In the nineteen sixties (1960s), there was a lack of infrastructure in the field of sports. The common man was not interested in the sports arena. Because at that time, the focus was not on the subject matter : the curriculum. There were a lot of challenges in selecting the game as a life goal. At that time, Bhogeswar Baruah, the son of Sivasagar, brought glory to India as well as Assam by winning medals through participating in several race competitions at the national and international level.
Biography of Bhogeswar Baruah
| Name | Bhogeswar Baruah[1] |
| Date of Birth | 3rd September, 1940. |
| Place of Birth | Sundarpur, Sivasagar on the banks of Joysagar Pond. |
| Parents | Bhadreswar Baruah(Father), Aikon Baruah(Mother). |
| Awards | 1/ In 1963 won Gold medal at the All India Open Athletics Meet Relay held in New Delhi. 2/ Won a gold medal in the National Athletics Championship held in Chandigarh in 1964. 3/ 1965 Gold medal at the National Athletics championship held in Bengaluru. 4/ In 1966 he got the first position and won gold in 800m race at the 5th Asian Games held in Bangkok. 5/ Won Silver medal in 400m relay of 6th Asian Games held in 1970. 6/ In 1967 he was awarded Arjuna Award the highest sporting honor. 7/ In 2015 he won the Lachit Award of Tai-Ahom Youth Council. 8/ In the year 2019 he accepted the Veer Silarai Award given by the Government of Assam. |
Early Life
Sportsperson Bhogeswar Baruah was born at Sundarpur in Joysagar in Sivasagar district. Born on September 3,1940, Bhogeswar Baruah, the person with a colorful life, spent his childhood in the historic Sivasagar. Bhogeswar Baruah, who was initially attracted to football, however, played football as well as boxing, swimming, etc. at that time.
He joined the EME department of the Indian Defence Force in 1960. His course of life gradually changed after joining this department. After joining this department he focused on running instead of football.
Also Read: Biography of Dipankar Bhattacharjee
Sportsman life
Bhogeswar Baruah first participated in the All India Open Athletics Meet Relay held in New Delhi in 1963. Positively he managed to win a gold medal in this relay. Since then Bhogeswar Baruah did not had to look back.
He participated in the 400m and 800m race at Open Athletics held in Sri Lanka in 1964. Positively he also won a gold medal in this event.
On the other hand, in 1964, Bhogeswar Baruah participated in the National Athletic Competition held in (Chandigarh) and also participated in the National Athletic Competition held in Bengaluru (Bangalore) in 1965.
Achievements
Importantly, he also won a gold medal in this 1964-1965 event. However not only he won medals but Baruah managed to set a new record in 1965. He set a national record by finishing the 800m race in 1min 49.9sec.
Later in 1966, Bhogeswar Baruah was able to bring glory to Assam and the North East with enviable achievements. In 1966 he won first position and Gold Medal at the 5th Asian Games held in Bangkok. Importantly after this Bhogeswar Baruah became the first Assamese to win a gold medal at the International level. Not only did he won a gold medal but he also managed to set a new record at the Asian Games. Bhogeshwar Baruah needed just 1 minute 49.4 seconds in the 800m race. This was the new Asia’s record then.
Bhogeswar Baruah, who started his athletics career at the national level by participating in the athletics competition held in Delhi in 1963, achieved his first international success in 1966, just two years after he entered the field. In 1967, the Government of India conferred the Arjuna Award, the highest sporting event of the time, for his contribution to the Indian sports arena and creating records in many national and international competitions. Importantly, Bhogeswar Baruah was the first Assamese to win the Arjuna Award.
Bhogeswar Baruah was one of the members of the Indian team that won a silver medal in the 400m relay of the sixth Asian Games in 1970.
Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah also served as a member of the All India Council of Sports and The National Athletic Team’s selectors committee for six years. Importantly, Bhogeswar Baruah, as the selector of the Arjuna Award Committee, had successfully served for nearly 50 years for a long time since 1967. Importantly, the birth anniversary of Bhogeswar Baruah, the owner of a colourful life, on September 3, is celebrated as “Abhiruchi Sports Day” every year across Assam with respect to the first Assamese Arjuna Award winner. The day has been celebrated across Assam since 1984. Notably, Assam is the only state in India to celebrate State Sports Day on the birthday of a living sports legend.
There is a beautiful history of the beginning of this ” Abhiruchi Sports Day.” At that time, “Abhiruchi Magazine” was a familiar name for the individual community associated with the sports world of Assam. The magazine’s owner Balen Chakraborty first started “Abhiruchi Sports Day” to keep Arjun Bogeswar Baruah’s memory alive for eternity. Later, the Assam government and the people of Assam have been celebrating this September 3 as Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah’s birthday as “Abhiruchi Sports Day” every year.
Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah established a sports academy in Dimow under Sivasagar district in the early nineties. Through this academy, Baruah started sharing his experiences and trained the new generations to become interested in the field of sports and how the players should move forward in their goals. But unfortunately the academy shut down almost three years after it was founded due to lack of funds.
Contribution to the World of Sports
But importantly, former chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of Bhogeswar Baruah’s state sports school at the Sports Complex in Guwahati Horu hojai in 2019. Importantly, Arjuna Bhogeswar Baruah also served as the brand ambassador of ‘Khel Sivasagar Khel’ of an ambitious sports initiative planned under the ‘Soulful Sivasagar’ campaign adopted by the then Sivasagar district collector Dr. M.S. Lakshmipriya in 2020.
Assam’s fifth Arjuna award winner Hima Das known as Dihing Express was also inspired by Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah. Importantly, in 2019, Dr. Narayan Bordoloi enacted a book called “Golden Race : Bhogeswar Baruah’s Autobiography” to keep the life philosophy of Bhogeswar Baruah, his concentration, work and success story of Bhogeswar Baruah as a source of inspiration for future generations.
Positively the Assam government conferred the Veer Silarai Award for the year 2019 on Arjuna awardee senior athletic Bhogeswar Baruah for his outstanding contribution to the sports arena in Assam as well as for his lifelong pursuits and courage. In addition, in 2015 Tai-Ahom Yuva Parishad presented the Lachit Award to Bhogeshwar Baruah.
Conclusion
Assam’s Pride and Sivasagar’s son Bhogeswar Baruah is the first player to record his name in golden letters at the National level. Bhogeswar Baruah set a new example in the society by expressing through his work that nothing can stop you in achieving the goal if one has indomitable will power in one’s mind, and passion for work. Bhogeswar Baruah, who has been able to achieve success by acknowledging a lot of hardship and sacrifice by showing his skills through concentration and perseverance, has become an icon for the new generation. Despite lack of structure, Bhogeswar Baruah’s hard life struggle proved that having duty, courage, concentration, intelligence, determination to reach the goal cannot hinder any factor from moving forward. Assamese will always be proud of Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah’s achievement as an Assamese.
Bhogeswar Baruah cut a path in the field of sports and with his ideals inspired many Assamese youth to move forward in the field of sports. He highlighted Assam’s name for the first time in the field of sports all over the world. Bhogeswar Baruah’s name and work will always remain single and unique in the sports world of Assam.
FAQ
1. When and where was Bhogeswar Baruah born?
Ans: He was born in 3rd September, 1940 at Sundarpur, Sivasagar on the banks of Joysagar Pond.
2. Who is Bhogeswar Baruah?
Ans: He was one of the former athlete and coach. He was one of the first Assamese to win gold at an international event, winning a medal at the 1966 Asian Games.
3. When did Bhogeswar Baruah won Gold Medal at the 5th Asian Games held in Bangkok?
Ans: In 1966 he won Gold Medal at the 5th Asian Games held in Bangkok.
4. When do we celebrate Abhiruchi Sports Day?
Ans: On September 3 as Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah’s birthday we celebrate as “Abhiruchi Sports Day” every year.
5. When he was awarded Arjuna Award the highest sporting honor?
Ans: In 1967 he was awarded Arjuna Award the highest sporting honor.
6. What is the name of the Bhogeswar Baruah’s autobiography and by whom and when it was enacted?
Ans: The name of the autobiography of Bhogeswar Baruah is “Golden Race : Bhogeswar Baruah’s Autobiography” and was enacted by Dr. Narayan Bordoloi in 2019.
7. When did Bhogeswar Baruah joined Indian Defence Force?
Ans: He joined Indian Defence Force in 1960.
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