Lachit Barphukan: The Immortal Saga of India's Shorya

- 400th birth anniversary of the great warrior who stopped the brutal armies of the Mughal Empire from invading the north-eastern region of India

- Have we as a nation fallen victim to Stockholm Syndrome? Are we willing to ignore great Indian heroes like Lachit Barphukan to accept invaders as our own?

- Assam, our state with the youngest population in the country is on the cusp of a massive transformation under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

- Author : Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma Chief Minister, Assam

- During the historic battle of Saraighat in 1671, Lachit Barphukan's sun was hot at midday. Despite having few resources, less military strength and no trained army, he defeated the vast Mughal army.

I remember the year 1982 very well. I was in seventh standard and I read a chapter on Mahavir Lachit Barphukan in my history course. Learning about their military bravery made a deep impression on me. I read that chapter not once, not twice but many times. My understanding of his bravery became clearer as I read. As I grew older and searched for new history books, reading about their bravery made a huge difference. Many chapters can be found glorifying the Mughal Empire, but much less importance is given to India's bravest general, Lachit Barphukan, who successfully stopped the north-eastern expansion of the brutal Mughal army. This begs the question in my mind - have we as a nation fallen victim to Stockholm Syndrome? Are we willing to neglect our own heroes to accept the invaders as our own?

A careful study of the history books of the time revealed a different pattern. References to Assam are only to be seen extending back over 200 years, giving an entire generation of students the false impression that Assam and the North-East originated only after the British took over India. It confirmed my apprehension that the intellectuals who chose to write history this way were merely an extension of an ecosystem that had long treated India's northeast, its people and its culture as distant frontier outposts.

So as a self-reliant India proudly celebrates Lachit Barphukan's 400th birth anniversary, I consider it my honorable duty to present his heroic deeds to my fellow citizens.

Lachit Barphukan was appointed as the commander of the Ahom army by Raja Chakradhwaj Singh (1663–1669), when the Mughals occupied parts of the kingdom in Assam. Raja Chakradhwaja was determined to defy the Mughals and refused to wear the robes of honor sent to him by Aurangzeb, saying that death was better than living in subjection to foreigners. In a strategic meeting with his ministers and officers in 1665, he said, 'I cannot live under a foreign power. I am a descendant of the late king, how can I pay tribute to foreigners?'

Lachit Barphukan had one goal - to repel the Mughals

At that time the dejected Ahom soldiers yearned for a leader who would command, inspire and instill confidence in them. The test of a true politician is whether he has the ability to thrive in the darkest hour. Lachit did just that. He managed to prepare his army for an impossible task, bringing the Mughals to their knees.

During the historic battle of Saraighat in 1671, his sun was burning at midday. Despite having few resources, little military strength and no trained army, Lachit Barphuk defeated a large Mughal army led by Ram Singh.

In the same battle Lachit displayed strength. Demonstrated ability to turn adversity into opportunity through judicious and creative use of available resources, not numerical strength. Despite having few resources, less manpower and absence of trained army, Lachit defeated a huge Mughal army led by Ram Singh. He did this with his foresight and tenacity, in addition to his 'do or die' resolve to keep his country free.

One of Lachit's brilliant strategic moves was to change the time and place of battle according to choice. Lachit forced the impatient and overconfident Aurangzeb to divert his army from the plains to the river. This was necessary, as Lachit was the only general in the world who built a large navy despite his landlocked state. Mughals did not have the naval fighting skills. Lachita skillfully used Dighalipukhuri in Guwahati as a port to hide warships from the swift currents of the Brahmaputra. It was here that naval boats were equipped with hilois and cannons to fight against the Mughals. In Saraighat the invaders had to pay a heavy price for this simple innovation. This is the narrowest stretch of the Brahmaputra and ideal for naval attacks.

This feat makes Lachit a national icon, a personality forever etched in memory and in Indian history. The Battle of Saraighat was not just another historic battle of the medieval period, it was a victory that saved the identity and culture of Assam and Northeast India from the Mughals. Indian history is replete with great tales of warriors and braves like Rana Pratap and Shivaji, who fought valiantly to save the civilization from invaders since the early medieval period. The history and memory of such brave warriors inspired Indians even during the long freedom struggle against the British colonial rule.

Historical accounts state that at a critical juncture during the Battle of Saraighat, Lachit Barphukan fell very ill and was advised not to go to the battlefield, but Lachit understood that his absence would demoralize the army. He was then quoted as saying, 'When my countrymen are suffering from invasion, when my army is fighting and sacrificing its life, how can I rest my body because of illness? How can I think of going to my wife and children when my whole country is in trouble?' This was Lachit Barhukan, whose love for his motherland kept even death at bay temporarily.

Courage to win the most challenging battles stems from unconditional love for Mother India, which is the biggest inspiration for me from Lachit's life. When one embraces the philosophy of 'Nation first, family and everything else including self', the realization awakens indomitable courage. This courage can overcome any kind of threats.

Assam today stands at an important crossroads. Our state with the youngest population in the country is on the cusp of a massive transformation under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He has to fight many battles like Saraighat. Our battles against fundamentalism, Islamic terrorism, drug prohibition, demographic change and illegal immigration are decisively won. We will need a lot of hard work to achieve victory and I am confident that it will come out of our very talented youngsters. Our efforts to celebrate the life of one of India's greatest generals as a mass movement will help inculcate the spirit of nationalism and courage in our future generation and build a new India.