Ray Saheb Panchanan Barma who Struggled to Empower Deprived People of Northeastern India Through Education

Abstract

In the late nineteenth century, there emergeda great towering personality in Northeastern India, a saviour of the suffering people- named PanchananSarkar (laterBarma). He was born inRajbanshicommunity, a race of rulers; those are predominantlythe habitants of eastern and north eastern India. He struggled during his whole life to establish equality and justice in the society. He has largely succeeded in his mission and paved the way for establishment of democratic principle in independent India. He was a source of solace and succour for the common people anddue to which the people of his time as well as the people of present generationconsider him to be a guiding force for free thinking. He is a source of constant inspiration for the people ofNortheastern India in general and the Rajbanshis in particular. The people of Rajbanshi race regard him as the Father of RajbanshisNation – a Messiah. In recognition to his unparallel service to the society, he wasconferred with the rare and prestigious titles -to have ever been bestowed on any Indian -‘Ray Sahib’ and ‘MBE (Member of British Empire)’ by the British Crown.His mission was to attain Shiksha(education), Samridhi(economic prosperity) and Shashan(role in governance) for the people of his community, as well as the other indigenous peopleof India,bybringing them to the fold of education, which was denied to them by the Indian privileged caste poeple through the institution of caste.