Silchar: A small but significant meeting was held at a city hotel on Friday under the initiative of the Silchar Netaji Murti Nabanirman O Sthapana Committee, as part of the preparations for the grand unveiling of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue on August 31.

The meeting was attended by committee convener and Silchar MLA Dipayan Chakraborty, poet and veteran journalist Atin Das, Samayik Prasanga editor Taimur Raja Choudhury, advisor Nihar Ranjan Paul, and other dignitaries.

Addressing the gathering, MLA Chakraborty recalled that the committee was formed and named in January 2023. “Since then, we have organised several activities including speech, art, quiz and essay competitions across different locations. A total of 1,760 participants took part in art competitions, while the quiz and essay competitions drew nearly 55,000 entries. These overwhelming numbers have truly inspired us,” he said.

Chakraborty expressed gratitude to renowned sculptor Dr. Arun Yogiraj for his contribution and praised committee co-convener Uttam Kumar Saha, treasurer Rudra Narayan Gupta, and members Debojyoti Swami, Satananda Bhattacharjee, Sanjay Roy, Santanu Roy, Hirak Choudhury, Arijit Goswami, Rumlee Bhattacharjee, Mulchand Baid, Debashish Shome and others for their tireless efforts. Editors and reporters were also felicitated on the occasion.

Giving details of the project, the MLA informed that the site for the statue has already been demarcated and round-the-clock efforts are underway to ensure successful re-installation. “Even if a flyover comes up in the future, it will not affect the statue. The total height will be around 24.5 feet (comprising a 2.5 feet base, 9 feet pedestal, 10 feet statue, and a canopy of about 2.5 to 3 feet),” he explained.

He further announced that the statue will be inaugurated by Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on August 31. On the same occasion, the CM will also inaugurate the statue of Mangal Pandey and a souvenir will be released. Leaflets will be distributed across the city to create awareness about the event.

Speaking at the meeting, veteran journalist Atin Das expressed delight that the competitions helped the younger generation learn more about Netaji. “Netaji is an eternal source of inspiration. I am happy to see young people taking an interest in his life and legacy. The MLA deserves praise for this noble initiative,” he said.

Editor Taimur Raja Choudhury lauded Dipayan Chakraborty’s organisational skills, calling him “an out-of-the-box performer,” and condemned those criticising the initiative on social media. The meeting was anchored by committee co-convener Uttam Kumar Saha.

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