1. Early life

2. Contribution to India's Freedom Movement
    The 1920's  The 1930's   The 1940's  

3. After independence

4. See also

5. References

• Late Sanat Ram Bora

Early life

Kiran Bala Bora was born in 1904 in the village of North Haiborgaon in Nagaon district of Assam to Kamal Chandra Pandit and Saroj Aidew. Kamal Chandra Pandit, her father, was a school teacher. Kiran studied in school till the 3rd standard despite of the prevalent restrictions on sending women to school in Indian society at the time. It was at an early age when she was married to Saki Ram Laskar of Paroli Guri, Kampur, Nagaon and also lost her husband soon after. Kamal Chandra then brought Kiran back home along with Kiran's young daughter. It was during her teen years that she gained interest in the revolutionary movements of the country.

Contribution to India's Freedom Movement

The 1920's

The summer of 1920 saw the resurgence of the idea that India should gain independence from British rule, especially after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Led by Gandhi, hundreds of people participated in non-violent protests across India. Kiran was inspired by the sacrifices and challenges being endured by the leaders of the independence struggle and decided to participate. She started involving herself in the activities of the movement and gradually devoted all her time for it. Her efforts towards fundraising was a major factor that helped Congress gain momentum in north-eastern part of India. Encouragement and co-operation from leaders like Purna Chandra Sharma, Mahidhar Bora, Haladhar Bhuyan, & Devakanta Baruah helped her turn into a strong freedom fighter. During this time, she also met Chandraprava Saikiani, a great writer, social reformer and freedom fighter from Assam. Kiran established a close relationship with her and worked for a lot of social causes under her directions.

Kiran Bala Bora involved herself with activity of boycotting the use of foreign goods, one of the objectives of the Non-cooperation movement. In one such incident, she burnt all kinds of valuable foreign goods of her own house including clothes and then lead others to do the same. Instead of buying clothes manufactured in Europe, she started spinning cotton and making her own cloth.

She also worked against the use of narcotic substances like opium and bhang.

The Lahore Congress, in 1929, resolved to celebrate 26 January 1930, as purna swaraaj (or Complete Independence) day. Accordingly, more than 400 women in Koliabor, led in part by Kiran Bala, joined in the celebrations, in defiance of the government. Police stopped the women from participating, and many were allegedly beaten up.^[2][3]

The 1930's

Kiran was arrested by the British-Indian government for violation of laws several times. She fell severely ill on 7 February 1931 when she was in jail and was released after 4 months. In 1932, she was transferred to Shillong Jail where she lived in dire conditions.^[4] Despite the hardships faced during such days she spent in captivity, she kept working towards making India independent.

It was during these times that Kiran met Ambika Kakati Aidew, another freedom fighter from Assam. Ambika's daughter, Jagyashini Kakati Aidew, had passed and Ambika proposed Kiran to marry her son-in-law, Sanat Ram Bora. Kiran's father accepted Ambika's proposal and remarried his daughter while she was still involved in the freedom movement.

Sanat Ram Bora had five young children from his previous wife and lived in a joint family. Also, being the founder secretary of a newly established spiritual/religious Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha (Sankardev Community), his house was always frequented by devotees and visitors who were interested to know and learn about the culture of this Sangha. Kiran took to handle the responsibility of her joint family including the children from Sanat's first marriage. She also served the devotees with open-heartedness and derived utmost pleasure in doing so. Thus, she earned the love and respect of all in her new family and at the same time relieved her husband of a lot of homely responsibilities. Her husband, in turn, granted full independence to Kiran and supported her entirely in her political life.

In the 1930s, Gandhi had started the Civil Disobedience Movement to end the monopoly by British on salt. Kiran went from door to door explaining about this movement to the villagers of Polaxoni (the place where her spouse Sanat Ram Bora lived), gathering people and continued her activities of collecting food and other relief items.

Kiran continued devoting herself to the service of the country and also fulfilling her homely responsibilities. She remained an active participant of the independence struggle. She would also start preaching about country's independence to the devotees who would come to attend the Sangha at her husband's house.

She played the role of a social reformer by spreading awareness about the social problems of women in India like child marriage, Sati etc. and encouraged women's education.

The 1940's

As time passed, Kiran became a mother of 5 more children.

In 1942, the Quit India Movement was announced; the British were asked to leave the country . "Do or Die" became the slogan of time. The British were annoyed by the wave of movements that had engulfed the entire country. They had started inflicting violent measures like firing, killing en masse on Indians.

Inciting many people and walking along with them against the British was Kiran Bora. She had to bear a lot of lathi charges and other actions by the police but never gave up. Kiran also had to go into hiding to keep herself safe from the police. However, the sacrifices and loss of her fellow fighters like Bhogeshwari Phukanani, Lakhi Hazarika, Tilak Deka made her forget all attachments and join the war-field. She fought till India was granted independence.^[5]

After independence

India gained independence on 15 August 1947. Later in her life, Kiran tended to her children. Her daughters were imparted education and then married off into well-known families. Her sons are now living their lives as independent and established members of the society.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}{{vague|date=October 2018}}

She has been honored with freedom fighters pensions by both state and central governments of India.^[6][7]

Kiran died on 8 January 1993. She remained an active Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha worker and devotee until her death.

See also

• Indian independence movement
• List of Indian independence activists
• Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha

References

• Haraldur
• Haraldur hilditönn
• Haraldur I
• Haraldur II
• Haraldur III
• Haraldur IV
• Harald Vassboten
• Harald Vollmar
• Harald von Loudon
• Harald von Mickwitz
• Harald Walach
• Harald walach
• Harald Welzer
• Harald Wergeland (rector)
• Harald Wigaard
• Harald W. Krenn
• Harald Wohlrapp
• Harald Wolf
• Harald Wolff
• Harald Wurm
• Harald Wydra
• Harald Øveraas
• Harale
• Harali
• Harallamb Qaqi