GUWAHATI, Nov 1 - The 70th foundation day of the Maniram Dewan Memorial Trust, Guwahati, was observed at a city hotel a few days back.
The occasion was marked by the sixth annual general meeting of the trust, with the members of the trust paying homage to the portrait of Maniram Dewan by lighting ceremonial lamps and offering floral tributes.
The vice-president of the trust, Bhupendra Nath Das chaired the meeting. Members then mourned the demise of those who had deep respect for Maniram Dewan � viz, former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Swaraswatee Kakoty (102 years), and Bijoy Pratap Barooah (77). The duo were residents of Sivasagar and great granddaughter and son respectively of Maniram Dewan.
A brief action taken report of the trust during the years 2014 and 2015 till date was read out by working president Aroon Chandra Barooah, while a brief statement of account was presented by treasurer Bokul Chandra Bordoloi.
Two out of six advisers of the trust � Kamaleswar Bora and Dr Arun Chandra Bhuyan � expired in 2013 and therefore the members unanimously elected Prof Arup Kumar Dutta, author, and Surjya Kumar Hazarika, publication activist, as advisers of the trust.
Uttam Baruah, who belongs to the clan of Maniram Dewan, suggested that a plot of three bighas, out of the vast land property of Maniram Dewan at Charing (Jorhat), could be utilised for erecting a memorial of Dewan, and urged the trust to take steps on the matter.
Working president Aroon Ch Barooah then elaborated the proposals submitted by the Commemoration Committee for the 150th anniversary of the First Freedom Struggle, 1857, in Guwahati in 2007 to the Government of India through the State government for erection of memorials at Charing and Guwahati. The proposals have received no response till now.
