Upendranath Brahma (31 March 1956 – 1 May 1990) was an Indian
Bodo Bodo may refer to:
Ethnicity
* Boro people, an ethno-linguistic group mainly from Northwest Assam, India
* Bodo-Kachari people, an umbrella group from Nepal, India and Bangladesh that includes the Bodo people
Culture and language
* Boro cu ...
social activist and the former president of
All Bodo Students' Union.
Early life and education
Brahma was born in Boragari village of
Dotma
Dotma is a town within the District of Kokrajhar is the state of Assam, North-east India. It is One of the Revenue circles and developmental blocks in the Kokrajhar district. This town also known as Dotoma. History
At close of the Bhutan War of ...
, a small township at
Kokrajhar district
Kokrajhar district is an administrative district in Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam. It is predominantly inhabited by the Boro tribe. The district has its headquarters located at Kokrajhar Town and occupies an area of . It has two civil s ...
of
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, India. He was a son of Mr. Monglaram Brahma and Ms. Lefsri Brahma. He was the fifth, and youngest, child. He was called "Thopen" during his childhood. He grew up in poverty.
From 1963, Brahma studied at various schools, including Dotma High School, Kokrajhar High School and, in 1973, at Sakti Ashram High and Vocational School under the guidance of Swamiji. In 1975, he passed the matriculation examination in the first division with letter marks in Mathematics. Thereafter he obtained a BSc with honours degree in Physics from
Cotton College before enrolling at
Gauhati University
Gauhati University, also known as GU, is a Collegiate university, collegiate public state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established on 26 January 1948 under the provisions of an Act enacted by the Assam Legislative Assem ...
in 1981 for his MSc degree. Brahma also worked as a graduate science teacher at the Nehru Vocational High School in Gossainichina, and studied for a BA at
Kokrajhar College during that period. He obtained his BA in 1985 and his MSc in 1986.
Brahma was elected as the President of the Goalpara District Students Union in 1978–79. He was vice-president of the All Bodo Students Union between 1981–1983 and president from 1986. Through this body he worked for the education and wellbeing of the community, which he believed to be losing its culture. Under his leadership, the ABSU agreed to include political issues as part of its agenda to give political matureness to the students.
Death
Brahma died in Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
on 1 May 1990 as a consequence of
blood cancer
Tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (American English) or tumours of the haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (British English) are tumors that affect the blood, bone marrow, lymph, and lymphatic system. Because these tissues are all ...
. His body was taken to
Kokrajhar
Kokrajhar () is a town in the Bodoland Territorial Region, an autonomous territory in Assam, one of the North Eastern states of India.
Kokrajhar town is located along the bank of the river Gaurang. The North East Indian Railways divides the ci ...
and then buried at
Dotoma
Dotma is a town within the District of Kokrajhar is the state of Assam, North-east India. It is One of the Revenue circles and developmental blocks in the Kokrajhar district. This town also known as Dotoma. History
At close of the Bhutan War of ...
on 4 May. The ground where Brahma was buried is now known as "
Thulungapuri
Thulungapuri is a memorial in Dotma, Kokrajhar district, Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered ...
".
Honours
The title of
Bodofa
Upendranath Brahma (31 March 1956 – 1 May 1990) was an Indian Bodo social activist and the former president of All Bodo Students' Union.
Early life and education
Brahma was born in Boragari village of Dotma, a small township at Kokrajhar d ...
(Guardian of Bodos) was posthumously conferred upon Brahma on 8 May 1990 in recognition of his vision and leadership. His life is celebrated each year on the anniversary of his death, which is now called ''Bodofa Day''.
A bronze statue of him was unveiled in Kokrajhar on the tenth anniversary of his death.
See also
*
Bineshwar Brahma
Bineshwar Brahma (28 February 1948 – 19 August 2000 brx, बिनेश्वर ब्रह्म) was the president of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha (' Bodo Literary Union') in Assam, India. He was born in a small village of Bhatarmari in Kok ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brahma, Upendranath
1990 deaths
1956 births
Bodo people
Tribal people from Assam
People from Kokrajhar district
Gauhati University alumni
Cotton College, Guwahati alumni
Deaths from cancer in India
Deaths from blood cancer