Bishnu Prasad Rabha from an Indian Perspective: A Revolutionary and Cultural Icon of Assam

Abstract

On January 31, 1909, Bishnu Prasad Rabha was born in Dhaka, which is now in Bangladesh, but was a part of pre-independence India. Gopal Chandra Rabha was Bishnu Prasad Rabha's father, and Gethi Das was his mother. During his time in college, Rabha actively participated in the Indian independence struggle. His active involvement in the fight against the British meant that, although attending several colleges, including Karmail Academic in Rongpur, Victoria College in Cooch Behar, and St. Paul's Cathedral Mission College in Kolkata, his academic education was never fully completed. In 1930, he took part in Gandhiji's Non-Cooperation Movement. Following India's independence in 1947, Rabha began to rebel against the wealthy landowners, known as Jamindars, who were abusing the common people. As a result, he became animosity with the government and had to hide from the watchful eyes. He joined the Communist Party in support of the freedom of the underprivileged and oppressed ordinary people. He carried a pen in one hand and a stein-gun in the other, both dedicated to the people's liberty. An equitable society was Bishnu Rabha's utopian vision. This research paper aims to examine Bishnu Prasad Rabha's involvement in the fight for India's independence, as well as his activism as a Communist Party member for the emancipation of the impoverished and oppressed common people. A legendary figure's life story and historiography can accurately reflect the social progress of a given era. Bishnu Prasad Rabha was a true bohemian and artist in arms who, against the backdrop of the eastern Indian subcontinent's liberation movement, emphasised a crucial role in the development of revolutionary ideas of a society. Rabha was recognised as the Assamese people's symbol, "Kalaguru.". In this paper, Bishnu Prasad Rabha a revolutionary and cultural icon from Assam is seen from an Indian perspective.