Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha, the man ever worshiped today, had also enemies in his life? It is very difficult to believe but true. Kalaguru was victim of many personal conspiracies and other hostile forces, for the good of whom, he dedicated his entire life. Those people for whom Kalaguru had fought for social justice had eventually assassinated socially by one humiliation or another. Even his enemies neither had spared at his life time nor after his death.
While British people left India and country got liberated on 15th August 1947, at that moment Bishnu Prasad Rabha, could conjured up the future of impoverished society of Indian and its immediate outcome newly attained freedom, hence he was not contend with the provision of Indian Independence Act 1947 as well as 3rd June Plan. Therefore he raised protest against the policy bartered and packed for devolution of power between British administrator and with Congress or league leaders. Bishnu Rabha as mark of protest, against proliterant policy of Congress leaders started roaring, vigorously, “Yeh azadi jhoota hain, sirf chamra ka badal” (this freedom is fake, only skin colour is changed). Firebrand rebel stalwart Rabha was the propagator of the theory of Marxian Socialism, who advocated for social equality in a classless Assamese society. Inspired by the Marxian School of thoughts, revolutionary Rabha mobilized masses mobilization against feudal landlords (Jomidary system) of undivided Assam.
Government of undivided Assam, considered Rabha’s war against feudal lords as a crime, then he was arrested and jailed for few months. Soon after his release from jail, he went underground for arms training in remote village and organized training for guerrilla warfare . This period of Bishnu Rabha was treated as Exile Period (Ogyatbash) of his revolutionary life. However the artist turned revolutionary became very popular among the common masses of society and hence becaus of his popularity he was acepted as “Sainik Silpi (Artist with Arms)”.
While Bishnu Rabha was in exile (underground), as an armed rebel of RCPI (Revolutionary Communist Party of India), then Congress ruled Assam Government had announced a reward of Rs.10,000/- for his head, either dead or alive.
In order to suppress the armed revolutionary activities of Rabha, Assam Government arrested him in the year 1952 Ghilaguri Village in Goalpara district and imprisoned for one year.
Just after 10 years of this arrest, Government of India again arrested Bishnu Prasad Rabha, suspecting as “communist informer” during Chinese War 1962 . however, in this case Rabha was sent to Behrampur Jail in Orissa.
Bishnu Rabha tried his destiny in constitutional politics also. In year 1957, Bishnu Rabha contested in Parliamentary Election from Barpeta Lok Sabha Constituency, unfortunately met an defeat in a marginal difference. However he was elected as independent candidate from Tezpur Assembly Constituency.
Unfortunately more humiliations were awaited even of years after his death….
On the eve of last Rabha Divas (20/06/2024), Hemraj Rabha the younger son of Bishnu Prasad Rabha, detonated a blast pointing towards a undisclosed “Godfather”, who took pivotal role for social humiliation and economic deprivation of Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha and his family.
Question raised by Hemraj Rabha :-
- Who was that Godfather, who took much initiative and also instrumental in socially boycotting Bishnu Rabha’s family in 1983.
- Who was that Godfather, plotted conspiracy to scrap the proposal of Mohini Rabha, the wife of BishuRabha where there was a request to Government requesting for allotment of 2 Bighas of land in the heart of Tezpur town. Mohini Rabha requested this allotment of land for setting up of a museum hall in memoriam of Bishnu Rabha. However in order to malign the purpose of Mohini Rabha, the same Godfather instructed local media persons to make the footage of their controversial house viral with soe vested interest .
- Who is that Godfather, who barged to the house Mohini Rabha, and warned her not to go for inauguration of cultural evening function organized in connection with the Centenary Celebration Programme of Tezpur Government Boys Higher Secondary School, otherwise Godfather threatened her to prepare herself for physical assault.
- Who was that Godfather instructed Tezpur Municipality Board to auction the house of Bishnu Rabha, as a revenue amount of rupees 417/- was left unpaid.
- Who was that Godfather, provoked and instigated local citizen of Tezpur, to mobilize public protest, in order to halt the construction of Memorial Park on his cremation Ground.
Bishnu Rabha is the most cherished iconic legend who was a scholar par excellence, singer, lyrist, music composer, actor, instrumentalist, dramatist, choreographer, dancer and armed revolutionary, very much near and dear to the hearts of millions of Assamese people. In many hard days of his life opportunist middle class Assamese always kept distance with him, leave aside one so called Godfather of Tezpur, but he was adored and bestowed with a title “Kolaguru’ by the Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, philosopher and statesman and also second president of Inida at Varanashi.
