News Desk, AnyTV, Guwahati
Published by: Abhishek Dixit
Updated Mon, 21 Feb 2022 08:02 PM IST
Summary
His caregivers at the Sarania Ashram said that he was undergoing treatment for the last 10 years and he breathed his last on Sunday night due to age-related ailments.
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His caregivers at the Sarania Ashram said that he was undergoing treatment for the last 10 years and he breathed his last on Sunday night due to age-related ailments. She had been living at the Kasturba Gandhi Ashram in Guwahati’s Sharania hill for decades. It was announced by the state government to conduct the last rites with full state honors.
PM Modi expressed grief
Prime Minister Modi condoled his death and said he will be remembered for his firm belief in Gandhian values. He tweeted that Shakuntala Choudhary will be remembered for her life-long efforts to promote Gandhian values. His noble work at Saraniya Ashram made a positive impact on the lives of many. I am saddened by his death. My condolences to his family and countless fans. om Shanti.
Assam CM also expressed grief
Condoling his death, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma also tweeted, “Very saddened by the demise of Gandhian and Padma Shri Shakuntala Choudhary. His life was devoted to selfless service, truthfulness, simplicity and non-violence at the Sarania Ashram, Guwahati, where Mahatma Gandhi lived in 1946. I pray for his well being. om Shanti. State ministers Keshav Mahant and Ranoj Pegu paid floral tributes on behalf of the government to Choudhary at Saraniya Ashram.
Shakuntala did a lot of work for the education of children
Born in Guwahati, Shakuntala was very good at studies and it was while teaching at TC School in Guwahati that she came into contact with another Gandhian, Amalprova Das, whose father donated his property in Sarania Hills to build an ashram. Das had requested Choudhary to help him run the Gram Sevika Vidyalaya and manage the Assam branch of the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust (KGNMT). She then became the Office Secretary and was given the responsibility of administering the Trust.
Also became a part of the famous ‘Bhudan’ movement
Along with this, she also continued to teach in the school. Chowdhury took over as ‘representative’ of the KGNMT in 1955 and led the mission for 20 years amid several developments such as the Chinese invasion, the Tibetan refugee crisis, the 1960s linguistic movement. In her life, she was also associated with Vinoba Bhave and participated in a one and a half year ‘padayatra’ in Assam during the last phase of his famous ‘Bhudan’ movement.