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Ishita Bhagwati

Kanaklata Barua

Indians wanted freedom from the British and they fought with the hope that they would be free. Many unsung heroes who fought for this freedom could not live to experience it but contributed to its happening by being a significant factor. One of these souls who sacrificed herself for the freedom struggle of India is Kanaklata Barua who was also called ‘Birbala’ and ‘Shaheed’. She was a well-known freedom fighter in Assam specifically but I believe that the existence of this woman should be known all around India.


Kanaklata Barua was born on 22 December 1924 in Assam. She had a rough childhood as her mother died when she was only 5 and her father remarried but then passed away when she was 13 years old. She studied till 3rd grade and then dropped out to care for her siblings. She learned to be mature at a very young age. When she was 7, she joined a riot against the British with the students of Assam’s Gamri village. When she turned 18, a brave and noble act by her inspired Indians to date.


Kanaklata decided to fight for Indian independence when she became of age and realised the true meaning of self-governance. For this, she joined in on a secret meeting in Tezpur which led to the hoisting of the tricolour Indian flag in the court of Tezpur. She had led a group of freedom fighters like her with her head held high while holding the tricolour flag, ready to face the British army. When she did this, the British got agitated and ordered her to be shot at sight. In 1942, due to this gunfire, the young woman died holding the tricolour flag. She died on 20th September 1942. She did not even live one whole year as an adult.


At such a young age she had such a huge impact and was such a humongous inspiration. She sacrificed her life for India. For this, all of Assam pays their respects to her. In memory of her, many beautiful statues of her holding the Indian flag with her head held high are made in Assam. One of those statues is the one shown in the article.


This is a relatively short article because she did not live enough to have pages and pages written on what she did. Although, how is it that she was able to have such an impact on so many people with such little age? Because when she died, she awoke the urge to have something in others, something beautiful, something brave, and something important, freedom.



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