By Mayukh Goswami
Mangaldai : Prabhawati Devi-a nonagenarian ideal mother true to the sense and a resident of Santipur in Mangaldai town is no more. A pious lady with her ever familiar motherly care and love to all breathed her last on Thursday in a private hospital in Guwahati due old age ailments. She was 95. The Darrang district committee of Sadou Asom Lekhika Sanstha in recognition of her mesmerizing motherly personality and sacrifice in establishing her all wards in their respective fields in a prominent manner had conferred her ‘Adarsha Matri’ award. In 2010 on the occasion of celebration of the International Women’s Day.
Born to the family of Bhuban Dev Sarma and Dhiru Devi of village Baldebpara, Khatikuchi in Sipajhar area of Darrang district on June 22 of 1925, late Prabhawati Devi, due to her deep interest in the academic field, has became the second girl student of Sipajhar High School as that time the co education system was not introduced. In 1938 he was married to fonder Head Master of Pacchim Rangamati High School and a prominent social worker Karmi Dev Sarma of Bar Jamguri village near Mangaldai. Later they shifted their residence to Santipur in Mangaldai.
As an ideal mother, late Prabhawati Devi achieved her goal to guide and mould her six sons and two daughters in getting well settled in their respective fields. Significant aspect of this humble housewife can well be judged from the fact that her eldest son Pabitra Sarma took his retirement as a senior official in the state forest department while her second son Dulal Sarma is the first Assamese to be promoted to the post of Visiting Agent of multinational tea giant McLeod Russel and was entrusted to look after 25 tea gardens of the company on the North Bank. Her fourth son at present has been serving as the Divisional Forest Officer of Dhansiri Forest division in Udalguri district. The NH 52 Dhaba owned and managed by her fifth son Pankaj Sarma has meanwhile earned a high reputation for quality service and delicacy in the entire North Bank while her youngest son Himanjan Sarma has also been successful in becoming a promising entrepreneur. Though the system of joint family in Assamese society now a days has become very rare yet this humble and religious lady managed to maintain the bond of love among all the members of her family. On receipt of the news of her demise, a large number of admirers and mourners rushed to her residence only to pay their last respect. Mangaldai legislator Guru Jyoti Das,
Additional Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Chakravarty, Industrialist Anupam Deka, AGP activist Naba Deka, media person Hemanta Kumar Barua and Bhargab Kumar Das, AASU activist Khanindra Rajbongshi, AJYCP activist Himadree Kumar Sarma, wildlife activist of Udalguri Naba Jyoti Barua also offered their last respect and attended the funeral at Public Crematorium at Tengabari in presence of a large number of mourners.
