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    The 1976 movie ‘Manthan’ by Shyam Benegal was based on India’s White Revolution and the importance of milk. The movie was funded by 500000 farmers who donated Rs 2 each. Manthan is the first crowd-funded Indian film. Not many outside Darrang district would know that the citizens of the district too funded the construction and commencement of Darrang College in Tezpur, Assam. A passionate movement to establish Darrang College started around the Quit India movement in 1942, the undercurrents of which began in 1941. The sad part is no commercial movie was screened on this great movement for education in India. Why it escaped the attention of so many distinguished filmmakers remains a mystery. Maybe the story of this remote district never reached them.

    The beginning of Darrang College takes you back to the age-old colonial British Raj when there was no college in the Darrang district. Darrang, a remote place in Assam, became a district with Mangaldai as its headquarters. In 1835, the headquarters was shifted to Tezpur. Tezpur as we all know came into the limelight during the Indo-China conflict in 1962 (https://darrang.gov.in/history.htm).

    When India was struggling for independence, Darrang district was striving, both for India’s independence and for a college that would have heightened the literary levels of the students in the district. The citizens had foreseeable ambitions for a college but lacked resources. The British Government was not inclined to help the citizens, especially, after the announcement of the Quit India Movement in 1942 by none other than Gandhi Ji himself.

    World War II was at its zenith and the Japanese threat loomed large in the east. Time was not suitable. But even then a few prominent citizens of Tezpur headed by Kumud Dutta, Kamakhya Prasad Tripathi and Jyoti Prasad Agarwala made a bold decision to start a college in Tezpur. A public meeting was called on the 9th of February 1941, and a committee was formed to raise funds to implement the decision.    

    Meanwhile, the Allied Troops occupied strategic places and Assam became the battlefront. In Tezpur, foreign troops occupied all school buildings and available public and private places that they could lay their hands on. Simultaneously, the Indian revolution for freedom flared up from one end of the country to the other. Tezpur and adjoining areas became the scene of bitter struggle. Many freedom fighters lost their lives and many suffered brutal assaults and severe injuries. Many leaders were jailed. Nothing could be done under these appalling conditions. The idea of starting the college receded to the background, while the war continued till 1945 with unabated fury. The prospect of opening the college thus appeared bleak.

    Later, the atmosphere cleared up with the release of national leaders, the war coming to a close and the prospect of political settlement in sight. On the 11th of November 1944, at a meeting in the municipal office in Tezpur, it was finally decided to start the college by July 1945, both in the Arts and Science stream. A drive to raise donations from the public was thus undertaken. It was decided that contributions would have to be sought from none other than the citizens of Darrang district themselves. Accordingly, a communication was drafted in which it was spelt out that all citizens needed to contribute to the cause to realise their dreams.

    Soon a brochure was also published. It emphasised the need for a college in Tezpur, the headquarters of the Darrang district. To make the idea more understandable to the general public, a sentence was added in the brochure which stated ‘If every family in the district contributed the amount of paddy consumed by a parrot in a year, it would be sufficient to establish a college’. That was the spirit of those times because a college in the district was an absolute must, just as India’s independence, as without education, the citizens of the district would have remained behind. Soon, volunteers started visiting the citizens for donations and the people of the Darrang district contributed munificently. Can anyone think of such a novel campaign now? Perhaps not because there are alternate resources available now to realise one’s dreams in independent India. But that apart, the spirit of camaraderie, bonding and the oneness of Indians were much more intense under the colonial British Raj than it is today.

    Soon volunteers started a door-to-door campaign. Citizens who could not contribute money contributed in kind such as building materials or any other item required for the college or got involved in plain Kar-sewa or any other leg-work. The campaign at its crescendo became a personal swansong of every citizen of Darrang district. Every morning volunteers made a milk run on defined routes of the Darrang district to collect money and communicate the progress of the project to the citizens. ‘Darrang College’ was now a movement alongside India’s Independence Movement. The campaign’s intensity induced even the poorest of the poor to contribute for the college.

    Donations were made extensively by the public and the business community. It crossed rupees sixty thousand which was a big amount then. The highest contribution came from a villager by the name of Shri Prabhu Ram Karki Chetri for what he called the ‘Temple of Education’.

    An Italian-born citizen of Tezpur, by the name of Mr Duchi, offered his beautiful residential building to start the college. The building was mortgaged to one prominent merchant, the late Sohanlal Dugar. He readily agreed to forego the interest. The building was purchased. Shri M.N. Phukan played the leading role in this transaction.

    The college opened in July 1945 with 112 students and 8 professors. Shri K.P. Tripathi became the founder-principal. It was a red-letter day for Tezpur and everybody rejoiced the reward. The college applied to Calcutta University for affiliation. Such was the flow of visitors that even American Soldiers and Airforce Men (white and black) flocked to the college campus to see to their surprise how fluently the professors lectured in English without the aid of any notes. They organised a boxing contest in the Bengali Theatre Hall in aid of the college fund. This gesture of goodwill was gratefully acknowledged by the students. ‘Be the Jewel Among Men.’ became the motto of the college. A few years later Mahatma Gandhi blessed the college when Tripathi and Agarwalla met him in Harijan Colony Delhi.

    I still wish someone could make a film on this public movement called ‘Darrang College’. Is someone listening?

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Written by Kamlesh Tripathi

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life-threatening diseases, especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers, including children and adults, and have a huge variety in content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate to the cause? The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Kamlesh Tripathi’s Publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 8 prestigious libraries of the US which include Harvard College Library; Harvard University Library; Library of Congress; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Yale University, New Haven; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill University Libraries. It can also be accessed at MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in libraries and archives of Canada; Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai; Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, India; Shoolini University, Yogananda Knowledge Center, Himachal Pradesh and Azim Premzi University, Bangalore).

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi; It is also available for reading in the Indian National Bibliography, March 2016, in the literature section, in Central Reference Library, Ministry of Culture, India, Belvedere, Kolkata-700022)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity, which is the undying characteristic of Lucknow. The book was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2014. It is included for reading in Askews and Holts Library Services, Lancashire, U.K; Herrick District Library, Holland and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, USA; Black Gold Cooperative Library Administration, Arroyo Grande, California; Berkeley Library, University of California).

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched at the Lucknow International Literary Festival in 2016).

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his way through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen. The book was launched on 10^th February 2018 at Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day-to-day life. A few poems from the book have been published in Shillong Times, Bandra Times and Bhavan’s Journal. The book is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

MIRAGE

(Published in February 2020. The book is a collection of eight short stories available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press)

AWADH ASSAM AND DALAI LAMA … The Kalachakra

(The story of the man who received His Holiness The Dalai Lama and his retinue in 1959 as a GOI representative when he fled Tibet in 1959. The book was launched on 21^st November 2022 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama at Dharmshala. The title is archived in the library of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) Government of Tibet, Tibet Policy Institute (TPI) and the personal library of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The title is also archived in The Ohio Digital Library, USA. It was recently included in the digital library of the world-renowned company APPLE).

BHAVANS JOURNAL

Short stories, Book reviews and Articles published in Bhavan’s Journal: 1. Reality and Perception, 15.10.19; 2. Sending the Wrong Message, 31.5.20; 3. Eagle versus Scholars June, 15 & 20, 2020; 4. Indica, 15.8.20; 5. The Story of King Chitraketu, August 31 2020; 6. Breaking Through the Chakravyuh, September 30 2020. 7. The Questioning Spouse, October 31, 2020; 8. Happy Days, November 15, 2020; 9. The Karma Cycle of Paddy and Wheat, December 15, 2020; 10. Power Vs Influence, January 31, 2021; 11. Three Refugees, March 15, 2021; 12. Rise and Fall of Ajatashatru, March 31, 2021; 13. Reformed Ruler, May 15, 2021; 14. A Lasting Name, May 31, 2021; 15. Are Animals Better Teachers? June 16, 2021; 16. Book Review: The Gram Swaraj, 1.7.21; 17. Right Age for Achievements, 15.7.21; 18. Big Things Have Small Beginnings, 15.8.21; 19. Where is Gangaridai?, 15.9.21; 20. Confront the Donkey Within You 30.9.21; 21. Know Your Strengths 15.10.21; 22. Poverty 15.11.21; 23. Top View 30.11.21; 24. The Bansuriwala 15.1.22; 25. Sale of Alaska 15.2.22; 26. The Dimasa Kingdom 28.2.22;27. Buried Treasure 15.4.22; 28. The Kingdom of Pragjyotisha 30.4.22; 29. Who is more useful? 15.5.22; 30. The White Swan from Lake Mansarovar 30.6.22; 31. Bhool Bhulayya 15.9.22; 32. Good Karma 30.9.22; 33. Good Name vs Bad Name 15.10.22; 34. Uttarapath—The Grand Trunk Road 1.12.22; 35. When Gods Get Angry 1.1.23; 36. Holinshed’s Chronicles 15.1.23; 37. Theogony 15.2.23; 38. Poem: Mother 14.5.23; 39. THE NAG MANDIR 30.6.23; 40. The Story of Garuda 30.7.23; 41. Janmabhoomi vs Karmabhoomi 31.8.23; 42. The Ghost Town of Kuldhara 15.9.23; 43. The Tale of Genji 15.10.23; 44. The Soul Connection 1.12.23; 45.Book review: Jungle Nama … a story of the Sundarban 16.3.24;

THE SHILLONG TIMES

ARTICLES & POEMS: 1. POEM: HAPPY NEW YEAR 8.1.23; 2. POEM: SPRING 12.3.23; 3. POEM: RIGHT AND WRONG 20.3.23; 4. THE GUSH OF EMOTION—WRITING, 26.3.23; 5. THE NAG MANDIR, 7.5.23; 6. POEM: MOTHER 7.5.23; 7. POEM: RAIN RAIN 9.7.23; 8. POEM: YOU COME ALONE YOU GO ALONE 6.8.23; 9. RAIN RAIN (SECOND TIME) 10.8.23; 10. POEM: GURU TEACHER 10.8.23; 11. POEM: AUTUMN … THE INTERIM HEAVEN 15.10.23; 12. POEM: HAPPY DIWALI 12.11.23; 13. OVERCOMING BLINDNESS: LEARN IT THE JOHN MILTON WAY 10.12.23; 14. THE HAPPY PRINCE AND THE HAPPY MAN’S SHIRT 31.12.23; 15. ANNUS MIRABILIS 2024 7.1.24; 16. GANDHI TO MAHATMA GANDHI- Incidents that Shaped Gandhi in South Africa 28.1.24; 17. POEM: TOGETHER BUT NOT MADE FOR EACH OTHER, 11.2.24; 18. THE BIRDS BEES AND THE SPIDERS OF NICHOLAS GUILDFORD AND JONATHAN SWIFT 25.2.24; 19. THE OVERCOATS OF NIKOLAI GOGOL AND RUSKIN BOND 10.3.24; 20. THE ETHNIC COLOURS OF HOLI 24.3.24; 21. A LESSON FROM DALAI LAMA, 21.4.24; 22. POEM: MORNING WALK 28.4.24;

THE ASSAM TRIBUNE

ARTICLE: 1. THE MAGIC OF READING 11.12.23; 2. GANDHI TO MAHATMA 29.1.24; 3. GEOGRAPHY OF SOLITUDE 8.4.24; 4. A LESSON FROM DALAI LAMA, 22.4.24; 5. A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION, 29.4.24; 6. THE FOUR-LEGGED LIBRARY, 12.5.24;

BANDRA TIMES, MUMBAI

ARTICLES & POEMS: 1. POEM: SPRING, 1.4.23; 2. POEM: MOTHER, 1.6.23; 3. POEM: RAIN RAIN, 1.8.23;

ARTICLES IN THE DIGITAL MAGAZINE ESAMSKRITI

29.12.2020: INDICA BY MEGASTHENES; 14.3.22: ABOUT THE DIMASA KINGDOM ASSAM; 10.12.22: GRAND TRUNK ROAD-UTTARAPATH; 5.10.23: THE GHOST TOWN OF KULDHARA NEAR JAISALMER;

(ALL THE ABOVE BOOK TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

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