for justice and equality until the dawn of a new India.

Once Gandhiji wrapped up his visit to Tezpur, he set his sights on Nagaon. On August 22, 1921, at 10 p.m., he hit the port. After a quick boat ride, they hopped on a train at Shilghat bound for Nagaon. They rolled into Nagaon on the morning of the 23rd. From the train station, Gandhiji cruised through the city in a horse-drawn carriage, making a bit of a spectacle. Gandhiji and Maulana Mohammad Ali didn’t keep quiet either; they addressed a lively public gathering in Nagaon that same day. Following the meeting, it was straight to the railway station, where they caught the evening train heading for Jorhat.

On the morning of August 24, 1921, Gandhiji made his way to Titabor railway station. He and his crew disembarked there and hopped onto another train, eventually reaching Jorhat around eight or nine in the morning. Their home base? The abode of the learned Indian scholar Jagannath Barooah is in Jorhat. Now, Jorhat wasn’t just a pitstop. It was party central that day. A massive public gathering went down at Jorhat Kachari Maidan, led by none other than Kuladhar Chaliha, the inaugural president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and a key freedom fighter. With more than forty thousand people in the crowd, Gandhiji took the mic and delivered a speech. And you know what they say about old habits? Well, he organised another foreign clothes bonfire here too. But hold on, there’s more. Gandhiji had a surprise in store. The British tea farmers over at the Gymkhana Club in Chinamara invited him over, and he said yes. Right there, in front of the tea folks, he dished out some wisdom about the non-cooperation movement. Quite an eventful day in Jorhat!

After a busy day with a couple of meetings under their belt, it was time for Gandhiji and his crew to hit the road, or rather, the tracks, towards Dibrugarh that evening. They embarked on a narrow-gauge train from Jorhat to Marioni in the dark of night. But here’s the kicker: their train got stuck in the middle of the tracks due to a broken connection. So, they ended up reaching Marioni later than planned. From Marioni, they jumped onto the Assam-Bengal Train, finally chugging their way to Dibrugarh.

On August 25, 1921, around eleven in the morning, Gandhiji and his crew rolled into Dibrugarh. They weren’t just there for a leisurely visit; they had a series of public meetings lined up. Thousands of tea plantation workers joined in to listen to Gandhiji’s words during these gatherings. They hung around Dibrugarh for a day before packing their bags. On August 26, 1921, at 2 p.m. sharp, they hit the road again, this time bound for Shillong.

The train ride from Dibrugarh to Silchar was no quick hop; it stretched out for a marathon of 32 hours and involved swapping trains not once, not twice, but three times. To make life a tad easier for Gandhiji and his crew, who were tired of train-switching, they set up a special carriage that could be hitched onto different trains as needed. Now, on the way back, they had a couple of pit stops—first in Sivasagar and then in Lumding, where they paused for a bit.

Gandhiji’s arrival in Silchar on the night of August 27, 1921, marked a new chapter in his journey. They found shelter in the home of Kamini Kumar Chanda, a remarkable leader in the Surma Valley. However, as fate would have it, Kamini Kumar Chanda was away in Calcutta at the time, so her son, Arun Kumar Chanda, stepped up and played host to Gandhiji and his entourage. After a gruelling train journey the previous day, everyone was utterly exhausted and in need of some serious rest. So they seized the opportunity to catch up on some much-needed sleep. But the next day, Gandhiji was back in action, attending a public gathering in Silchar. As the night rolled in, they prepared to bid Silchar farewell for their next destination, Sylhet, about a hundred miles away. To get there, Gandhiji’s crew hopped on a train at Silchar, making two changes along the way. Finally, on August 29, 1921, they reached Sylhet, bringing their eventful 12-day tour of Assam to a close.

As Gandhiji roamed through Assam, he couldn’t help but be awestruck by the region’s stunning natural beauty. What really stole his heart, though, was the warm hospitality, intellectual prowess, and remarkable unity of the Assamese people. This profound experience left a lasting impact, inspiring him to put pen to paper. In his article titled ‘Lovely Assam,’ which found its way into the pages of the Young India newspaper, he beautifully portrayed Assam and its people, capturing the essence of this extraordinary place.

Just as Mahatma Gandhi found Assam captivating, the people of Assam considered themselves fortunate to host a true apostle of truth and non-violence and the nation’s most revered leader. Gandhiji’s visit was a spectacle to behold. His warm smile, down-to-earth demeanour, gracious manners, and stirring patriotic speeches left everyone spellbound. His mere presence had a galvanising effect, igniting the spirits of freedom fighters across Assam and playing a pivotal role in bolstering and ultimately triumphing the Non-Cooperation Movement throughout the state.