Assam: First Doomdoma College student passes away
Digboi: The demise of Avatar Neog, 81, a respected figure in the Bordirok-Hunjan area in Assam's Tinsukia district, was widely mourned on Thursday.
Late Neog, a retired Headmaster of Bordirok MV School, was known as the first matriculate in the area and the first student to enroll at Doomdoma College. He passed away peacefully at his Hunjan residence near the Assam-Arunachal border on Wednesday evening.
"Our father was suffering from age-related ailments and had been receiving home care after being discharged from a private nursing home in Dibrugarh," informed Monoranjan Neog, the deceased's son.
Tributes poured in from across the district, with condolences offered by the press fraternity, Moran social activists, and scholars.
Arunjyoti Moran, former President of the Moran Student Union and Chief Executive of the Moran Autonomous Council, expressed his deep sorrow, calling the loss "irreparable for the community."
He urged the youth to emulate the lofty ideals and principles of late Avatar Neog in their service to society.
The Tinsukia District Information and Public Relations Department also expressed solidarity and extended condolences.
Sharing his father's educational journey, Manoranjan Neog, a local journalist and founding President of the Assam Press Correspondent Union, Tinsukia district Chapter, revealed that his father was the first matriculate in the area.
Immediately after passing the matriculation examination in 1967, he dedicated himself to teaching at Kailashpur LP School, where he received his first honorarium of Rs 10, raised by the local community.
"Thereafter, he was sought after by people from various nearby villages like Hunjan, Bordirok, Kakopather, Pengaree, and others, due to his growing popularity as a teacher," said the bereaved son. He finally retired from his service as Headmaster in March 2007.
The entrance gate of Doomdoma College has been dedicated to him, inscribed as "Avatar Neog, the first student of the college."
Late Avatar Neog's pioneering contributions to community service are also remembered with pride.