[Assam] The spirit of giving -Meenakshi Gautam (Melange , The Sentinel, 06.06.2010).

[Buljit Buragohain]

The
 spirit of giving
                  
                  
                    Meenakshi
 Gautam


                  
                                                                        
                      When you 
first meet him and his wife they come across as an ordinary couple who 
are enjoying a blissful retired life. But as they say, one maybe retired
 but not tried. It is difficult to realise in the first meeting that Dr 
Karuna Sagar Das has been in England for the last 32 years. Not one word
 of English drops from his lips, neither do you find an affected 
Assamese tone. Perhaps the bonds of the heart run deep and no matter how
 far you move away, your roots still have their hold over you. This is 
the case of Dr Karuna Sagar Das – a Non Resident Assamese who is more of
 an Assamese at heart than most of us who have stayed our entire lives 
here in the State.
        Be it for an individual or an institution or for the cause of 
exchange of knowledge and information between the nations of Britian and
 India, especially Assam, Dr Karuna Sagar Das is very, very liberal with
 his purse strings. In fact, he is saddened by the fact that many have 
material prosperity far beyond their needs and yet when it comes to 
contributing for a noble cause, or for the development of their own 
native land, people step back. The affluence, material prosperity and 
comfort and facilities of the western world have not distanced Dr Karuna
 Sagar Das from his native land. Rather the appalling socio economic, 
political condition saddens him. 
The terrible state of infrastructure, the dirt and poverty, the 
ever-widening gap between the rich and poor makes Dr Karuna Sagar Das 
raise important, pivotal questions as to why we cannot improve our state
 of affairs. From having organized numerous Bihu celebrations in England
 to publishing an Anglo-Assamese journal, to setting up a high school, 
to dreams of setting up a community hall in the name of Srimanta 
Shankardev, Dr. Karuna Sagar Das has many dreams and the will power to 
see each of them being fulfilled. Along with his loving and supportive 
wife and two daughters, Dr Karuna Sagar Das is a true expatriate who 
wants and does all that he can for his country. And in this journey, his
 guiding light and his rock of Gibraltar is the Geeta. So armed with the
 wisdom and philosophy of Geeta, this man has indeed made working for 
the needy and the development of his land his mission of life.

Name matters

If Shakespeare said a rose by any other name would smell just as 
sweet, we beg to differ. For it seems that even the name Shakespeare was
 just meant for him and would not suit any other. People say actions 
speak louder than words. And Dr. Karuna Sagar Das’s action does speak 
louder than his words; maybe that is why our very own Bhupen Hazarika 
deemed it fit to address him as “sagar”; as if a title has been bestowed
 on him because of the milk of human kindness that flows from him. The 
name is apt him for him because many generous acts can be traced back to
 this philanthropist.
Generosity is not charity, rather it is more of a second nature. So 
from building a high school to helping individuals in his own capacity; 
from trying to build a cultural bridge between Assam and England to 
literature, all at his personal expense, you name it and, without any 
show of pride or arrogance, Karuna Sagar Das has done it. That’s why we 
say that in the end, name does matter.
Dr Karuna Sagar Das is a doctor by profession and a true 
philanthropist who perhaps possesses a genuine desire to treat the pain 
and misery of mankind, especially the people Assam. For Dr Das, 
generosity is not just a matter of donating money but a matter of 
principle and a way of living your life. He speaks in a matter of fact 
manner about the many acts of kindness that he has given shape to. 
He is an example for other people that without sacrificing all your 
personal comfort, security and your life-style one can still help others
 those who want your support. An instance in point is the help he 
extended to the family of late Jyotish Saema who was murdered. Though 
Dr. Das had no association with the family, he extended enough support 
to them for many years till the time they were capable of standing on 
their own feet. Speaking of random acts of kindness, there cannot be a 
better one than the one just mentioned. B his journey did not stop here 
and the milk followed, quenching the thirst of other needy people. 
Dr. Das belonged to a family which was not very well off financially.
 But from his tender years itself, he was a very bright student in the 
academic spheres. He remembers going to school on foot and facing quite a
 few hardships during the rainy season. Having read about people who had
 gone abroad, he harboured a great desire of moving out of the country 
from a very early age. So once he was armed with a medical degree 
nothing could stop him from following his childhood dream. Today he 
recollects with a great deal of mirth, the initial fears, insecurities 
and anxieties of going to an alien land, people and culture far away 
from home. But today, 32 years later, he is comfortably settled in 
England with his very sweet, warn and lovely wife and two daughters. But
 Assam has never been far from his mind and sight. This is the reason 
that keeps drawing him to his native peace time and again. When he saw 
the school of childhood years in need of infrastructure and construction
 not happening due to the paucity of funds, he stepped in and built a 
beautiful high school in the memory of his late parents.

The taste of Assam

A man left for the distant shores of England 32 years ago. But as the
 saying goes, you can take the man out of the bush but you cannot take 
the bush out of him. So also is it with Dr. Karuna Sagar Das. The 
flavours of England could not erase the smell of his good old earth 
(Assam) from his heart. So Dr Das took Assam to England and not only 
gave a taste of Assam to Non-Resident Assamese but also to the 
Britishers and other Indian settled there.
In 1999, he took Dr Bhupen Hazarika and gave the people there a taste
 of Bhupen Hazarika’s immortal music. He has taken a number of reputed 
artistes from the State to perform in front of audiences in the UK. 
Mention can be made of artistes like Anirban Das, Indira PP Bora, Maneka
 PP Bora, Brajen Bora, Late Rimjhim Bora, Rituporna Sarma, Lakyahira 
Das, Sudakshina Bora, Lt Dilip Bora, Sameer Hazarika, etc. These 
artistes performed and enthralled audiences with their performances. But
 it is even more interesting to note that besides taking these cultural 
ambassadors all the way, he had also single-handedly sponsored the 
entire events. This is not just a generosity of purse strings but the 
act of a true liberal and kind spirit. Dr Karuna Sagar Das was not 
merely celebrating Bihu, but was proving to be a torch bearer of 
Assamese culture and traditions. He says that he wanted the world to 
witnesses the rich varied and strong indigenous cultures of his beloved 
Assam. 


Behind every successful man there is a woman 
The same holds true for Karuna Sagar Das as well. For his acts of 
philanthropy would not have had been possible without the unstinting 
love and support of three special women in his life – his beloved wife 
Arundhati Das and two lovely daughters – Dr Papori Das and Pranami Das. 


Luit to Thames

From touching and transforming individual lives to culture and 
education, you can find Dr Karuna Sagar Das’s hand everywhere. So can 
literature remain untouched? Thus, with the enthusiastic support of Dr 
Jogen Kalita, Dr Karuna Das took the herculean task of bringing out an 
yearly journal which was appropriately titled “Luit to Thames” with the 
idea of building a socio-cultural bridge between the mighty Thames and 
our very own mighty Brahmaputra. The yearly journal has entered into its
 11th year of publication and needless to say, the entire cost of this 
literary venture is also borne by our beloved doctor. This literary 
journal was basically conceived to be a medium for the exchange of the 
best of ideas, culture, information and knowledge between the two very 
distant lands and different civilizations. 


Spirit of giving

A lot of Assamese people are doing very well – both in India and 
abroad – but what is found lacking in them is the spirit of giving and 
deep love for their native land, says Dr. Das. What he finds lacking is 
the spirit of giving in spite of the material prosperity God has 
bestowed them with. One thing that he repeatedly emphasises is the 
appalling condition of roads, infrastructure, the dirt, squall or 
poverty, the lack of basic facilities, government apathy, rampant 
corruption and the great difference between the common man and the 
privileged. 
Perhaps these are the differences that keep drawing him back, time 
and again, to his State, so that he can try and do something to better 
its condition. Perhaps it is his second nature or his spirit of 
generosity that helped him make a place for himself in the heart of the 
Britishers.

A Naamghar in London

In Dr Das, you truly find the spirit of conservation, preservation 
and contribution – found lacking in the people of Assam. He has big 
dreams; dreams, which once realised would be of immense benefit to 
Assamese people spread across the world. “I want to build a community 
hall in London in the memory of the great Vaishnavite saint Srimanta 
Shankardev and perhaps, also incorporate a Namghar into it as well. I 
believe that such a community hall will greatly benefit Assamese 
travellers, students and artistes who can stay there at reasonable rates
 and find a home away from home. Moreover, it will be a meeting point 
for Assamese people staying abroad and we will be able to celebrate our 
festivals, cultural and spiritual occasions together in a true spirit of
 brotherhood. But such a magnums opus cannot be possible with the love, 
support and financial contribution from my fellow Assamese people 
residing abroad. 

(Melange ,The Sentinel,06.06.2010)