Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi, an Architect of Modern India

Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi was the product of the Gandhian renaissance when social services was the keynote of public life. Responding to the call of the Mahatma he plunged into the freedom struggle and became the beloved leader of his people and the tallest public figure in eastern India. He played the crucial, secular and historical role in saving Assam from merging with East Pakistan under the Transfer of Power Act. Subsequently he served his people as the Chief Minister of the greater Assam perhaps the most universally popular and non-controversial executive the state ever had. He was Lokopriya in every sense of the term. In the core of his heart, however, he remained the humble social worker who strongly held the view that Swarajya was incomplete till we got rid of poverty and illiteracy. A highly cultivated, well- read and civilized person, he spoke and wrote effectively and abundantly. The book is a unique collection of his speeches, writings, letters and addresses. Together they form a slice of India s pre-and post-Independence history, throwing light on yet explored areas of national politics and public life. His personal letters to leaders, friends, common men, wife and children bring out the sterling qualities of the head and heart of one of the all time great leaders of contemporary India.