Man who scored Assam cricket’s first Ranji run bows out at 98

Guwahati, Dec 21: Age was never allowed to sit in judgment over Naba Kamal Bhuyan. Even well into his nineties, his voice carried the sparkle of a young sportsman and his memory remained razor sharp, alive with stories of a time when sport in Assam was built on grit, goodwill and improvisation.

Bhuyan passed away peacefully at his Chennai residence on Saturday morning, family members said. He was 98. With his passing, Assam has lost not just a cricketer, but a rare all-rounder in life, a man who moved effortlessly between sport, management, culture and intellect.

Born on April 1, 1927, in Dibrugarh, Bhuyan’s competitive sporting journey began as early as 1939 during his school days in Nagaon. Talent and curiosity soon carried him beyond Assam. He represented St Paul’s Cathedral Mission College in Kolkata, and later Cotton College and Gauhati University, excelling in both cricket and football. He also went on to become the first sports secretary of Gauhati University, shaping organised campus sport at a formative time.

The historic Ranji moment

History remembers him most vividly for December 1948. At the Garrison Ground in Shillong, then the capital of Assam, Bhuyan opened the innings for Assam against United Province in the State’s maiden Ranji Trophy match. He faced the first ball and scored the first run in Assam’s Ranji history. The moment was modest then, but monumental in retrospect. He later joined the police before leaving the job to study business management and work in the United Kingdom.

Memories that stayed young

During an interaction, Bhuyan later recalled those early days with warmth and humour. Facilities were scarce, protective gear almost unheard of, and preparation depended more on ingenuity than infrastructure. He once narrated how he studied books written by Englishmen on pitch preparation, experimenting with clay and earth to hurriedly prepare a playable wicket at the New Field in Guwahati. It was a different era, where courage and courtesy often decided contests as much as skill.

Beyond cricket, Bhuyan’s life unfolded in many directions. He played football for Cotton College, served as tennis secretary there, and even emerged as a chess champion in the seniors category. An economist by training and an author by inclination, he also became a connoisseur of classical performing arts. Along with his wife, the legendary classical dancer Padmashree Pushpa Bhuyan, he co-founded Pushpanjali Cultural Academy, a pioneering institution that nurtured generations of artistes in Assam.

He remained closely associated with Gauhati Town Club, both as a player and a life member, and watched the growth of organised sport in Assam with quiet pride. During an interaction programme at the 91 Yards Club in 2023, he spoke of the 1940s as if they were yesterday, recalling teammates, opponents and forgotten grounds with astonishing clarity.

Tributes to a towering life

Tributes poured in from across the sporting fraternity. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and Assam Cricket Association mourned the loss of one of its earliest pioneers, noting his role as a witness to its very birth. Gauhati Town Club described his life as an innings that will never be forgotten, praising his grace, commitment and quiet leadership.

In a career that spanned nearly a century, Naba Kamal Bhuyan never chased applause. Yet, in the annals of Assam sport and culture, his name will remain written in bold, not for a single record, but for a life lived with uncommon breadth and dignity.