User talk:Deepshikha Bhowmick/sandbox

Utpal Bhowmick was the most influential leader Congress at Howrah has ever produced. Late Utpal Bhowmick was assassinated on the 20th of August 1993 leaving behind a great legacy of creating a huge base for Congress workers at the grassroot level. Born to the House of the Manager of Tea Estate in the year 1949 at Darjeeling, on 4th of November, coming from Bangladesh, he had a tough childhood. A brilliant Student and a revolutionary, he was associated with the Congress Party since his early youth.

A fierce Student Union representative, opened Congress Units in multiple colleges like Narasinha Dutt College, Shibpur Dinobundhoo Institution(College) - Howrah, the young man in the 1970s, quickly rose in the ranks of the local Congress group, and became the General Secretary of Pradesh Congress (I), he completed his BSC and his LLB and used his Law Degree to help hundreds of commoners who needed legal aid.

He was soon being identified as a leader for the masses and had garnered a huge base of followers in the district of Howrah. Started Several Trade unions with INTUC and n the state assembly elections he contested against  Kanailal Bhattacharya of Forward Bloc 1982. On his journey, he met Mr Somendranath Mitra and they together started building the organisation from the bottom, created a Youth Forum in Howrah, and conducted Youth Festival which created ripples among the Youth in Howrah. Late Utpal Bhowmick was elected as the Howrah Youth Congress President in the year 1980, when he worked in close association with the President Youth Congress – Shri Somen Mitra ( Reprted by Jugantar, 22nd April 1980)

29th July 1983, Amta Rail line about 5 thousand people walked the for 65 kilometres on the eve of 9th of August 1983 under the leadership of Late Utpal Bhowmick to reach the Ranji Stadium Rail Authorities Meeting Hall attended by INTUC, Youth congress, Charta Parishad and the then leadership of Congress, Shri Biren Mohanty, Sri Mrityunjay Bandopadhyay, Shri Amiyo Dutta, Shri Ardhendu Hajra who all joined in to support the initiative by Late Utpal Bhowmick.

In the year 1985, 13th March Late Utpal Bhowmick organised the Youth Festival in Howrah, the 15 days long programme was Chaired by Shri Somen Mitra inaugurated by the then Member of Parliament Shri Priyaranjan Dasmunsi. . The event organised in Dalmia Park, Howrah, marked the International Youth Year went into the pages of History of Howrah with participation of 10,000 youngsters and involvement of various Governmental (10) and Non Governmental agencies, with participation of multi political parties, totalling to 65 stalls and Pavilions by Central Government Science & Technology Centre,  Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP),Railway, State of Tripura, NCC, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Tantuj,. Football Tournament was hosted in Uluberia, Domjur hosted various Sports Events, The Botanical gardens hosted Sahitya Sabha, Debate Competition was hosted at Shibpur, the star studded Programme was graced by actors like Amitabh Bacchan, Baijanti Mala, Songers like Anup Jalota and leaders of Bengal like Saugata Roy, Sudip Bandopadhyay, Pradeep Bhattacharya, Anurbalal Majumdar, Amiya Dutta, Amar Bhattacharya etc

Among the various other political activities, Utpal Bhowmick exposed the corruption of Howrah Inprovement trust (reported by Bartaman, 31st August 1985). Utpal Bhowmick also led the Non –coperation agitation and demonstration outside DM Bunglow exposing Padmapukur Water Treatment Scam whenerby 100 Youth Congress protesters voluntarily let themselves get arrested in order to fill the jails of the authority( reported by Bartaman 9th May 1985). He led the Bus Employees Union movement towards safety and security of Bus workers (Reported ABP - 11th October 1984). He protested against Illegal sky scrapers and Residential Constructions without proper planning and permission of the municipality (Reported by ABP 14th October 1985). Utpal Bhowmick led the protest on continuous crisis of drinkable Water and organised demonstrations outside Mayor office and a few 100 volunteers protested and accepted jail time for participating in the non co-operation (Reported by Aajkal 21st & 22nd May1987) He was born to save a generation from the panic and terror of the then Government in Bengal CPM/CPIM, he was born to uphold an ideology, in the era when Bengal was going through a blood bath of violent face off between Naxals & Marxists who have perpetuated and even institutionalized the violence, when all rightist wing leaders were scared to take on the roads, to give a shape to the youth of Bengal, sell them the dream of a better tomorrow, bring forth the ideology non-violence of congress came up the young turk generation of leaders, One of them was Utpal Bhowmick, with contemporaries like Somen Mitra, Subrara Mukherjee, Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Sankar Malakar among others who came out of the traditional congress ideology and came forth with a new dream, most of them arrived from Chatra Rajeeti (Student politics), defying the radicle left, when the learned, enlightened youth of Bengal was being channelized, brilliant students of Presidency College hooted slogals of Naxaliets, Utpal Bhowmick voiced his opinion of anti naxal, bringing direction to the rather derailed radical sections of the student movement in Calcutta and save the Students who left schools and colleges to join the Naxalite "annihilation line", a dictum to assassinate individual "class enemies" and to save the generation of tomorrow from getting mislead into the darkness. at times going to the point of no return towards the cause of saving the youth of Bengal, however the support of the masses brought him back from the near death, the hundreds of followers from Dinobondhu/ Narasingha Dutta Colleges were a witness to that era after the Sai Bari Hatyakand, Sainbari incident.

Utpal Bhowmick wasn’t a leader of Congress alone, he was a leader of the masses, he was the proponent of bringing in a new thought, a thought of being a radicle, a responsible leader – that when the worriors with him went to war, their families are in safe hands. He led the masses not by orders and instructions but by solving their concerns and saving their families. He brought in the bonhomie between the eliets – the educated class, The Cultural class, and the Criminals who were ignored and pushed against the wall. All were equal to him.

He fought with the leadership to bring jobs to thousands of people, to bring food to their family, irrespective of which political ideology they belonged to, which caste, creed, religion the masses were, he would fight for everyone that made him a mass leader rather than a party leader. He brought in the new era congress – a gift to the youth, refined by the fire of student movement, he emerged as a Youth Leader.

In his vision to build a new Bengal, he faced a lot of obstucles, intra – party frictions whom he termed as ‘inner struggle’ an internal Renaissance to build a modern day ideology in Congress after Prafulla Chandra Sen, Atulya Ghosh, Bijoynand Chattopadhyay, Bijoy Bhattacharya  and formed team Utpal Bhowmick – Under his able guidance, Howrah saw a rise of new faces, leaders were born – good speaker- food writer – good think tank – good organisers – not a specific to a block or a word but through out the District of Howrah, he found a host of leaders to raise the cause of Howrah! His followers soon swept across Bengal, Manas Sen was one of such young leaders inspired by Utpal. His personality had the perfect balance of a socialite and a politician one of his inspirations were Netaji Subhas, Netaji’s firmness, his conviction influenced Utpal to a great extent, Netaji was the the first Promoter of Sarbojanin Durgapuja. Utpal started Durga puja at his home, encompassing youth at all level, through festivities, cultural programme, Balak Bhojan, distribution of clothes to the downtrodden and less fortunate ones. Be it a Flood relief work for Aamta, or restitution of those uprooted in Udaynarayanpur,  be it ‘Concern for Howrah’ he worked towards building a collective consciousness through environmental movements, helping thousands with his practice of the law,  – bringing justice to the helpless as a lawyer – poor destitutes, innocent people trapped with the State Mercenaries, brazen with false litigations. He worked towards his dream of building a cultural consciousness in the State, biggest example is the Youth festival. Personally he was a creator, a writer, an orator, a poet, had immense romanticism and cultural programmes organised by him.

To encourage the youth, he had organised multiple Football tournament, there are multiple clubs with pictures of Utpal Bhowmick hung on their walls even today. He performed the “kanyadaan” of multiple daughters whose families can’t afford a wedding to support the girl and her family by bearing the expenses of the wedding and demolish dowry and suicide due to lack of funds for marriage. Along with his brothers, Parimal Bhowmick and Kuntol Bhowmick, he established Eye hospital. Made medical facility arrangements for patients. He was particularly concerned for the labour classes and headed a multiple Labour Unions, Shibpur Floor Mill, Ganges Rope, Gaskin Williiams, Bengal Jute Mill, Hhowrah Jute Mill, Reform Floor Mill, Shibpur Bus Union.

Every Year on 20th of August a Committee dedicated towards commemorating the great service towards the Nation, organises a Tribute to pay homage to the Late Utpal Bhowmick and Late Deb Kumar Ghosh garlanding their Marble Statues at the Shibpur Burning Ghat. Utpal Bhowmick Smriti Granthagar, a library dedicated to the public works with the cause of Education and eradication of poverty (President of the Organisation – Mrs Monika Bhowmick, Widow of Late Utpal Bhowmick) On the 25th year of his demise, the Bhowmick family organised the Amar Jyoti Yatra to commemorate the contribution of Late Utpal Bhowmick towards the society that saw participation of Social Activists, Political Leaders and school children. The Yatra began from his residence in Sarat Chatterjee Road where several gathered to pay homage to the tallest Leader in Howrah ever. The Yatra ended at Shibpur Burning Ghat, garlanding the Marble Bustiers of the Martyrs.

The family of his long time colleague and friend Deb Kumar Ghosh donated an Ambulance to cater to the general people of Bengal and handed over the ambulance to an NGO Tyagi Foundation, which is is a non-sectarian, non-political and non-profit organization which is firmly rooted in the core belief of positive changes. The foundation intends to load the ambulance with modern medical facilities of medical tests on the go and use the Ambulance at the remote villeges where access to medical facilities is a rarity.

Even after 25 years of his demise, his memories are cherished and eulogised in each of these Commemorating events, where thousands of followes turn up to pay their respect to one of the tallest leader Howrah has ever witnessed.

Contributor: Deepshikha Bhowmick (talk) 22:21, 2 September 2018 (UTC)