A Tribute to Dr. Narendra Nath Kakati

Dr. Narendra Nath Kakati, former Dean Faculty of Agriculture, Assam Agricultural University passed away on 21st September 2013 at the ripe age of eighty four. It is said, ‘Teaching is the only profession, then creates all other profession’. For a major part of his life, my father lived in that noble profession.

To his hundreds of students ‘Kakati Sir’ was an extremely dedicated no-nonsense teacher, for his four children he was a loving, caring and disciplinarian father. Many of his peers, junior and senior colleagues rated him as a highly competent professional. In the circle of spiritually inclined intellectuals he was a learned Philosopher with deep understanding and interpretation of different forms of religion especially the Oriental Philosophy. For his grandchildren, nephews and nieces ‘Mukut koka, Mukut mama, Mukut Khura, Bordeuta, Peha and Jethpeha’ was a highly sought after company for Deuta’s benevolence, love for fun and frolicking. Often we saw him bursting with laughter with some of his life-long closest friends.

Born to late Bholanath Kakati and late Debabala Kakati in 1929 while my grandfather was posted in Nagaon as a Magistrate under the British regime, Deuta was brought up in Sivasagar. After completion of secondary level education in Sivasagar, he studied in Cotton College prior to joining Assam Agricultural College at Jorhat as one of the first batch students in the year 1948. After graduation he joined the Department of Agriculture, Government of Assam and was posted to various locations including Shillong (then the capital of undivided Assam), Golokganj, Titabor and interior areas of present Karbi-Anglong and Dima-Hasao (then Mikir Hills and North Cachar Hills Districts). Deuta sometimes reminisced about his days in the interior places; while in Golokganj once he was carried by a porter on his back while crossing a rivulet on a polling duty. While crossing the dense forests in then Mikir Hills and North Cachar Hills District to reach his place of work and agricultural extension visits accompanied by subordinate staffs they kept on praying all along! According to Deuta, his inclination for spiritualism began during those days.

Deuta possessed an extremely high level of patience, dedication and passion for his profession. He underwent all his higher education and advanced training after his four children were born. He was trained in Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, International Rice Research Institute, Manila (Philippines) in the mid & late sixties and completed his Ph.D from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi in 1976. While pursuing his Ph.D research, Deuta took the family to New Delhi and got all four of us admitted into schools there. The two years of education we had in Delhi coupled with able guidance and parental control of our mother definitely contributed a lot positively in the later part of our life.

Deuta was a devout follower of Sankardeva and since my childhood I remember him taking active part in organizing various events related to the Saints. In Assam Agricultural University Campus there used to be many discourses where participants across the Religious Beliefs took part. He also had a good collection of books on religion and philosophy authored by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Late J. Krishnamurthy, Late K.M. Munshi, Late Chandrasekhara Aiyer, the Bhavan’s Journal and studied these deeply. After his retirement Deuta took interest in the works of Shri Satya Sai Baba and became an involved member of the community in Sivasagar. In 2003, on health ground he along with our mother shifted to Guwahati. Thereafter he started translating the seminal work of Dr. S. Radhakrishman on Shrimad Bhagavad Gita into Assamese which was published entitled Gita Tatwamrit.

Today, on the occasion his Adyashradha I join our family, members of our extended family and all friends and well-wishers of Deuta in praying for eternal peace of his soul.