A tribute to Panna Lal Bakshi, writes Niharendu Dhar

Nov. 2: While I was on the way to the University this morning, I got the shocking and sad news of demise of Panna Lal Bakshi around 3.30 AM today in Kolkatta, where he had been staying with his family members for last few years. He was not keeping well for quite some time and had a major surgery about three years back. Late P L Bakshi, as he was popularly known, was one of the outstanding personalities of Barak Valley, an able and effective organizer and social worker, a pioneer in the field of commercial auditing in this region.  After his graduation, he went to Calcutta (now Kolkatta) in the 1960s to obtain training and a degree in accountancy from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and in the process became the first certified Chartered Accountant of this valley. He also went to obtain M. Com and LLB degree during his stay as a student and an RSS karyakarta (activist).

During his early days he was greatly influenced by the ideology of Swami Vivekananda, Maharishi Aurobindo and the heroic adventure of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the freedom struggle of India and later came in contact with the leaders of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS). He devoted a valuable time of his life in the service of the society and the nation by becoming an RSS Pracharak and worked for more than three years in various places of West Bengal.

At that time, P L Bakshi came in active contact with Eknath Ranade, former Sarakaryawah (General Secretary) of RSS and later the founder of Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari. He was actively involved in the nation-wide movement for construction of Vivekananda Rock Memorial on the rock in the mid sea in Kanyakumari, where Swamiji meditated during 25-27 December 1892 to realise the goal of his life. Later, he worked tirelessly in the formative years of Vivekananda Kendra to organize, consolidate and strengthen its activities. While back in Silchar, despite his busy schedule both in personal and professional life, he had been associated with a number of social and religious organizations viz RSS & its various affiliates, Bharat Vikash Parishad, Shyamsundar Aakhrha, Kachakanti Mandir and many other such institutions and organizations of this valley, where he left imprints of his organizational and leadership skills.

Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari, Assam Pranta  entrusted me the responsibility of working as the Secretary for a 5-day residential Personality Development Camp involving students & youths of South Assam namely “Vijay-hi-Vijay”,  which was organized in Assam University campus during October 2011. It gave me an unique opportunity to work very closely with P L Bakshi, who was the Working President for the programme. It was a huge successful programme with the active participation of more than 500 students and youths cutting across caste, communities and geographical locations.  I learnt many a thing of organizational works from him during this period and subsequent years of my association with Vivekananda Kendra. He was very meticulous in his approach and had an eye for details .Even while he was in Kolkata, he used to enquire about Kendra activities frequently.

To the new and young karyakartas of Vivekananda Kendra, he had always been a perennial and unerring source of inspiration and wisdom. His vision and clarity of thought had great influence on the young minds. To me, he has and will always remain as an icon, a legend and a role model simply because of his compassion, integrity and honesty, transparency, sincerity of purpose and unmatchable leadership qualities. He was a man of avowed human values, maintained a high degree of dignity in his disposition and had always been very cordial in dealing with others.  His leadership style was more focused in capacity building that used to encourage and inculcate leadership attitudes, behaviour, skills and qualities in others. “True leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” – I think this famous adage perfectly fits respected P L Bakshi and shall be the  right way to pay tribute  to him today as all through his life he tried to uphold and practice this noble thought.

My respectful regards to the departed soul. Om Shanti.