Omeo Kumar Das

Omeo Kumar Das (21 May 1895 – 23 January 1975), popularly addressed as Lok Nayak, was an Indian social worker, Gandhian, educationist, writer and statesman. He held various ministerial portfolios such as Education, Labour and Food and Civil Supplies, during various periods, in the state of Assam. He translated The Story of My Experiments with Truth, the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi, into Assamese language and contributed to the implementation of Tea Plantation Workers' Provident Fund in the state. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1963, for his contributions to society. India Post honoured Das by issuing a commemorative stamp on him on 15 May 1998.

Early life

Das was born on 21 May 1895 at Nagaon district in the Northeast Indian state of Assam and his schooling was at Tezpur High School, Tezpur. He did his higher education at Cotton College, Guwahati and City College, Calcutta during which time he was reported to have been attracted to the activities of Indian independence activists such as Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Bal Gangadhar Tilak and started getting involved in student politics.

Political life He was one of the leaders of the Civil disobedience movement of 1930 in Assam and was jailed many times during the freedom struggle. During these periods, he served as minister in various portfolios. It was during his tenure as the Labour minister, that the Workers' Provident Fund for the labourers of the tea plantations was instituted, an initiative reported to be among first such instances in Asia. Gandhijir Jiboni, Mahatma Gandhik Aami Kidore Bujilu and Asomot Mahatma are some of his other works. He was involved with the activities of several social and Gandhian organisations such as Harijan Sevak Sangh, Bharatiya Adim Jati Sevak Sangha, Bharat Sevek Samaj, Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Kasturba Smarak Nidhi and Assam Seva Samiti and was a part of their social activities like campaign against substance abuse and rehabilitation of patients afflicted with leprosy and tuberculosis. and their daughter. Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development (OKD), Guwahati, an autonomous institution funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), was named after Das, on his birth centenary in 1995. India Post issued a commemorative postage stamp on him in 1998.