Born with the nation: Guwahati man shares birthday with India’s independence

Guwahati, Aug 15: For businessman Dibyajyoti Das of Senapati Road here, Independence Day has always been a double celebration it marks both the birth of the nation and his own. Born on the evening of August 15, 1947, in Mymensingh, now in Bangladesh, Das is as old as independent India itself.

His father, an employee with a British ship company, posted in Mymensingh, moved the family to Guwahati in 1949.

"My parents were overjoyed that India became free on that day. I was born on such a historic date," Das recalled. Over the decades, he has been fecilitated numerous times for this rare coincidence, including by LIC officials who once had tracked him down to honour his 75th birthday.

The Das family has been rooted in the grocery and stationery trade for decades, with Dibyajyoti Das himself working as a distributor for several reputed stationery brands. An alumnus of Cotton College and Gauhati University, he fondly remembers an incident of his school at Ramakrishna Mission, Raiganj. "My guardian wanted to reduce my age for the Board exams, as was common then. But the school said, why change it when you were born on such an auspicious date?" he said with a smile.

At 78, Das remains active, maintaining a regular work-out routine and prioritizing his health. Every August 15, without fail, he hoists the National Flag at home and tunes in to the Prime Minister's address from the Red Fort.

As India prepares to celebrate its 79th Independence Day, Das's wish for the country is as steadfast as his patriotism, "I want peace for my country. If peace prevails, prosperity, growth, and power will follow.”