One of the leading freedom fighters during India’s struggle for freedom, Axom Kesari Ambikagiri Raichoudhury also contributed immensely in the fields of cultural, political and social development of the Assamese Society. He was a noted poet, playwright and patriot of his time and was elected as the President of the Assam Sahitya Sabha in the year 1950. In the year 1965, he was honoured with the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for his Poetry work ‘Bedonar Ulka’. The Ambikagiri Raichoudhury Award presented by Assam Sahitya Sabha is named after him Born to Krishnaram Raichoudhury and Devika Devi, he belonged to Barpeta, Assam, where he spent most of his childhood days. Because of his revolutionary personality, nationalist philosophy, and love for his motherland, he is popularly known as the ‘Axom Kesari’, the Lion of Assam.
Prior to his active participation in the Independence Movement against the British, Ambikagiri Raichoudhury was involved with many social welfare and literary-cultural activities. In a quest to facilitate the education of poor students, he tried to organise funds for them. He founded organisations like "Axom Songrokhini Xobhaa" (Assam Preservation Council) and "Axom Jaatiyo Mohaxobhaa", ‘“Sankardeva Circus Party” to propagate the Assamese language, folk songs etc. The plight of his people and the society always touched his heart and the efforts to remove their predicaments always reflected in his actions. Most of his social and political philosophy has been a part of the ‘Chetanaa’ News Daily, and ‘Deka Axom’ a weekly news magazine published by him. He left for his heavenly abode in 1967, but he instilled among his followers, friends and family, his attitude to constructively aid the society. Hence, he is the inspiration that helped in the formulation of the Ambikagiri Memorial Trust Society.
Suchibrata Roychoudhury, the eldest child of Ambikagiri and Kaushalya Devi, was an Assamese litterateur and poet, and the first female Judicial Magistrate of Assam. Also a passionate social worker, she founded the Ambikagiri Memorial Trust Society among many other institutions. She was referred to with the honorific ‘Dinabandhabi’ meaning friend of the poor.
Her father had an immense impact in her life since the beginning. She started her career as a teacher in the Tarini Charan Girl's School in 1951.By 1954, she joined the Assam Civil Service as a civil servant and retired as an officer of Revenue Department on 31 August 1989.
From an early age, she was engaged in writing songs, stories, poems and articles. Many of her works were published and signed by her first name. She believed that a person's name should be their only identity, not by their last name as in Assam, as in most of India, the last name indicates community, caste and creed. In the year 2001, she received the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize.
Suchibrata was a strong follower of Gandhian philosophy. During the 1942 Indian Independence movement, she was guided by her maternal grandfather Kalicharan Choudhury to redistribute copies of news bulletins and literature from the Indian National Army to villagers to spread awareness of the freedom movement. She also taught the villagers how to spin, as an act of civil disobedience to the British. While in college, she founded the Students' Union in Handique Girls College and was elected its General Secretary.
In her later years, from 2006 till her demise in 2009, Suchibrata and other members of the civil society attempted to negotiate a settlement between the Indian government and the separatist outfit ULFA.
Born on 20th Feb 1933, as the fourth child of Axom Kesari Ambikagiri Raichoudhury and Kaushalaya Devi. As a teaching professional, he was associated with B.N.College, Dhubri and later with B.Barooh College, Guwahati as a lecturer in Assamese from where he retired as the Head of the Department in the year 1996.
He was an eminent littérateur of his time and published many notable works ranging from novels to various contributions in different newspapers and magazines of Assam. Throughout his life, he penned various poems, songs, translations and articles. He was an approved lyricist of AIR Guwahati and his songs gained immense popularity among the common people of this region.
He was also associated with a number of socio- literacy & cultural organizations and has been an active member of the Ambikagiri Memorial Trust Society since its inception. He also initiated the first hostel for working women in the region under Yuva Nivas Santha. His most noteworthy association was during the Assam Language Movement and Assam Movement in 1980. He was an active member of Gana Songram Parishad during the Assam Agitation.
Dr. Nirmal Kumar Choudhury was born in Niz Pakowa village near Nalbari town. He imbibed a spirit of nationalism and public service from his grand-father Kalicharan Choudhury, a learned person who left his teaching job to join the freedom movement.
As an Academician, he was associated with many reputed Teaching Institutes of the region like Assam Engineering College, NIT Silchar and Gauhati University. He retired as the Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University.
During his service tenure, Dr. Choudhury was also appointed the Director of Technical Education and was a member of the UGC Committee for Vocational Education and as an Adviser of UPSC in Personal Test for Indian Civil Services. Dr. Choudhury acted as member of Administrative Reform Commission and as member of a number of committees constituted by Assam Government. He also acted as a member of the civil society group formed for facilitating talks between the ULFA and Government of India where he actively participated to materialize the way for peace in Assam.
Under his leadership a group of intellectuals prepared a visionary document for future development, titled ‘Assam beyond 2000’, in collaboration with the Assam Tribune group of newspapers.
Dr. Choudhury was involved in social welfare activities from his student days, when he used to take part in road repair works and in starting and running a library in his village. After retirement from service, he devoted himself to voluntary social work and was associated with many organisations including the Ambikagiri Memorial Trust Society as one of the Founder Members.
The youngest daughter of Ambikagiri Raichoudhury and Kaushalya Devi, Jugabrata was always inspired by her father and the elder siblings to contribute towards the upliftment of the society. Engaged in different cultural and literary activities since her childhood, she is an All India Radio singer since the year 1967.
She founded the Sishu Bikash Kendra in 1979, during the Assam Agitation Movement. The objective of the Kendra was to engage school-going children in different academic and extra-curricular activities during the time when all schools and colleges were closed because of the agitation. Classes were organized in the Pragjyotish College Campus wherein eminent teachers taught different subjects like English and Maths, including Art & Physical Education.
During the same time, she also started the ‘Nalini Choudhury Music School’ that taught classical vocal, dance, and different musical instruments to the children.
She has been actively involved in spreading awareness about the literary and cultural contributions of her father, Ambikagiri Raichoudhury and her elder sister Suchirata, by releasing different music albums, conducting workshops and publishing their work.
She is one of the founder members of the Ambikagiri Memorial Trust and Yuva Niwas Sanstha and a life member of Association for Social Health In India (ASHI). Currently, she is the Managing Trustee and Working President of the Executive Committee.
