Issued by India

Issued on Dec 27, 1996

Issued for : The Department of Post is happy to issue a stamp to commemorate 150 years of anaesthesia, and its service to humanity by way of introducing painless surgery.

Credits :
Stamp Design : Shri Sankha Samantha
First Day Cover : Dr. S.C. Prakash
Cancellation : Smt. Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 x 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.91 x 2.90 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported un w/m Adhesive Gravure Coated Stamp Paper in Sheets 50.8 x 53.5 cms.

Number of Stamps Printed : 0.7 Million

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

About : 

• Anaesthesiology is an important speciality of medical science. Prior to the discovery of Anaesthesia all surgical operations were associated with severe pain. Very often the patient used to die, not because of the disease but because of the shock due to severe pain of surgery. Many complicated surgical operations like open heart surgery, neurosurgery and organ transplant surgery would not have become possible without developments and advances in the science of anaesthesia.
• On 16^th October, 1846, William Thomas Green Morton, a dentist from Boston administered ether to one Gilbert Abbott at the Massachusetts General Hospital while the surgeon John Collins Warren removed a tumor from the patient’s jaw, without pain. That day was an important landmark in the history of medical science. Thereafter, surgeons could perform surgical operations while the patient was fast asleep unaware of the entire procedure and feeling absolutely no pain.
• Very soon chloroform replaced ether. However, it was realized that chloroform was harmful to the heart and liver and could cause death during anaesthesia.
• To investigate the safety of chloroform anaesthesia, Nizam of Hyderabad invited two commissions from England in 1888 and 1889. These are considered as important landmarks in the history of development of anaesthesia.
• Ultimately, chloroform was withdrawn as an anaesthetic agent. However, so popular was chloroform as an anaesthetic agent that even today many people think that anaesthesia is induced by chloroform.
• Text : Practising Anaesthesiologists Forum The Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 26, 1996

Issued for : The Department of Post today, on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, issues a commemorative postage stamp on the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari as it celebrates its 25^th anniversary.

Design : The stamp depicts the Memorial; the first day cover is a view of the Sabha Mandapam and the cancellation is a line drawing of the Sripada Mandapam.

Courtesy :
Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari.
Stamp : Shri Sankha Samanta
Cancellation : Smt. Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Overall size : 2.90 X 7.82 cms.

Printing size : 2.55 X 7.45 cms.

Perforation : 13.5 x 13.5

Paper : Matt Chromo

Number of stamps Printed : 1 million

Number per issue sheet : 20

Printing Process : Photo Offset

Printer : Calcutta Security Printers Limited, Kanpur

About : 

• The Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari is one of the most glorious national monuments of our country. It symbolises the spirit of India, unique and magnificent, a confluence of cultures, religions and societies. It also epitomizes the awakening of a mind, a spirit and a nation. It is a tribute to a visionary who saw that :
  “India will be raised, not with the power of the flesh, but with the power of the spirit…… One vision I see clear as life before me, that the ancient Mother has awakened once more, sitting on her throne rejuvenated, more glorious than ever. Proclaim her to all the world with the voice of peace and benediction.”
• Swami Vivekananda had swum across the channel of about 450 yards to meditate on this rock. Here, surrounded by the oceans, their silence and their sounds, his troubled heart saw the mission of his life before him, the awakening of the Indian masses and the emerging significance of India in the world community. Sri Eknath Ranade gave shape to this embodiment of India’s progressive spirit as a singular tribute to Swami Vivekananda. At Kanyakumari, the Monk was transformed into a nation builder who carried the message of India’s spiritual consciousness across the world with the historic address at the Parliament of Religions at Chicago on 11.9.1893.
• Rising out of the ocean today the Memorial stands at the southern tip of India in memory of this great Indian and his vision. Built by the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee, the work on this monument started on 6.11.64 and took about six years to complete. It was consecrated on 2.9.70 by Srimad Swami Visveswarananda, President of the Ramakrishna Math & Mission and inaugurated the same day by the then President of India, Shri V. V. Giri. Financial assistance from the Central Government and from every state and from individuals across the country set up this remarkable Memorial.
• The Memorial consists of two Mandapams, facing each other : the Vivekananda Mandapam and the Sripada Mandapam. The former has a Meditation Hall and an Assembly Hall dominated by an imposing statue of Swami Vivekananda. The latter houses the sanctum sanctorum built over the “Sripadam”, the footprint of Kanyakumari, to protect it from weathering. The entire structure is enclosed by the delicate tracery of the Pradakshina Patha (circular path).
• The Memorial is not merely a building of stone and mortar, but a throbbing living tribute which continues to provide a dynamic thrust to the Vivekananda Kendra. This organisation has translated Swamiji’s message of “Service to Humanity is true worship of God” into action. Today, a Lay order of dedicated and trained life workers, both men and women have been deployed all over the country. They specially serve the poor in the economically backward areas, spreading education, rural development, utilisation of natural resources, health awareness and propagating yoga as a way of life.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 16, 1996

Issued for : The Department of Post is privileged to release a special commemorative stamp on this occasion.

Credits :
Stamp, FDC, Cancellation design and Brochure :
Courtesy : Ministry of Defence

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 200 Paise

Overall size : 4.80 x 3.60 cms.

Printing size : 4.35 x 3.15 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported un w/m Adhesive Gravure Coated Stamp Paper in Sheets 50.8 x 53.5 cms.

Stamps Printed : 0.7 Million

Number per issue sheet : 20

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

About : 

• The Indian Armed Forces, have a long tradition of valour and courage, in the face of overwhelming odds. No where was this better demonstrated than in the heroic endeavours made by the Indian Armed Forces in the liberation of Bangladesh, in 1971.
• From the moment the operations were planned it was apparent that speed was going to be the key factor in the Operation for both political and military reasons; yet it was also clear that achieving speed and mobility was going to be the most difficult. The plan succeeded due to close cooperation among the three services and the highest standards of political and military leadership, skill and boldness in execution and consummate logistical management. While the Indian Army advanced in cooperation with freedom fighters of Bangladesh and converged on to Dhaka, the IAF within 48 hrs., completely pulverised the airfields achieving complete air superiority after the Naval fleet moved to blockade the Bay of Bengal. Air Force dropping of Army personnel at Tangail and Navy guarding the Bay of Bengal was a classic example of cooperation of the Army, Navy and Air Force. The basic aim in the Western Sector was to maintain a position of offensive defence and hence did not result in a major offensive.
• Operations in 1971 saw some of the greatest heroic deeds by our officers and men. As many as four Param Vir Chakras were awarded during the operations which stands testimony to the bravery of the Indian Armed Forces. On the occasion of Vijay Divas, we salute our brethren who have laid down lives in the service of the nation.
• Today as we celebrate the 25^th Anniversary, we salute our officers and men who maintain eternal vigil along the vast international borders encompassing some of the most inhospitable terrains in the world to preserve the integrity of our country.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 9, 1996

Courtesy : Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
FDC : Shri Sankha Samantha
Cancellation : Smt. Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Colour : Two Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 x 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.55 x 2.54 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported un w/m Adhesive Gravure Coated Stamp Paper in Sheets 53.5 x 50.8 cms.

Number of stamps Printed : One Million

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press

Name : Abay (Ibrahim) Qunanbayuli

Born on Aug 10, 1845 at Karauyl, Abay District, East Kazakhstan Province, Kazakhstan

Died on Jul 6, 1904 at Karauyl, Abay District, East Kazakhstan Province, Kazakhstan

About : 

• Abai Konunbaev, the great Kazakh poet, thinker and humanist was born in 1845 in the Semipalatinsk oblast of Kazakhstan. Although his real name was Ibrahim, his mother called him “Abai” (which means thoughtful).
• Abai had his early education at home by a Mullah and then in a Madrasah. Influenced by stories, folk tales and historical songs narrated to him during his childhood, Abai started composing poems at the age of twelve. However his schooling was curtailed by his father Konunbaev who wanted him to look after administration and to take over as the future leader of his clan.
• Much of Abai‘s earlier works have not survived because much of it was not written but recited. His search for knowledge and his yearning for beauty and a better life for his people drew him close to the mysteries of oriental and classical Russian literature. Having an excellent knowledge and understanding of Kazakh folk music Abai composed several melodies for his own poems.
• Abai‘s writings were directed against backwardness, corruption and prejudices which not only made him popular but earned him a few enemies also. An outspoken and undaunted fighter against the evils of administration, clan elders and all other authorities, Abai earned the reputation of a sage to whom people could turn for counsel.
• Abai‘s legacy of literature in Kazakh is contained in two thick volumes which includes his verses, poems, talks with his colleagues (exhortations) and numerous translations. Abai was influenced by Tajik, Azerbaijan and Uzbek classical poetry. He also drew from Western cultures which enriched his inner world with new ideals besides enlarging his range of expression. Abai also translated the works of noted authors including Pushkin, Lermentov and Krolov. Some of his famous poems are “Summer“, “Winter“, “Old age is here – sad thoughts“, “O!, My Luckless Kazakhs“, “My unfortunate kins“ etc.
• Abai died in 1904. The year 1995 was being celebrated as the 150^th year of his birth anniversary by Kazakhstan and UNESCO. Abai is the greatest luminary of Kazakh literature and poetry who strove to pave the way for a more enlightened life for his countrymen, and hence, has the status of a father figure among the Kazakhs.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 8, 1996

Issued for : The Department of Post is privileged to release a commemorative postal stamp to mark this occasion.

Credits :
Stamp Design : Vikram Mehra, Lalit Kala Academy
FDC : SAARC Secretariate
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 1100 Paise

Overall size : 3.50 x 3.50 Cms.

Printing size : 3.15 x 3.15 Cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported un w/m Adhesive Gravure Coated Stamp Paper in Sheets 50.8 x 53.5 cms.

Stamps Printed : 0.7 million

Number per issue sheet : 36

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

About : 

• The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) comprises of seven countries of the region namely, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. On 8^th December, 1996, SAARC completes ten years of its existence.
• The primary objectives of SAARC are to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia, to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region. In pursuit of its primary objectives, SAARC launched the Integrated Programme of Action through the mechanism of eleven Technical Committees dealing with various fields that are central to the SAARC process of cooperation – Agriculture, Communications, Education, Culture and Sports, Environment and Meteorology, Health, Population Activities and Child Welfare, Prevention of Drug Trafficking and Drug Abuse, Rural Development, Science and Technology, Tourism, Transport, and Women in Development.
• SAARC has taken major initiatives for poverty eradication in South Asia, preferably by the year 2002 through an agenda of action which include strategies for social mobilisation, policies of decentralised agricultural development and small-scale labour intensive industrialisation, and human development. Initiatives have also been taken in specific areas of common concern, notably dealing with children, women in development, disabled persons, youth and environment. The decade 1991-2000 A.D. has been designated as the “SAARC Decade of the Girl Child”, and the current year, 1996, has further been designated as the “SAARC Year of Literacy“.
• Four Regional Conventions/Agreements notably on food security, narcotics drugs control, and preferential trading arrangements have been agreed upon between the countries of South Asia under the SAARC umbrella. Initiations have been taken towards removing of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade amongst countries of South Asia. SAARC has agreed that member States should strive for the realisation of the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) preferably by the year 2000 but before 2005 A.D. The SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is recognised as a Regional Apex Body of SAARC also plays a major role in the promotion of economic and trade exchanges between South Asian Countries.
• In the last decade, SAARC has, thus, grown from its modest beginnings into a vibrant regional organisation dedicated to its primary objective – to serve the people.
• Text Source : Ministry of External Affairs.

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Issued by India

Issued on Dec 4, 1996

Issued for : The Department of Post is happy to release the stamp in celebration of the Bicentenary.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Colonel the Grenadiers Secretariat through Additional Directorate of Army Postal service

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Overall size : 4.80 x 3.60 cms.

Printing size : 4.35 x 3.15 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported un w/m Adhesive Gravure Coated Stamp Paper in Sheets 50.8 x 53.5 cms.

Number of Stamps Printed : 0.4 Million

Number per issue sheet : 20

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

About : 

• The Second Battalion, The Grenadiers, originally designated as 13^th Battalion, Bombay Native Infantry was raised on 26 January 1796 at Calicut by Captain Donald Cameron. Through its historic path of heroic valour and bravery, the flying colours of this proud and unique battalion have been studded with seven battle honours. On its very inception before being titled Grenadiers, the Battalion earned Egypt-1801, Kirkee-1817 and Koregaon-1817 as battle honours. The expeditious journeys to East Asia and its traditional bold and daring operation won it battle honours of Persia in 1857 and Abyssinia in 1868. Both the world wars saw it earning distinguished battle honours of Kut-Al-amara in 1917 and Kohima and Naga villages in 1944.
• The Battalion set another land mark of excellence in 1958-60 as part of UN Force in Gaza strip. On its return it was deployed in Ladakh in 1962 and Chhamb and Jorian in 1965. It has the unique distinction of fighting the Chinese in the major clash with the Chinese forces in 1962 at Nathula (Sikkim) where it restored the Indian Army’s image. In 1971 during Operation Cactus Lily in Barmer sector it made the Pakistan army retreat miles in Sind. This unit has received several commendations. Its continuous service over 200 years makes it one of the oldest and most distinguished infantry units in the history of valour both in the pre-Independent India and post-Independence.

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Issued by India

Issued on Nov 14, 1996

Issued for : The Department of Post is happy to issue a special postage stamp in celebration of Children’s Day.

Credits :
Stamp design : Painting selected on the basis of competition organised under the I.C.D.S. scheme, Dept. of Women & Child Development
F.D.C. : UNICEF
Cancellation : Smt. Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 800 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 x 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.55 x 2.54 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported un w/m Adhesive Gravure Coated Stamp Paper in Sheets 50.8 x 53.5 cms.

Number of Stamps Printed : 0.6 Million

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

About : 

• India’s first Prime Minister Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru said, “The building up of a nation depends on building men and women and the process of building men and women depends very considerably on what is done to its children. It is, therefore, of high importance that we pay attention to the well-being and growth of children.” It is appropriate that his birthday 14^th November is observed in India, as Children’s Day. It reminds us of our social and moral responsibility towards the needs and rights of children.
• India’s commitment to the care of children since independence is enshrined in our constitutional provision. A planned approach to child welfare began with formulation of First Five Year Plan and developed into the National Policy for Children in 1974, which lays down the guiding principles for child welfare. The programme has grown manifold since 1975 and now it has been universalised to cover all rural areas and 310 major urban slums extending integrated package of services, which include, supplementary nutrition, pre-school condition, immunization, health checkup, referral services and nutrition and health education, water and environmental sanitation to 175.9 lakhs children (0-6 years) and 36.8 lakhs pregnant and nursing mothers at Anganwadi Centres (AWC).
• Anganwadi centre serves as the first stage in the process of education and prepares children for going to schools. The stamp issued this year is based on a painting done by an anganwadi child.
• UNICEF has been actively cooperating with India in building a better environment for the child. India-UNICEF partnership in the service of children is now five decades old. Today, India is UNICEF’s largest Country Programme reflecting both the size of the child population and the needs.

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Issued by India

Issued on Nov 12, 1996

Issued for : The Department of Post is happy to issue a set of two stamps to commemorate Salim Ali’s birth centenary.

Design Credit :
Stamp, FDC and Cancellation Design : Bombay Natural History Society.

Type : Stamps, Postal Used

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 800 & 1100 Paise

Overall size : 3.50 x 7.00 cms.

Printing size : 3.15 x 6.65 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported un w/m Adhesive Gravure Coated Stamp Paper in Sheets 50.8 x 53.5 cms.

Number of Stamps Printed : 0.4 Million

Number per issue sheet : 18

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

Name : Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali

Born on Nov 12, 1896 at Mumbai, India

Died on Jun 20, 1987 at Mumbai, India

About : 

• Salim Moizuddin Abdul Ali was a versatile ornithologist, explorer, ecologist, teacher & a writer. Born on 12^th November, 1896, Salim Ali took up ornithology at a time when the subject in India was little more than an Englishman’s pastime. Salim Ali made it a serious pursuit. In 1930 he went to the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) with a proposal. Indian birds had not been studied systematically, so would the Society send him on ornithological surveys? He didn’t want a salary, only expenses. Thus for the next 20 years Salim Ali roamed the subcontinent, studying birds from Kutch to Sikkim, from Afghanistan to Kerala. His methods were so unique – he wove history, ecology and geography into his description of a bird and its habitat.
• In 1941 Salim Ali published ‘The Book of Indian Birds’. It was an instant success. During this period he formed a deep and abiding friendship with S. Dillon Ripley, a young zoologist with the US Army in Ceylon. Pooling their vast knowledge, the two men would later publish the ten-volume Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan.
• He was an active conservationist (as he was an ornithologist). His role in setting up of the Bharatpur and Karnal bird sanctuaries, the decision not to destroy Kerala‘s Silent Valley for the sake of a power project, the saving of the Keoladeo National Park are eloquent testimony to his concern for environment.
• Recognition came late to Dr. Salim Ali, but it came abundantly. The Asiatic Society‘s Gold Medal for Research in Asiatic Zoology, the Padma Bhushan 1958, and the Padma Vibhushan in 1976 from the Govt. of India, the Sunderlal Hora Memorial Prize of the Indian National Science Academy, the Honorary degree of D. Sc. From the Universities of Delhi, Andhra and Aligarh, the Union Gold Medal of the British Ornithologist Union, the Pavlovsky Centenary Memorial, Medal of the USSR Academy of Medical Science, the Order of the Golden Arc of the Netherlands, the C.V. Raman Medal of the Indian National Science Academy, the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Gold Medal, National Research Professorship in Ornithology from the Govt. of India, and the Paul Getty International Prize for Wildlife Conservation.
• The BNHS was his family and to it he left all the assets accruing from his publications. Nothing could dampen Salim Ali’s spirit, not even old age. Until his 87^th year, he conducted major expeditions, and in 1983 spent four weeks in the remote and difficult Namdapha National Park, near the Burmese border. Two years later he was set to go to the Himalayas in search of mountain quails, last seen in 1858. But he suddenly fell ill. He used the time to finish one more book, ‘The Fall of a Sparrow’, his delightful autobiography.
• Text : Bombay Natural History Society.

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Issued by India

Issued on Oct 19, 1996

Issued for : The Department of Post is happy to issue a stamp to commemorate the 150^th Anniversary of the Sikh Regiment.

Design Credit :
Stamp, FDC and Cancellation : The Sikh Regiment through Additional Directorate General of Army Postal Services.

Type : First Day Cover

Colour : Multicolour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Overall size : 4.06 x 2.28 Cms.

Printing size : 3.75 x 1.98 Cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Un w/m Adhesive Photo gravure Coated Stamp Paper in sheets 50.8 x 53.5 cms.

Number of Stamps Printed : 0.7 Million

Number per issue sheet : 50

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

About : 

• The Sikh Regiment came into being in 1846, consequent to the heroic and valiant battles fought by the famous ‘Khalsa Army’ of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. XIV FEROZPUR and XV LUDHIANA SIKHS were the first two battalions to be raised from the remnants of the vanquished Army. In 1856, with the raising of 45 RASHTRIYA SIKH, the ‘First Sikh Brigade’ was formed. In 1887, 35 and 36 Sikhs were raised and the 47 SIKHS in 1901, to form the ‘Second Sikh Brigade’. Post-independence, 15 more regular and one TA Battalion were raised.
• In the last 150 years this illustrious Regiment has had the unique privilege to serve in almost all parts of the globe. Battalions of the Regiment, most of which possess an unmatchable record of valour and sacrifice, have taken part in all the major wars and operations with which the Indian Army has been associated. The Regiment has acquitted itself with most remarkable distinction. The history of the Sikh Regiment is a chronicle of the best tradition of soldiering, selfless devotion, supreme sacrifice, emphatic triumphs and achievement of highest glory. The Regiment has won 72 battle and 38 theatre Honours. Some important ones are Tofrek – 1885, Saragarhi – 1897, La-Bassee – 1914, Hai – 1917, Burma – 1942-45, North Africa – 1940-45, Italy – 1943-45, Srinagar and Tighwal – 1948, OP Hill, Burki, Raja 1965; Poonch, Sirmani and Parbat Ali 1971.
• It is the most decorated infantry regiment of the Indian Army and is the proud recipient of a large number of awards including the Victoria Cross – 10, Param Vir Chakra – 2, Ashok Chakra – 2 and number of other prestigious medals.
• In the recent past, SIKH Battalions have proved their mettle in Siachen, Sri Lanka and during OP RAKSHAK. 2 SIKH and 6 SIKH have been awarded the COAS citation for outstanding performance in the valley.
• The contribution in the sports arena has also been per excellence, 40 sportsmen have represented India and won laurels in various disciplines at OLYMPICS, ASIAN, Commonwealth and other international games.
• The Regiment’s motto is “NISCHE KAR APNI JEET KARON” – a will to win, which is a testimony to the spirit of the Sikh Soldiers.

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Issued by India

Issued on Oct 10, 1996

Issued for : The Department of Post is happy to bring out a commemorative postage stamp on the occasion of birth centenary of Jananayak Debeswar Sarmah.

Credits :
Cancellation : Shri Sankha Samantha

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Two

Denomination : 200 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 x 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.60 x 2.55 cms.

Perforation : 13.5 x 13.5

Paper : Matt Chromo

Number of Stamps Printed : 0.4 Million

Number per issue sheet : 40

Printing Process : Photo–offset

Printer : Calcutta Security Printer Ltd., Kanpur

Name : Debeswar Sarmah

Born on Oct 10, 1896 at Jorhat, Assam, India

Died on Aug 1, 1993 at Jorhat, Assam, India

About : 

• Born on October 10, 1896 at Jorhat, Assam, Jananayak Debeswar Sarmah was a front-ranking freedom fighter. A Gandhian to the core, he was drawn to the nationalist movement while he was a student of law in the Calcutta University in 1916. He graduated in 1920, and plunged headlong into the freedom movement, working as a law student he came into contact with volunteer at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. Also, during his days as a Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and a long-standing friendship developed between the two.
• In 1921 he was imprisoned for three months for participating in the Non-cooperation Movement. Later, he served further jail terms, including one of about four years between 1940 and 1945. He was C-in-C of the volunteer corps of the Indian National Congress at Pandu in 1925. In 1927, he joined the bar at Jorhat but gave up in 1930-31 to join the Satyagraha Movement.
• Sh. Sarmah entered electoral politics in 1937 and was returned to the Assam Assembly under the 1935 Act. He was also an architect, along with the then Congress President Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, in installing the first Congress Government in Assam in 1939. In 1946, he adorned the chair of the Speaker. In 1948, he was selected as the Dominion Agent in Manipur State. In 1952, he was elected to the Lok Sabha. He was also a member of the Estimates Committee of the Lok Sabha for two successive years.
• Debeswar Sarmah’s contribution towards uplifting the downtrodden, the handicapped and development of education is immense. He established the School for the Blind in Jorhat, the Regional Research Laboratory, the Jorhat Engineering College, the Science College and the Jorhat Girls’ High School and started the Assam Prakashan Parishad.
• He is credited with establishment of a Hospital in Jorhat and setting up of the Assam Fly Club. He was also the founder of The Janambhumi Group of Publications which has three papers – the Dainik Janambhumi, the Weekly Janambhumi and the English Daily, The Eastern Clarion.
• Debeswar Sarmah breathed his last on August 1, 1993 at Jorhat.

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