GUWAHATI, Dec 10 - The Ellora Vigyan Mancha (EVM) today celebrated the 183rd birth anniversary of anti-superstition crusader and philologist Pandit Hemchandra Barooah as anti-superstition and prejudice day with functions all over the State.
In the city, the Mancha celebrated the day with two functions at the Narengi-based old-age home Aamar Ghar in the morning and at the Maligaon Railway Higher Secondary School in the afternoon under the aegis of its central committee and Pandu-Maligaon unit.
At the Aamar Ghar programme, three boarders of the old-age home � Kabul Kanti Mazumdar (75), Hemalata Devi (80) and Geeta Chakraborty (70) pledged to donate their bodies for the benefit of ill persons and medical students. At the function presided over by EVM vice-president Kiran Sankar, also a noted painter, noted writer, poet Samindra Hujuri spoke on Pandit Hemchandra Barooah.
At the Maligaon Railway HS School function presided over by Mancha working president Dr Paramananda Mazumdar, renowned singer Sudakshina Sarma garlanded the statue of Pandit Hemchandra Barooah.
Addressing the function, one of the founders of the Mancha Isfaqur Rahman described Pandit Barooah as a pride of Assam and his works as invaluable assets of the Assamese people. Hemchandra was a pioneer in the State�s movement for scientific temper. He was totally a modern man, and was above all sorts of religious bigotry. He wielded his pen to attack religious intolerance, hypocrisy, etc with satire, he said.
