KALAIGAON, Dec 3 � On the occasion of first death anniversary of eminent freedom fighter and social worker of the State, Pani Ram Das, people paid heart-felt tributes to him at his residence at Kalaigaon Sevashram recently.
On the occasion, several distinguished citizens of the State paid floral tribute to the departed freedom fighter, who breathed his last in November 2011 at the age of 94 years. Basanta Das, Minister of State, (Ind), Fisheries and Janasanyog, Assam, Kumud Kalita, DC, Darrang, Thaneswar Malakar, DC,Udalguri, Lt Col Shesh Giri of 2 Field Regiment (Red Horns Division), noted writer Dr Amarendra Narayan Deb, members of Tangla Press Club, Kalaigaon Pres Club, Kalaigaon Press Guild, Media Circle, Mangaldai etc attended the first death anniversary to pay homage to the departed leader, known as a �General in Khadi�, arranged at Kalaigaon Sevashram.
Freedom fighter Pani Ram Das, who had passed matriculation examination from Calcutta University in 1937 securing first division with letter marks in English, decided to join the Freedom Movement instead of joining colleges for higher education. He spent several years in British prisons at Mangaldai, Tezpur, Jorhat and Nagaon etc. After independence he turned down the request to become an MLA and decided to do public service living in villages. He established Kalaigaon Sevashram in 1950 and was doing social service there till his death last year.
He was also the first journalist from Mangaldai working as correspondent for The Assam Tribune and Natun Asomiya. Just before his death, he donated 56 bighas of his land at Kalaigaon for public work which included the Kanaklata Das Bio-Diversity Conservation Park with an area of 35 bighas of land.