Sudhir Chandra Barua: A multifaceted personality

Born on October 23, 1915 in a respectable family in Sivasagar, Sudhir Chandra Barua had his early education in Sivasagar and passed the matriculation examination from Sibsagar Government High School in the first division with distinction in Mathematics and Classical language. Not only did Sudhir Chandra Barua pass the Intermediate examination from Cotton College in the first division, he also secured the highest marks in Assamese and distinction in Mathematics. After obtaining B Sc degree, Sudhir Chandra Barua started his career as a teacher at Sivasagar. He served the American Petty Geophysical Company in Yangon and also as an operator of Dubbs Plant in Digboi Refinery. He served as the founder sub-editor of The Assam Tribune published from Guwahati along with Late Radha Gobinda Baruah. Then he joined the Tocklai Experimental Station in 1947, and remained there for 22 years. He served as the Chief Scientific Advisor to Warren Tea Company, from 1969 to 1974. He also served as an Honorary Lecturer in Tea Science in Assam Agricultural University besides serving as a member of the Board of Management of the same university. Thereafter, he became a consultant in tea plantations for more than 70 tea estates in Asom and West Bengal. Settling permanently at Jorhat, he was associated with the social, cultural and educational life of the city. In 1950, Sudhir Chandra Barua with Late Suresh Chandra Rajkhowa, the then Inspector of Schools in Jorhat, established Balya Bhavan with only seven students on roll. Going against the trend for English medium, he convinced everyone that mother tongue is the best medium of instruction at the primary level and within few years, Balya Bhavan earned the reputation of being the centre of quality education. He was the founder of the Lions Club’s Charitable Eye Hospital. An authority on tea plantation, he authored a number of books on the subject, in English. Equally proficient in English and Asomiya, Sudhir Chandra Barua wrote several books in Asomiya, besides a good number of articles in newspaper and journals. In a series of interesting articles published under the title “Elandhu” in “Prantik” an Asomiya fortnightly, he threw light on hitherto unknown aspects of many celebrated Indian personalities. On the auspicious occasion of his Adya Shraddha, I pay my respectful homage to Sudhir Dada, as I called him, and pray god for the eternal peace of the departed soul.

–Prafulla Rajguru THE SENTINEL