Pandit
Sonaram Chutia started his career as a teacher. In his lifetime, Sonaram Chutia
served as a teacher in different schools.
In
1939, he joined Sibsagar Government Higher Secondary School as a science
teacher. Later he joined Balama High school. It was at this time when Sonaram
Chutia joined Jatiya Mahasabha (Indian National Congress) and participated in the
Indian Freedom movement. He played an active role in the Quit India movement. For
this he was arrested by the British and was sent to Jorhat Central Jail in 1942.
The late Pandit use to say that during that
time the Jorhat Central Jail was turning into an educational institution. It was
because during that time, the jail was full of patriots, freedom fighters and
well educated people. In the jail, Sonaram Chutia met many well noted people
like Gopinath Bordoloi, Fakaruddin Ali Ahmed, Padmadhar Chaliha, Debeswar
Sarma, Amiya Kumar Das, Vijai Chandra Bhagavati, Dr. Harekrishna Das, Pitambar
Dev Goswami and many more. The time that Sonaram Chetia spent in the jail had a
great impact in his life. In fact, one could say that his stay in the jail came
as a blessing from the Gracious Almighty. He was influenced and inspired to a
great extent by the great minds, especially Pitambar Dev Goswami, who draws the
mind of young Sonaram Chutia into spirituality and Vaisnavism. Pitambar Dev Goswami was the Satradhikar of
Garmur Satra. He gave Sonaram Chutia the holy scriptures that he had with him
in the jail and asked Mr. Chutia to read those books. He asked Mr. Chutia to
pay special attention to the Upanishadas. Thus, this was the beginning of the
spiritual life of the late Pandit.
After
spending 2 years 18 days in the jail, Mr. Chutia was released on 22nd
December, 1944. However, he was put on house arrest for another 6 month. By
this time, Mr. Chutia started reading various books. He was highly influenced
by the Sankari culture and the Mahapurusia dharma, which is also known as Eka
Sarana Hari Naam dharma, or simply Vaisnavism. Among all the books the Holy
Srimad Bhagavata puran and the Holy Srimad Bhagavata Gita were his favourites.
With the support, encouragement and blessings of Pitambar Dev Goswami, in the
year of 1946, Mr. Chutia became a member of Srimanta Sankardeva Sangha,
devoting himself to working for the organization for the rest of his life.
After
being released from the jail, Mr. Chutia joined R.G Agarwala Higher Secondary
school in Moran as a teacher. Later he served as the Rural Development officer
in Golaghat. In 1968, Mr. Chutia cracked
the SCS examination and joined the Jaisagar Panchayati Raj Administration centre
as the President and retired in the year of 1970. However, even after
retirement Mr. Chutia could not give up his love for teaching. Thus, once again
he joined Teok Rajabari Higher Secondary school as a teacher. And finally, in
30th May 1975, Mr. Chutia retired as the Headmaster of Teok Rajabari
Higher Secondary school.
A Gadhian
in life, Sonaram Chutia was a class X student when he saw Mahatma Gandhi for
the first time, and met him personally later in Maharastra. Mr. Chutia waged a
lifelong struggle against the social evil like cast system. In his lifetime he
wrote many books. Some of these books are- Ishwaror Sarbopita, Naamdharma
Prakash, Mahapurush Sri Sri Haridebor Soritra, Mahapurushiya Dharma aru
Kormokanda, Ved aru Mahapurushiya Dharma etc. He made a great contribution to Assamse
literature. He remained the “Padadhikar” of Srimanta Sankardeva Sangha for 9
times and was the Chief-advisor of Srimanta Sankardeva Sangha during the last
moment of his life. Late Vaisnava Pandit Sonaram Chutia was honoured as the
freedom fighter by the Union Government of India in 1972 and the government of
Assam in 1973. He also received the Srimanta Sankaradeva-Madhabdeva Award in
1994, and in the year of 2000 he was awarded with the prestigious Srimanta
Sankaradeva award, instituted by the government of Assam to honour persons of
eminence in the field of journalism, art, culture and literature.
Late
Vaishnava Pandit Sonaram Chutia was a guiding star for lakhs of people. In
fact, it is truly said by the the former president of Assam Sahitya Sabha and
renowned Assamese literature Nagan Saikia –
“Vaishnava
scholar Sonaram Chutia was like the guardian of the society in all aspects like
social, spiritual and moral. In the time when the degeneration of the social,
spiritual and moral values in the society was prevalent, late Sonaram Chutia
stood as the lighthouse to guide the multitudes. His demise left the Assamese
society without a guardian.”
...krishna...
