Kuladhar Chaliha (20 September 1887 in

Sivasagar Sivasagar (Pron: or ) ("the sea of Shiva"), is a city in and headquarters of the Sivasagar district, Assam. Sivasagar is situated about 360 kilometers (224 mi) northeast of Guwahati. It is well known for its Ahom palaces and monuments. S ...

– 19 January 1963) was a prominent freedom fighter and leader 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 ...

from the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British ...

. Chaliha played a significant role in the Indian independence movement, led by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure ...

. Chaliha was one of the elected members of the

1934 Indian general election General elections were held in British India in 1934. The Indian National Congress emerged as the largest party in the Central Legislative Assembly."Elections in India The New Delhi Assembly, Congress Party's Position", ''The Times'', 10 Decem ...

from the state of

Early life and education

Kuladhar Chaliha was born in 20 September 1887 in

. He studied at

Cotton College Cotton College was a Roman Catholic boarding school in Cotton, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. It was also known as ''Saint Wilfrid's College''. The school buildings were centred on Cotton Hall, a country house used by religious communities from ...

Guwahati Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...

and later at Presidency College,

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, where he studied law.

Political career

Chaliha started his career as a extra assistant commissioner in the Assam Civil Service in 1913. Although he resigned shortly after due to disagreement with opposing policies of the British government. He joined the opium prohibition movement and then the Bar at

Jorhat Jorhat ( ) is one of the important cities and a growing urban centre in the state of Assam in India. Etymology Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite ...

court, where he was soon recognized to be a promising advocate. After the Jalianwala Bagh massacre in 1919, Chaliha joined the Indian independence movement under the leadership of

. He became the first president of the

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (or Assam PCC) was formed in June 1921. Its headquarters is at Rajiv Bhavan in GS Road Guwahati. Kuladhar Chaliha was the first elected president and Chabilal Upadhyaya was the first selected president of the co ...

and was a member of the

All India Congress Committee The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is the presidium or the central decision-making assembly of the Indian National Congress. It is composed of members elected from state-level Pradesh Congress Committees and can have as many as a thousan ...

. He was convicted and imprisoned in 1921 for his involvement in the

Indian freedom movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

for one year alongside many of his Congress party colleagues. Chaliha was elected to the Assam Legislative Council in 1927. He was later elected to the

Assam Legislative Assembly The Assam Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Assam. It is housed in Guwahati, the capital city of Assam, geographically situated in present Western Assam region. The Legislative Assembly comprises 126 M ...

, and became the first speaker of the Assembly from 5 March 1952 to 7 June 1957. Chaliha's interventions in the Assembly mainly revolved around the administration of tribal areas. Chaliha is considered to be one of the most prominent freedom fighters during the British occupation of India."Who was Kuladhar Chaliha?"
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Honor and legacy

The government of India issued a stamp in 1988, commemorating the occasion of his birth centenary. Former Chief Minister of Assam,

Tarun Gogoi Tarun Gogoi (11 October 1936 – 23 November 2020) was an Indian politician who served as the Chief Minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016. He was a member of the Indian National Congress and led the party to a record three consecutive electoral v ...

, released a biography of Chaliha, titled ''Deshneta Kuladhar Chaliha'' in 2013, the year of his 125th birth anniversary and 50th death anniversary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaliha, Kuladhar 1887 births 1963 deaths People from Sivasagar Indian independence activists from Assam Indian National Congress politicians from Assam Members of the Assam Legislative Assembly Speakers of the Assam Legislative Assembly