From Rs 2 lottery tickets to 24.5-ft statue: Silchar revives Netaji’s legacy after 40 yrs

Silchar, August 31: Over the past few weeks, Silchar, Assam’s second-largest urban sprawl, has been breathing history. The bustling town has adorned itself with a festive sheen, preparing not merely for an event but for a moment that fuses memory with modernity.

At 3 pm on Sunday, when Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma unveils the towering 24.5-foot statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at Rangirkhari junction, Silchar will not just witness a ceremonial occasion, it will reclaim a legacy.

The new bronze figure, sculpted by Mysuru-based artist Arun Yogiraj, rises at the city’s crossroads like a sentinel of history.

Yogiraj, whose works have already won national acclaim, has imbued the statue with the fire and defiance that defined Bose’s indomitable spirit.

At 24.5 feet, the monument embodies courage, sacrifice, and unbroken resolve, anchoring Silchar’s identity firmly to the memory of India’s freedom struggle.

But to truly understand what August 31 signifies, one must travel back more than four decades to 1983, when Rangirkhari first became home to a statue of Netaji.

That effort was born of sheer youthful passion and community resolve. Recalling those days with nostalgia, former student leader Biswanath Bhattacharjee described how the movement began.

“In 1981, we had formed a committee called the Statue Foundation Committee with me as general secretary, the late Santosh Mohan Dev as president, and present Borkhola MLA Misbahul Islam Laskar as treasurer. We fixed the budget at Rs 2 lakh; a huge sum at the time. To raise the money, we organised a lottery with coupons priced at just Rs 2, which fetched us Rs 25,000, while the rest came from generous donations. Every rupee was a symbol of Silchar’s love and respect for Netaji,” Bhattacharjee recalled.

The original statue, now relocated to Gandhi Bagh Park. (AT Photo)

The statue, carved by Mukti Paul and Shambhu Paul of Nadia district in West Bengal, was installed on January 26, 1983, and inaugurated by freedom fighter Mohitosh Purakyastha in the presence of Forward Bloc followers, including Sushil Chakraborty.

“The effort may have been modest in scale, but it was monumental in spirit. It captured the grit and devotion of a generation who believed memory must be cast in stone and metal. Even today, I am gripped by nostalgia for that event,” Bhattacharjee said.

That original statue, now relocated to Gandhi Bagh Park, remains a proud reminder of how Silchar — with meagre means but immense determination, carved its own place in the narrative of national memory.

Four decades later, the city is preparing to echo that same sentiment but on a scale larger, brighter, and deeper.

As the countdown nears, anticipation runs high across the Barak Valley. Conversations hum with excitement, and elders narrate the stories of 1983 to younger generations, as if awaiting Netaji’s return — not as a leader in flesh and blood, but as a towering figure of bronze, a symbol of patriotic zeal, and a reminder of the enduring bond between the city and its hero.

For Silchar, August 31 will not be just another day on the calendar. It will be the day when history bends forward, connecting the youthful zeal of 1983 with the renewed resolve of 2025.

The day when Netaji comes home again — immortal, eternal, and forever standing guard at the heart of a city that never stopped remembering him.