Naren Chandra Das

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Havildar

Naren Chandra Das
Born1937 or 1938
Lokra, Assam Province, British India
Died27 December 2021 (aged 83)
Lokra, Assam, India
Allegiance India
Service/branch Indian Army
Years of service1957–1982
Rank Havildar
Unit9th Platoon, 5 Assam Rifles

Naren Chandra Das (1938 – 27 December 2021) was an Indian soldier. He was a havildar with the Assam Rifles, the oldest paramilitary arm of the Indian Army. He was part of the team that received the 14th Dalai Lama at the Indian border after he fled from Tibet in 1959, and was its last surviving member.[1]

Biography

Das was born in Lokra, near Tezpur. He grew up in nearby Balipara in what is now the Sonitpur district of the Indian state of Assam. He was a havildar with the Assam Rifles, the oldest paramilitary arm of the Indian Army. He joined the unit in 1957, completed his training and was made a rifleman in 1959 at the age of 22.[2]

Once past the India-Tibet border, the Dalai Lama was escorted by the Assam Rifles
The 14th Dalai Lama with PN Menon on April 18th 1959

In March 1959, Das, along with five of his colleagues and a

horseback.[2] Guards from the ninth platoon of the Assam Rifles had earlier brought the Dalai Lama from Zuthangbo to Shakti.[3][4] The Dalai Lama was granted a reception in Lumla before being escorted further to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.[2][5] He received a guard of honour from the Assam Rifles in Tawang before going to Bomdila.[3]

Das met the Dalai Lama again in 2017, during the Namami Brahmaputra festival, after almost six decades.[6][7] He was later invited to McLeod Ganj near Dharamshala, the site of the Tibetan government-in-exile, as a guest of the monk.[1][8]

Das lived in Lokra, Assam during his

Tibetan Parliament in Exile, Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, said in a condolence message that Das would "always be remembered for his outstanding selfless service to the nation and the people of India. We Tibetans will always hold him close to our hearts."[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "The Last Indian Soldier Who Helped Dalai Lama Escape Has Died". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Kalita, Prabin (2 April 2017). "Naren Chandra Das: Meet the havildar who received Dalai Lama 58 years back – Guwahati News". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b Sarkar, Monali. "Then & now: The Dalai Lama in Arunachal Pradesh". Rediff. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Dalai Lama meets Indian guard from 1959 flight from Tibet". BBC. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  5. ^ Anthony (3 April 2017). "The Dalai Lama Embraces Jawan Who Escorted Him Into India in 1959". TheQuint. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  6. Outlook India. Archived
    from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  7. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived
    from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Dalai Lama meets Indian guard from 1959 flight from Tibet". BBC News. 3 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Assam Rifles havildar who escorted Dalai Lama in India in 1959 dies, laid to rest". Hindustan Times. 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Assamese Soldier Who Protected Dalai Lama In 1959 Passes Away – NEWS8 NorthEast". 30 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel condoles the demise of Naren Chandra Das". Central Tibetan Administration. 31 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

External links

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