Kanaklata Barua (English: Kanakalata Barua; born- 22 December, 1924; martyrdom- 20 September, 1942) was such a martyred daughter of India, who joined the long queue of Indian heroines. At just 18 years old, Kanaklata may have been younger than other martyred heroines, but her stature in sacrifice and self-denial was no less than anyone else. In a secret meeting, it was decided to hoist the tricolor flag on the Tezpur court on 20 September, 1942. Bullets were fired on the crowd that had come to hoist the tricolor and Kanaklata Barua attained martyrdom here.
Kanaklata Barua was born on 22 December 1924 in the house of Krishnakant Barua of Assam. He was a resident of Barangbari village. Her mother’s name was Karneshwari Devi. Kanaklata was only five years old when her mother died. Her father Krishnakant married again, but he also died in 1938. After a few days, her stepmother also died. Thus, Kanaklata became an orphan at a young age. Her maternal grandmother had to take up the responsibility of raising Kanaklata. She used to help her grandmother in household chores and also studied diligently. Despite such adverse family circumstances, Kanaklata started leaning towards the national independence movement.
When a rayat sabha was organised in Gamri village in May 1931, Kanaklata was only seven years old. Still she participated in the sabha along with her uncle Devendra Nath and Yadu Ram Bose. The students had organised the said sabha. The president of the sabha was the famous leader Jyoti Prasad Agarwala. Apart from him, other prominent leaders of Assam also attended the sabha. Jyoti Prasad Agarwala was a Rajasthani. He was a famous poet of Assam and a pioneer of renaissance. The songs written by him in Assamese language were popular in every household. Kanaklata was also influenced and inspired by Agarwala’s songs. Through these songs, the seed of patriotism germinated in Kanaklata’s young mind.
Those who participated in the 1931 Raiyat convention were arrested on charges of treason. Due to this incident, the fire of revolution spread everywhere in Assam. Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Non-cooperation Movement’ also got strength from it. On 8 August 1942, the ‘Quit India’ resolution was passed in the Congress session of Mumbai. It spread against the British in every corner of the country. Top leaders of Assam were arrested and put in jail as soon as they returned from Mumbai. When Gopinath Bordoloi, Siddhnath Sharma, Maulana Tayyabullah, Vishnuram Medhi etc. were put in jail, Mohikant Das, Gahan Chandra Goswami, Maheshwar Bara and others took over the reins of the movement. Finally Jyoti Prasad Agarwala had to take over the leadership. A secret meeting was held under his leadership. As a result, the movement got a new direction. Police atrocities increased and the jails were filled with freedom fighters. Many people had to become victims of police bullets. The movement also grew with the repression cycle of the government.
In a secret meeting, it was decided to hoist the tricolour flag on the Tezpur court on 20 September 1942. By that time Kanaklata had become eligible for marriage. Her parents were eager to get her married. But she considered India’s independence more important than her marriage. She was ready to do anything for India’s independence. On 20 September 1942, the tricolour was to be hoisted at Gahpur police station, 82 miles away from Tezpur. After finishing her household chores early in the morning, she left for her destination. Kanaklata was a member of the self-sacrifice group. A procession had gathered from all directions towards Gahpur police station. All the young men and women were in that self-sacrifice group. Holding the tricolour flag in both her hands, Kanaklata was leading the procession. The leaders of the procession suspected that Kanaklata and her companions might run away. Sensing the doubt, Kanaklata roared like a lioness- “Don’t make the mistake of considering us young women as weak. The soul is immortal, it is only the body that perishes. So why should we be afraid of anyone?” Slogans like “Do or Die”, “Freedom is our birthright”, echoing in the sky, she moved towards the police station. The self-sacrifice group reached near the police station. The sky started echoing with the sky-piercing slogans of the procession from behind. There was a competition among the members of that group to hoist the flag at the police station. Every person was anxious to hoist the flag first. The in-charge of the police station, P.M. Som came forward to stop the procession. Kanaklata said to him- “Don’t block our way. We have not come to fight with you. We have come to light the flame of freedom by hoisting the tricolor at the police station. After that we will return.”
The in-charge of the police scolded Kanaklata and said that if you people move forward even an inch, you will be shot dead. Despite this, Kanaklata moved forward and said- “The flame of our freedom cannot be extinguished. You can fire bullets, but you cannot make us deviate from our duty.” As soon as she said this and moved forward, the police showered bullets on the procession. Kanaklata bore the first bullet on her chest. The bullet was fired by a soldier named Bogi Kachari. The second bullet hit Mukund Kakoti, which caused his immediate death. The firing continued even after the death of these two. As a result, Hemkant Barua, Khargeswar Barua, Sunishwar Rajkhowa and Bhola Bardalai were seriously injured. The eternal flame of freedom was burning in the hearts of those youth, due to which they kept moving forward without caring about the bullets. Kanaklata fell down after being shot, but the tricolor in her hands did not bend. Seeing her courage and sacrifice, the enthusiasm of the youth increased even more. Taking the tricolour from Kanaklata’s hand, the brave martyred youth kept moving forward with their chests held high in front of the bullets. They kept falling one after the other, but they did not let the flag bend or fall. They kept holding it in one hand after another and finally Rampati Rajkhowa hoisted the flag at the police station.
The body of martyr Mukand Kakoti was secretly cremated by the employees of Tezpur Municipality, but the freedom fighters were successful in carrying the body of Kanaklata on their shoulders to her home. Her last rites were performed in Barangbari itself. By sacrificing her life, she brought more strength to the freedom struggle. Her sacrifice generated new enthusiasm among the freedom fighters. In this way, the sacrifice of many martyrs is the foundation stone of our freedom. The building of freedom stands on the foundation of their sacrifice. The Kanaklata Model Girls High School established in Barangbari, which has been built in the memory of Kanaklata’s self-sacrifice, even today this building is inspiring to protect freedom.
