Puspa Lata Das Biography

Puspa Lata Das, the distinguished social worker, freedom struggler and an ex-parliamentarian was born on March 27, 1915 at North Lakhimpur, Assam . She was born to late Rameswar Saikia and Smt. Swaranalata Saikia. Puspa Lata did her schooling from Panbazar Girls High School, Guwahati from where she was expelled in February 1930 for being the Secretary of an organization called Mukti Sangha at the age of 14. She and her mates raised their voices against the capital punishment to Bhagat Singh.

Puspa Lata did her Matriculation in 1934 as private candidate and thereafter did her Intermediate from Benaras Hindu University. She graduated from Andhra University in Political Science and later completed Masters (1938). Then she pursued Law at Earle Law College but had to part with that as she was imprisoned for being associated with ‘Individual Satyagraha’. Having a strong conviction in the woman power and daring from childhood, Puspa Lata promoted Gandhiji’s concept of Khadi and formed Charkha Sangha.

Puspa Lata was an active member of National Planning Committee (1940 to 1942). She married Shri Omeo Kumar Das, a social worker in 1942. After that she moved to Tezpur where she organized a team along with Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla called Shanti Bahini and Mrityu Bahini to unfurl the National Flag at the Gohpur police station compound. But suddenly Kanaklata had to take over this mission and was killed by the British.

Puspa Lata firmly resisted Jawaharlal Nehru’s plan of pulling Assam into the grouping system. She declined to accept the Tamrapatra accorded to her for her contribution to India’s freedom struggle.

Post-Independence Career:

• Elected as a Rajya Sabha member, 1951
• Member of the All India Congress Working Committee, 1959
• Member of Assam Legislative Assembly
• Chairperson of All India Khadi Board, Assam

She passed away on 9th November, 2003, at the age of 88 years.