Satish Chandra Kakati

Satish Chandra Kakati
Born October 1912
Ulabori, Nalbari district, Assam, India
Died 20 June 2006
Guwahati, Assam, India
Occupation Journalist
Writer
Freedom activist
Known for The Assam Tribune
Awards Padma Shri
Kanaklata Barua and Mukunda Kakati Memorial Award
Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi Memorial Award

Satish Chandra Kakati was an Indian journalist, writer, the editor of The Assam Tribune, an Assam based English language daily,[1] and one of the founders of Assam Bani, a vernacular weekly started in 1955 by The Assam Tribune group.[2] He was the vice president of the Editors' Guild of India and authored seven books in Assamese and English.[1] A 2005 recipient of the Kanaklata Barua and Mukunda Kakati Memorial Award,[3] Kakati was awarded the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1991.[4]

Biography

Kakati was born at Ulabori, a small hamlet in Nalbari district, in the Northeast Indian state of Assam, in October 1912[1] and did his schooling at The Kamrup Academy, a school born out of nationalistic movement in Assam.[5] His graduate studies were at the Cotton College, Guwahati when he was attracted towards the freedom movement in India and due to his involvement in the Civil disobedience movement and agitation against the Cunningham Circular issued by J. R. Cunningham, then director of Public Instruction,[6] which banned student involvement in Swadeshi movement,[5] he had to endure incarceration for three months.[1] He was also involved in the student movements and was one of the founder secretaries of the Assam University League, which agitated for a separate university for Assam.[7]

His career started as the founder headmaster of the Gangapukhuri High School in 1936 but he moved to his alma mater, the Kamrup Academy, as the assistant head master in 1948.[8] During his academic days, he was associated with Hindustan Standard, Anandabazar Patrika and the Press Trust of India as a reporter. Later he had a stint as a government servant, as the Assistant Publicity Officer, where he stayed till he got associated with Radha Govinda Baruah who invited him to join The Assam Tribune in 1952 as its assistant editor.[8] When the Group started Asom Bani, an Assamese language weekly in 1955, he became its founder editor.[8] He stayed there till his superannuation in 1976, becoming the Editor of the Group publications in 1963.[1]

Kakati was a regular contributor to other publications[1] and continued his social activism after his retirement.[9] He served as a visiting faculty at the Guwahati University for some time.[8] He was involved in the organizational activities of Assam Media Trust,[10] and served as the vice president of the Editors' Guild of India.[1] He authored seven books, in both English and Assamese languages[1] and Jivanimala,[11] Jawaharlal Nehru Aru Soviet Russia[12] and Smriti Bichitra[13] are some of his notable works. Months before his death, a book on his life and times was released, in 2005, on the occasion of his 94th birth anniversary.[14] Kakati died on 20 June 2006 at Guwahati.[1]

Honours

The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 1991.[4] He received the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi Memorial Award from the Government of Assam in 2004.[15] A year later, he was awarded the Kanaklata Barua and Mukunda Kakati Memorial Award.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Kakati, doyen of Assam journalism, dead". Indian Express. 21 June 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  2. ↑ "57 years of Asom Bani". The Assam Tribune. 2 July 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Guwahati Diary". The Telegraph. 16 September 2005. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "A symbol of sacrifice and nationalism". Kamrup Academy. 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Cunningham, J. R.". WikSource. 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  7. ↑ Ram Bakshi, Sita Ram Sharma, S. Gajrani (1998). Contemporary Political Leadership in India: Sharad Pawar, the Maratha legacy. APH Publishing. ISBN 9788176480086.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Satis Chandra Kakati". Bipul Jyoti. 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  9. ↑ "NGO slams eyesores on Dispur ground". The Telegraph. 17 November 2003. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  10. ↑ "History". Assam Media Trust. 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  11. ↑ Satish Chandra Kakati (1940). Jivanimala. Jayanti Art Press.
  12. ↑ "Jawaharlal Nehru Aru Soviet Russia" Check |url= value (help). Digital Library of India. 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Smriti Bichitra" Check |url= value (help). Digital LIbrary of India. 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Anniversary". The Telegraph. 25 October 2005. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ "President to interact with child scientists". Silicon India. 31 December 2004. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
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