A tribute to Narendradev Sastri

Noted journalist, writer-poet, godfather of various organizations, retired teacher and scholar Narendradev Sastri was born in a Brahmin family at Barigaon of Doomornoi in the Darrang district in 1928. He passed away at 7.45 pm on November 19 last in a clinic at Dispur. He retired from service in 1989.

During his lifetime, late Sastri made associated himself with various socio-cultural and literary organizations. Kavi Chakra Tezpur Xahitya Chakra, Sangbadik Karma Parishad, etc. were among them. He was a good captionist. During Indira Gandhi’s Prime Ministership in 1972, he was the Editor of Mahajati due to detention of the Chief Editor late Dr Parma Narayan Singha. With the pretty amount of salary of an assistant teacher, late Sastri did some works, which could not be done by rich persons also. He did not hesitate to do such hard work of publishing Ajir Batori, a weekly news paper from Tezpur in 1985. It lasted for about two years. In this period, he rendered so much hard labour, which now cannot be imagined. Performing school duty, household works on the other, he edited and published the paper in addition. Then there was the chance to help him from my side and to come to close with him. But due to unavoidable circumstances, we could not continue the publicity. The idea to recognize the new writers, poets in one platform, he tried much with Bichitra Narayan Mahanta, Pradip Banerjee, Atanu Bhuyan, Bidyut Kumar Bhuyan, Narahari Chutia, Anupam Chakraborty, Gautam Kataki, Mantu Nath, Pulak Deka, etc. Late Sastri and myself spent a number of sleepless nights taking thin arrowroot biscuits and lal chah in the Samabaika Press, Tezpur. We were busy even with bundling the papers to be sent in the morning to different places of Assam.

Late Sastri was a life-long member of Axam Xahita Xabha, president of Sangbadik Karma Parishad, Sonitpur District Unit, president of Xahitya Chakra, Tezpur, chief adviser of Kavi Chakra-Tezpur. He always emphasised on proper pronunciation of words. Late Sastri always encouraged youths to do good for the society. He was a real Pundit with costume and nature, because he was hard-core activist of Rastriya Sayang Sevat (RSS). He wrote 12 nos. of books. He had enough mental spirit to do social works in the sphere of literature for which he was awarded with Dalit Xahitya Academy Award in 1997.Today on the occasion of Sraddha ceremony it will be a little tribute to the departed soul of a noted litterateur, journalist, poet- late Narendradev Sastri.

– Bichitra Narayan Mahanta THE SENTINEL