2409:4065:38E:DC68:41D8:46:916E:726D: /* Early life */

2021-05-05T06:49:04Z

Early life

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{{short description|Indian social worker, writer and politician}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Omeo Kumar Das
| image = Omeo Kumar Das 1998 stamp of India.jpg
| image_size = 240px
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1895|05|05}}
| birth_place = [[Nagaon]], [[Assam]], India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1975|01|23|1895|05|21}}
| death_place = [[Guwahati]], Assam, India
| othername = Lok Nayak
| occupation = [[Indian independence activist]]<br/>Social reformer<br/>Translator<br/>Educationist
| known for = Social reforms
| spouse = [[Pushpalata Das]]
| awards = [[Padma Bhushan]]
}}
'''Omeo Kumar Das''' (05 May 1895 – 23 January 1975), popularly addressed as '''Lok Nayak''', was an Indian social worker, [[Gandhian]], educationist, writer and a former minister at the [[Government of Assam]]. He held various ministerial portfolios such as Education, Labour and Food and Civil Supplies, during various periods, in the state of [[Assam]].<ref name="Lokanayak Omeo Okumar Das on Free India">{{cite web |url=http://www.freeindia.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=524 |title=Lokanayak Omeo Okumar Das on Free India |publisher=Free India |date=5 February 2003 |access-date=9 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421190350/http://freeindia.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=524 |archive-date=21 April 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He translated ''[[The Story of My Experiments with Truth]]'', the autobiography of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], into [[Assamese language]] and contributed to the implementation of ''Tea Plantation Worker’s Provident Fund'' in the state. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the [[Padma Bhushan]], in 1963, for his contributions to society.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2016 |access-date=3 January 2016}}</ref> [[India Post]] honoured Das by issuing a commemorative stamp on him on 15 May 1998.<ref name="Commemorative stamps">{{cite web |url=http://indiapost.gov.in/Pdf/Indian_Postage_Stamp_Catalogue_1947-2011.pdf |title=Commemorative stamps |publisher=India Post |date=2016 |access-date=8 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117224026/http://indiapost.gov.in/Pdf/Indian_Postage_Stamp_Catalogue_1947-2011.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2013 }}</ref>

==Early life==
Das was born on 05 May 1895 at [[Nagaon district]] in the Northeast Indian state of [[Assam]] and his schooling was at Tezpur High School, [[Tezpur]]. He did his higher education at [[Cotton College, Guwahati]] and [[City College, Calcutta]] during which time he was reported to have been attracted to the activities of [[Indian independence activists]] such as [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]] and [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]] and started getting involved in student politics.

==Political life==
He was one of the leaders of the [[Civil disobedience movement]] of 1930 in Assam and was jailed many times during the freedom struggle.<ref name="Lokanayak Omeo Okumar Das on Free India" /> He successfully contested the Assam legislative Assembly and the Constituent Assembly elections of 1937 and 1945 respectively and, after the [[Partition of India|Indian independence]], he represented [[Dhekiajuli]] Assembly constituency for three consecutive terms, 1951, 57 and 62.<ref name="Dhekiajuli Assembly Constituency">{{cite web |url=http://www.mapsofindia.com/assemblypolls/assam/dhekiajuli-assembly-constituency.html |title=Dhekiajuli Assembly Constituency |publisher=Maps of India |date=2014 |access-date=9 March 2016}}</ref> During these periods, he served as the minister in various portfolios. It was during his tenure as the Labour minister, the ''Worker's Provident Fund'' for the labourers of the tea plantations was instituted, an initiative reported to be among first such instances in Asia.<ref name="Lokanayak Omeo Okumar Das on Free India" /> As the minister of Education, his contributions were noted in the implementation of basic education scheme in Assam. He also served as the minister of Food and Civil Supplies for a period of time.<ref name="Lokanayak Omeo Okumar Das on Free India" />

==Literary work==
Das is credited with the publication of several books, including ''Mor Satya Aneshwanar Kahini'', an [[Assamese language]] translation of ''[[The Story of My Experiments with Truth]]'', the autobiography of [[Mahatma Gandhi]].<ref name="Books and Authors">{{cite web |url=http://www.joiaaiaxom.com/assam/about/books-and-authors-74.html |title=Books and Authors |publisher=Joiaaiaxom |date=2016 |access-date=9 March 2016}}</ref> ''Gandhijir Jiboni'', ''Mahatma Gandhik Aami Kidore Bujilu'' and ''Asomot Mahatma'' are some his other works. He was involved with the activities of several social and Gandhian organisations such as [[Harijan Sevak Sangh]], Bharatiya Adim Jati Sevak Sangha, Bharat Sevek Samaj, [[Gandhi Smarak Nidhi]], Kasturba Smarak Nidhi and Assam Seva Samiti and was a part of their social activities like campaign against [[substance abuse]] and rehabilitation of patients afflicted with leprosy and tuberculosis.<ref name="Lokanayak Omeo Okumar Das on Free India" />

==Awards and honours==
The Government of India included him in the 1993 [[Indian honours system|Republic Day honours]] list for the civilian award of the [[Padma Bhushan]].<ref name="Padma Awards" /> He died on 23 January 1975, aged 81, survived by his wife, Pushpalata Das, renowned freedom activist and parliamentarian,<ref name="Puspa Lata Das Biography">{{cite web |url=http://www.mapsofindia.com/who-is-who/history/puspa-lata-das.html |title=Puspa Lata Das Biography |publisher=Maps of India |date=2014 |access-date=9 March 2016}}</ref> and their daughter.<ref name="Freedom fighter Pushpalata Das passes away">{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Freedom-fighter-Pushpalata-Das-passes-away/articleshow/275094.cms |title=Freedom fighter Pushpalata Das passes away |publisher=Times of India |date=10 November 2003 |access-date=9 March 2016}}</ref> ''[[Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development]]'' (OKD), [[Guwahati]], an autonomous institution funded by the [[Indian Council of Social Science Research]] (ICSSR), was named after Das, on his birth centenary in 1995.<ref name="Visit to the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development ">{{cite web |url=http://www.sasnet.lu.se/sasnet/sasnet-visit-omeo-kumar-das-institute-november-2005 |title=Visit to the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development |publisher=Swedish South Asian Studies Network |date=24 November 2005 |access-date=9 March 2016}}</ref> [[India Post]] issued a commemorative postage stamp on him in 1998.<ref name="Commemorative stamps" /> A college at [[Dhekiajuli]] has been named, ''Lokonayak Omeo Kumar Das College'', in his honour.<ref name="Lokonayak Omeo Kumar Das College">{{cite web |url=http://lokdcollege.org/ |title=Lokonayak Omeo Kumar Das College |publisher=Lokonayak Omeo Kumar Das College |date=2016 |access-date=9 March 2016}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Chandraprava Saikiani]]
* [[Pushpalata Das]]
* [[Kushal Konwar]]
* [[List of people on the postage stamps of India]]
{{portal|India}}

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
* {{cite web |url=http://www.stampsathi.in/php/search/stamps-search.php?keyword=personalities&page=63 |title=Personalities on Postage Stamps |publisher=Stamp Sathi |work=Web listing |date=2016 |access-date=9 March 2016}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.karmayog.org/nonmumbaiprofiles/nonmumprodis.asp?r=149&nonnpoproid=1878&state=Assam&city=Guwahati |title=Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development |publisher=Karmayog |date=2016 |access-date=9 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720051755/http://www.karmayog.org/nonmumbaiprofiles/nonmumprodis.asp?r=149&nonnpoproid=1878&state=Assam&city=Guwahati |archive-date=20 July 2018 |url-status=dead }}

{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1960–69}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Das, Omeo Kumar}}
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in social work]]
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Nagaon district]]
[[Category:Assamese people]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Assam]]
[[Category:Indian social reformers]]
[[Category:Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Gandhians]]
[[Category:City College, Kolkata alumni]]
[[Category:Cotton College, Guwahati alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educational theorists]]
[[Category:Scholars from Assam]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian translators]]

Omeo Kumar Das - Revision history

2409:4065:38E:DC68:41D8:46:916E:726D: /* Early life */