Bhogeswar Baruah

Havildar

Bhogeswar Baruah

Baruah in 2006
Personal information
Nationality	Assamese; Indian
Born	(1940-09-03) 3 September 1940 (age 85) Sibsagar, Assam Province (now Assam)
Monuments	Abhiruchi Sports Day celebrated annually in Assam in his honour Arjuna Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex Statue in Sibsagar Bhogeswar Baruah State Sports School
Occupations	Athlete coach military soldier
Spouse	Renu Baruah
Children	3 (1 deceased)
Parents	Bhodraswar Baruah (father) Aikon Baruah (mother)
Military career
Allegiance	India
Branch	Indian Army
Years of service	1960–c.1976
Rank	Havildar
Unit	EME
Awards	Arjuna Award (1966) Lachit Award (2015) Bir Chilarai Award (2019)
Sport
Country	India
Sport	Athletics
Events	800 metres 400 metres 4x400 metres relay
Coached by	Surya Narayan Ilyas Babar
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	800 m : 1:49.4 GR (Bangkok, 1966) 4 x 400 m : 3:11.9 (Bangkok, 1970)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing   India Asian Games 1966 Bangkok 800 m 1970 Bangkok 4 × 400 m

Bhogeswar Baruah (born 3 September 1940) is an Indian retired athlete, coach, and military soldier. Considered one of the greatest Assamese athletes of all time, he is the first Arjuna award recipient from Assam. His gold medal at the 1966 Asian Games, running a time of 1:49.4 in the 800 metres, set a new record in the competition and made him the first Assamese athlete to win an international gold medal. For his achievements, he is widely regarded as a state icon and sporting legend.

Born in Sibsagar, Baruah was raised near the Joysagar tank. His father was a chowdikar and farmer, and his family worked on around fifteen bighas of land; they earned ration benefits due to his father's central government job. Baruah had a keen interest in outdoor activity from an early age and taught himself to swim aged around three. He helped his father regularly during his childhood with farming work on the fields including ploughing, harvesting, and sowing. Whilst he attended Vidhyapith school, he played football for the first time and became a right-sided defender. From a young age Baruah had ambitions of joining the Indian army; in November 1960 he was selected as a driver for the Indian Army Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME). He divided his annual leave in the army in half between the planting season and harvest season to continue to help his father with farming. Baruah was selected to join the main EME football team, where he competed in the 1962 Durand cup before it was cancelled due to the Sino-Indian war. To participate in the Santosh trophy, he attempted to qualify for the Andhra Pradesh state team in a tournament; despite his good performance he was not selected. After reflection, he decided to quit football and team sports, and instead take up an individual sport where he could succeed free from unfairness.

Baruah initially explored boxing and swimming as potential sports he could succeed in, but after advice from B.K. Dey he decided to take up athletics, specifically the 400 metres. He began running in inter-department races between the army, navy and air force, and soon after qualified for the Inter-Command championships in Pune where he finished third, earning a bronze medal. Baruah's first national appearance came in 1963 at the All India Open Athletics Meet Relay in New Delhi, where his team finished first in the 4x400 metres relay; his first national gold. He soon after participated in the 400 metres and 800 metres at the Open Athletics held in Sri Lanka in 1964, winning gold in both and setting a new Sri Lankan national record in the 800 metres. Baruah participated in the National Athletic Competition held in Chandigarh in 1964 and Bangalore in 1965, winning gold in the 400 metres in both years. By 1966, he was the undisputed national champion in the 800 metres. At the 1966 Asian Games, he finished first in the 800 metres with a time of 1:49.4, which set a new record in the competition. After continued domestic success, in the 1970 Asian Games he won a silver medal in a 4x400 metres relay. His international career largely finished after this, though he continued to have domestic success.

During and after his athletics career, Baruah served on various committees including the All India Council of Sports and the Indian national athletics team selection committee. He was awarded the Arjuna award in 1966, and served on its selection committee for nearly five decades from 1967 to 2016. Since 1984, the "Abhiruchi Sports Day" has been celebrated on his birthday in his honour. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal created a state sports school in honour of Baruah in 2019, and in 2021 Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that Baruah's birthday would officially be celebrated as Assam's sports day. In 2025, a national sports award named after Baruah was created, and the Sarusajai sports complex was renamed the Arjuna Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex. Baruah's inspiration as an athlete from a poor and rural background who rose through hardships to become an international champion is considered part of his legacy in Assam.

Early life and education

Birth and family life

Baruah's parents: Bhodraswar (left) and Aikon Baruah (right).

Bhogeswar Baruah was born on 3 September 1940, ^[1] the sixth of eight children born to Bhodraswar Baruah (c. 1889–1994) and Aikon Baruah (c. 1913–1983). His family's ancestral village was Thakurpara, which was about a kilometre west of Joysagar Tini-Ali. The Archaeological Survey of India established its first office in Sibsagar in 1935; Baruah's father, Bhodraswar, joined the Joysagar office as a chowkidar (a Class IV employee). Due to the job, Baruah's parents moved from Thakurpara and built a small bamboo-and-thatch house by the Joysagar tank. The family received ration benefits because his father's job was a central government one. The old Thakurpara home was left to his uncles and an aunt, and Baruah was born at the Joysagar Tank house. ^[2]

Baruah was particularly close with his father, Bhodraswar, while growing up as he would accompany him to the fields and help him in any way. Baruah has described his father a calm and quiet man, who was devoted to his work, and suggested that he too inherited that simplicity from his father. Bhodraswar Baruah was uneducated, ^[3] but despite having a government job he did all his farming himself. The family's total land was around fifteen bighas and Baruah's father also worked on leased land. Their work included ploughing, harvesting, sowing, and carrying bundles of paddy on their shoulders. Baruah's father was also a local village healer, who treated the sick with traditional Assamese herbal medicine for which he never accepted any money. His father was also fond of sports, and during the time of British rule where football matches and horse racing was often held at Nazira, he would often go to watch football. ^[4] Baruah's mother, Aikon, handled both the household chores and farm work. He noted her as an expert weaver who spun yarn, and wove chadors and blankets on the loom. Baruah himself would help her by collecting castor and keseru leaves for the silkworms. He described her in his biography as strict and strong-willed. ^[4]

Baruah had two elder brothers, and three elder sisters (two of whom were married before his birth). Two elder paternal uncles and three elders cousins lived near them in Joysagar. Baruah, along with his younger sister and younger brother, were born at the Joysagar house while their older siblings were born at Thakurpara. When his family settled at the new house, Joysagar was mostly surrounded by jungle, with there being almost no neighbours nearby. The large Joysagar tank was beside their home, and from around the age of 3 he taught himself to swim. During his childhood, Baruah enjoyed watching the fish and turtles in the tank, and sometimes swam alone out to the island in the middle of the tank. ^[2]

Childhood and education

Joysagar tank, pictured in 2006

Baruah did not initially begin his education straightaway, and in his early years he mostly spent his time in the world of water and open fields where he lived. He was later enrolled at the Meteka primary school, which was the nearest one to him. His attendance at the school was irregular, as reaching the school required him to cross a big stream; bamboo bridges were only put up when it was dry so during monsoon season he had to travel by boat. A few years later, a school opened at Zolagaon, and he transferred there in Class III because it was closer. None of Baruah's elder sisters went to school, and of his two elder brothers: the older studied up to lower primary and the younger passed high school at Meteka. ^[2]

From an early age, Baruah had a keen interest in outdoor activity. He played village games such as Tengabol (a game like lemon and spoon), Koi, Kholiguti (marbles), and made shields from taro leaves for mock fights. There were no proper playgrounds where lived so he played volleyball and football on the open ground next to the tank. His swimming ability led to an early local success; when Sibsagar college organised a swimming and boat race in the Joysagar tank, he joined unofficially but finished in first place, and villagers then bestowed a trophy to him. From his school days, he worked regularly in the fields at Thakurpara, and would often run home later to make it to school on time. ^[2]

After finishing at Zolagaon, Baruah joined Vidyapith school in Sibsagar town. There, he for the first time saw leather footballs and began to have a keen interest in the game. He became a good right-sided defender, and played for the Sibsagar district at an Upper Assam Schools Tournament in Jorhat, where he competed against schools from Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Tinsukia and other areas. His interest in sports grew stronger than his interest in studying, and he later failed his matriculation exams. Around the time of the second world war, he watched American soldiers fish, shoot, and drive; this was his first exposure to firearms and vehicles which would later spark hos interest in jpining the army. He learned to shoot a rifle by helping the American soldiers set up posts in the water, and learned how to drive from observing and copying how they used the clutch and gears in their jeeps. ^[2]

Military career

Initial work

Crest of the EME

Baruah's military career began by chance, despite him having long had ambitions to join the army. In 1960, Baruah was hired to drive two men from Sibsagar to Jorhat, and he dropped them off in front of the Paradise hotel in Jorhat. Near there, in an open field, the army was recruiting and Baruah watched the drills from afar. An army officer noticed him and soon after asked if he wanted to join the army and he immediately agreed. Baruah did not tell his father about the decision, though when he went home the same day he told his mother who accepted the choice when Baruah said that others were also joining. ^[5]

Baruah was selected to become a driver for the Indian Army Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) of the Indian Army in November 1960, with the headquarters of the department being located at Secunderabad. During his first two months there, he did not begin training activities such as army drills and parade routines and instead focused on clean-up and maintenance work, such as clearing jungles, cutting grass, sweeping, and whitewashing walls. A temple called Koteswar was being constructed around half a mile from his quarters, and he was often taken there to help with construction work including carrying materials and mixing mortar. ^[5]

Baruah's platoon training later started and the first stage in this was basic training. In the basic training, Baruah was taught drill commands and rifle-shooting training. After this initial training, he had to complete the passing-out parade before he was posted to his unit. He did not undergo the full basic training schedule as he was training with the EME football team, and so only practiced for two days. Previously, Baruah observed the Home Guard training camp at the Joysagar tank where he observed the parade drills of the trainees, and had practiced rifle shooting with American soldiers. This meant both tasks were natural to him; without much extra practice he successfully passed the parade. After being confirmed as a soldier, his allowances and facilities were improved. ^[5]

Later years

Baruah did not tell his father about his decision to join the army or ask for his permission as he thought that his father would refuse, as Baruah was his main helper in the fields. Instead, Baruah realised that he would have long annual leave, and decided to divide the time into two parts during the planting season and the harvest season, so that he could return home to help with farming. He did not take leave during festivals such as Bihu. During his eighteen year long military career, he returned home twice every single year in keeping with his promise to his father. ^[4]

Baruah received his only promotion after three years, which from a constable to a Havildar. Whilst not thinking too much of it initially, towards the end of his career, seeing his peers being promoted far above him while he was not began to trouble him. He subsequently decided to apply for a home-posting near Assam to plan for post-retirement life. His first home posting was in Dimapur, where he drove army trucks to transport supplies to different areas. In Dimapur, Baruah began to further question his job due to him not having promotions, and this combined with his wife being pregnant with their second child led to him after a while deciding to take voluntary retirement to go back to his village and return to farming. ^[6] He retired at the rank of Havildar. ^[7]

Early sports career

Football

Baruah competed at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium (pictured).

In the early stages of his military career, Baruah was often taken out to play different sports such as running, jumping, kabbadi, volleyball and football. He naturally took to football, and his skills as a right-sided defender began to be noticed by seniors. He began to have aspirations of joining the EME team in Secunderabad, and shortly after increasing the intensity of his training, he was notified that he was selected to join the main EME team. His typical schedule was running in the morning, breakfast, then two hours of football practice, lunch, rest, football practice again and finally a practice match in the evening. The main EME team also held matches against teams from the Air Force, AOC, and the P&T. Tarlok Singh, a former member of the Indian football team which won gold at the 1962 Asian games, was the captain of the team, and as there was no coach of the team, the training was supervised by senior players such as Singh. Baruah was selected at the right-back in the first eleven, but he his weakness was his left foot. ^[5]

In 1962, the EME Secunderabad team went to Delhi to participate in the Durand cup where Baruah was in the starting eleven. It was the first time he had ever visited Delhi, and the team stayed at an army unity near the Red fort. In the team's first match, they created a shock by defeating the former champions, the Punjab police team. However, after a few days, the tournament was cancelled due to the Sino-Indian war. Despite this, their success at the tournament greatly encouraged the team. During the tournament, he met Talimeren Ao, captain of the first Indian national football team, and Indian international Sheoo Mewalal, both of whom would later work with Baruah as member of the India sports council. The success at the Durand cup motivated the team, and they began playing practice matches against stronger teams in the area which helped raise their standards even further. ^[5]

To participate in the Santosh trophy, Baruah attempted to qualify for the Andhra Pradesh state team which would allow him to participate in the tournament. For the selection of the state team, a special tournament was organised at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad, and the state team would be formed based on the performance of players in the tournament. The top five teams in the Hyderabad football league participated, and on the final day Baruah played against the Andhra Pradesh police team in an intense match which finished in a draw. After the end of the tournament, Baruah was not selected for the team, which led to arguments outside the Hyderabad football association office due to Baruah's strong defensive performance in the tournament. Upon hearing the news, Baruah initially accepted the decision but after later reflection he realised that a weakness of team sports is that things such as unfair selection are likely to happen because of players with equal abilities, and he then assessed that individual sport would not have this disadvantage. Shortly after this, he went to a Sai Baba temple with a friend where he vowed to give up football and take up a new individual sport. He later told Singh and his teammates, who encouraged him to stay but accepted his reasoning that he could find greater success in an individual sport. Baruah never returned to football after this. ^[5]

Transition to athletics

After leaving football, Baruah tried numerous other sports. Although football had been his main game, he often entered other events during inter-platoon competitions including 400 metres, relay races, long jump and javelin throw. He also tried boxing and swimming. ^[8]

Baruah entered a inter-platoon boxing competition, despite having never boxed before, after watching a few practice sessions and learning basic rules. He reached the final of the competition, but his opponent was a trained boxer; Baruah was badly injured in the match and after collapsing was taken to hospital. He woke up the following morning and saw his opponent, who despite winning the match, was almost equally bruised and swollen. They both agreed to never box again. ^[8]

Baruah then leaned towards taking up swimming, where he met Bengali athelete and services member B.K. Dey. He advised Baruah that, in order to earn his colour service, he should take up athletics, and specifically the 400 metres. Under Dey's mentorship, Baruah trained rigorously and followed a strict schedule in the off-season. ^[8]

Athletics career

Early career

Baruah began his running career with inter-platoon events, and won numerous 400 metres races. Then he began running in inter-department races between the army, navy and air force, where he again won the 400 metres as well as the relay. He finished second at the southern command meet which earned him a place at the Inter-Command championships in Pune, where the Northern, Eastern and Southern commands also competed. He finished third, earning a bronze medal, behind Makhan Singh who won the race. Baruah was thrilled at winning a medal and his services colour within a year of switching from football. ^[8]

Baruah's first national appearance came in 1963 at the All India Open Athletics Meet Relay in New Delhi. He was part of the services team, along with Makhan Singh, Ranjit Singh and another runner from the Jat Regiment, who competed in the 4x400 metres relay. Baruah ran in the first leg and gave his team the lead, and the other maintained the lead and won the race. This was Baruah's first national gold medal. ^[8] After returning to Secunderabad, he trained in the off-season under a new coach Surya Narayan, whom Baruah later described as his first true athletics coach. Baruah attributed Narayan in helping him improve his scientific understanding of running and his methods for refining him. In the 1963–64 national games held in Calcutta, Baruah, after making a slow start, failed to qualify for the finals. He was disappointed with the result, but Narayan encouraged him to begin preparing for the 800 metres. He then participated in the 400 metre and 800 metre race at the Open Athletics held in Sri Lanka in 1964, winning gold in both and setting a new Sri Lankan national record in the 800 metres. ^[8]

Narayan soon after left and went to train athletes abroad, and he was succeeded by Ilyas Babar who became Baruah's new coach. ^[8]

In 1964, Baruah participated in the National Athletic Competition held in Chandigarh where he represented Rajasthan and in 1965, he participated in the National Athletic Competition held in Bangalore. He won a gold medal in the 400 metres for both of the events. ^[8]

International success

Baruah competed in the 1966 Asian Games, which were held at the National Stadium in Thailand (pictured).

In the two years before 1966 Asian Games, Baruah had been the undisputed Indian champion in the 800 metres and by timing was one of the top three in Asia. At the 1966 games held in Bangkok, Baruah finished the 800 metres in a time of 1:49.4, which set a new record in Asia by in that time. In doing this, he became the first Assamese athlete in history to win gold at an international level. ^[9] He also competed in the 4x400 metres relay but India finished fourth. After his success at the Asian games, Baruah flew back to Delhi where he met Prime Minister Indira Gandhi before returning to Secunderabad. ^[10]

After his success at Bangkok, Baruah aspired to win a medal at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. He furthered his training and at the All India Open in Sangrur he won gold in the 400 metres, though did not participate in the 800 metres. In the off-season, he went to Patiala where there was no official camp and his diet began to suffer. There was little meat or eggs and he was often too tired to cook properly, and his training became more difficult with his restricted diet. The olympic cut was 1:48.5, but at the Delhi trials Baruah could not reach even his Bangkok time and he failed to qualify. A German expert later examined his blood and assessed that he had insufficient nutrition. Despite this, domestically he continued to remain unbeaten in the 400 metres and 800 metres in numerous nationals and opens. ^[10]

Baruah was part of the Indian team that won silver at the 1970 Asian Games in the 400 metre relay, with a time of 3:11.9. ^{[9] [11] [12]} He also competed in the 800 metres where he finished fourth, in part due to acting as a pacemaker for Sriram Singh who earned a silver medal in the race. After 1970, his international career largely ended, but Baruah kept leading in nationals.

Later life and career

Committees and councils

After returning from Bangkok in 1970, the government of India appointed Baruah a member of the All India Council of Sports (AICS). He hesitated to join at first as he wanted to remain an active athlete for at least the following year, but the council reassured him that there would only four meetings and year which would not affect his training; Baruah then accepted the appointment as a member for three years. He participated in his first meeting in 1967, and was reappointed after he served his first three year term. ^[13]

Baruah received the Arjuna award in 1966, and the following year was appointed to the Arjuna award selection committee, a position he would hold for nearly five decades until 2016. He resigned in 2016 after a dispute over the selection of winners that year, and despite the chairman encouraging to stay on, Baruah decided to take leave from the committee. ^[13] Three Assamese athletes were given the award during his tenure, Monalisa Baruah, Jayanta Talukdar and Shiva Thapa, but Baruah did not have a hand in any of the selections, due to impartiality and the awardees being chosen on merit.

Baruah also served on the selection committee for the Indian national athletics team, where he made decisions on those for the Olympics and the Asian Games. In the Olympics selection, only those who qualified were able to be selected but in the Asian Games there was more flexibility, such as in 1982 when Baruah personally recommended Tayabun Nisha from Assam. ^[13]

ONGC career

After his retirement from the Indian Army, Baruah returned to Joysagar where he took up full-time farming, still having aspirations to open up a sports academy in Assam. At the time, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in Sibsagar was forming sports teams and their athletes began seeming the guidance of Baruah. After he trained them informally which led to impressive results, the ONGC athletes urged their superiors to hire Baruah as a permanent coach. The ONGC initially offered Baruah the job of a security guard which he declined. They then offered him the position of driver, but stated that he would not actually need to drive and could continue coaching; only the designation would be "driver". Baruah then accepted the position. ^[14]

While returning on a trip from Dimapur, though not at fault, Baruah was involved in a road accident with a motorcyclist. A local newspaper then identified Baruah as the ONGC driver. This came to the attention of Balendra Mohan Chakravarty, who was the editor of the Abhiruchi magazine. Chakravarty published an article condemning ONGC for giving the post of a driver to Baruah and described it as deeply shameful, as well as petitioning the president of India and Member of Parliament (MP) Dinesh Chandra Goswami. Following the controversy, ONGC shifted post of Sports Officer from Dehradun to Sibsagar and appointed Baruah to the position in 1983. The Government later sanctioned a petrol pump in his name at Numaligarh later. ^[15]

As sports officer, Baruah was responsible for athletics and all regional sports where he built an 18-20 member athletics squad of mainly Assamese runners jumpers and throwers. He helped revive the hockey team by rebuilding the team from scratch, forming a 15 member squad which became champions at the Inter-regional meet the following year. He also took athletes to the 1982 Asian Games trials though none were selected. He retired voluntarily from the ONGC in 1998, after eighteen years of service. Reflecting on his career at the ONGC in his biography, Baruah said the monthly salary helped provide financial stability for his family, a connection to sport and medical security, but he felt a loss of identity as a farmer and as a mentor to the next upcoming athletes. ^[15]

Sports initiatives and advocacy

Abhiruchi sports day

Chakravarty later told Baruah that a large section of the public of Assam did not know him, and he said that the Abhiruchi magazine wanted to confer a social recognition of Baruah by celebrating his birthday as "Abhiruchi sports day". Baruah's birthdate was uncertain, and he went to ask his parents both of whom did not know. However, after he consulted his uncle who remembered that he was born two days before Janmashtami in the Assamese month of Bhado, which was on 3 September in the English calendar which subsequently became the date for the day. ^[16]

The first Abhiruchi sports day was held on 3 September 1984 in Guwahati which was organised by Chakravarty. The celebration took place from the Chandmari Police station to the Nehru stadium, and the former Asian games gold medalist and president of the All India Football Federation, Nurul Amin, was the chief guest. There were around three–four thousand spectators, and a mass run was held led by Amin, as well as the public felicitation of Baruah and 37 other Assamese athletes. The second sports day took place under some political tension due to the Assam accord, but expansion of the celebrations continued, and by 2018 nearly one hundred organisations held events across the state. ^[16]

Notable guests at the early Abhiruchi sports days included Milkha Singh in 1986, and Talimeren Ao and M.P. Ganesh in 1987. Since then, many athletes including Prakash Padukone, Kapil Dev, Ajit Wadekar, Shiny Wilson, Vandana Rao, Dutee Chand, Kunjarani Devi, Khajan Singh, Manohar Aich, and Praveen Kumar have all attended the event. ^[16]

Other activities

Baruah established a sports academy in Dimow in Sibasagar in the early 1990s. Through the academy, Baruah shared his experiences and started training the younger generations interested in sports. After three years, the academy was shut down due the lack of funding. ^[17]

In 2019, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of Bhogeswar's state sports school at the Sports Complex in Guwahati's Sarusajai. Baruah was present during the occasion and said that he was happy to see a sports institute after his name, going on to say "definitely, it's a happy feeling for me. I hope the school will help in nurturing a host of young talents who will be able to represent the country in the long run." ^[18]

Baruah also served as the brand ambassador of Khel Sivasagar Khel of a sports initiative planned under the Soulful Sivasagar campaign adopted by Sivasagar DC M.S Lakshmipriya in 2020. ^{[19] [18]}

Baruah was one of the athletes who carried a torch in a relay in the opening of the 2016 South Asian Games. ^[20]

Personal life

Marriage and family

At the age of 34, Bhogeswar Baruah married Renu Baruah, who is former a teacher and homemaker. They have three children together, a daughter and two sons. His youngest son, Debojit Baruah, died after suffering a stroke and from high blood pressure. Baruah has one granddaughter, through his daughter, and one grandson, through his eldest son. ^[21]

Baruah's younger brother, Purnananda Baruah, a retired police officer, is his only living sibling. ^[4]

Health issues

In his childhood, Baruah nearly died in a tar explosion while he was helping to prepare for the visit of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to inaugurate Sibsagar college. A tar drum exploded while he was heating it and the burning tar splashed across his limbs, and he then jumped into the Joysagar tank to escape the fire, before he was taken to Sibsagar hospital suffering from severe burns. He was later treated by a local healer who helped him recover. ^[22]

After leaving the army, Baruah began experiencing sciatica and was treated in Sibsagar civil hospital and the ONGC hospital. After further hospital admissions and an MRI scan, he was referred to the Apollo hospital in New Delhi where doctors found two compressed nerves and performed spinal surgery on him which he later recovered from. ^[22]

In late 2016, Baruah began suffering from severe pain in his lower right back and after treatment a spot on his kidney was found. Tests in Delhi showed that one kidney had completely failed and he had surgery for kidney removal, but he later developed severe post-surgery complications. ^[22] Baruah was admitted to the Hayat hospital in Guwahati in November 2018, after suffering kidney diseases. ^[23] In January 2023, he was admitted to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation hospital in Sibsagar due to knee pain which left him unable to walk. ^[24]

Baruah later began suffering from amnesia. ^[25]

Legacy

Statue of Baruah in Sibasagar

Recognition

Baruah has been recognised and praised for being the first Assamese athlete to obtain gold at an international level. Balendra Mohan Chakravarty stated "Baruah is the greatest sportsperson Assam has ever produced. He is a pioneer too, being the first athlete from Assam to bring a gold medal for the country from an international meet." ^[15] A biography of Baruah assessed that he was able to achieve success by acknowledging a lot of hardship and sacrifice, and by showing his skills through concentration and perseverance which has made him an icon for the new generation. The biography also asserted that Baruah's hard life struggle proved that having duty, courage concentration intelligence and determination to reach a goal could not hinder any factor. The biography said that Assam would always be proud of Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah's achievement as an Assamese. ^{[9] [26]}

Baruah himself considers the best compliment to be from Milkha Singh in 1986 in which Singh said "you are very lucky. I am called the Flying Sikh, but I doubt even my neighbours know when my birthday is. And here in Assam, your birthday is celebrated with so much grandeur. I really envy you." ^[15]

A statue of Baruah was unveiled on 3 September 2016, which is located at the banks of the Sibsagar Borpukhuri. ^[27]

On the 36th Abhiruchi Sports day, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal tweeted:

"Shri Bhogeswar Baruah is an inspiration for us all and his contribution towards Assam's sports scenario, both as an athlete and coach, is immense."

— Sarbanada Sonowal, 3 September 2019

In 2021, the Assam government under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that Baruah's birthday would be celebrated as sports day in Assam. ^[28] On 3 September 2021, at the Sports Pension Awards Ceremony, Baruah was one of the 13 recipients which Sarma formally handed over pension sanction letters to. Governor Jagadish Mukhi and ministers Bimal Bora and Parimal Suklabadiya were also present at the ceremony. Sarma said that Baruah's life and achievement would continue to inspire upcoming generations. ^[28]

In July 2025, Union Minister and president of the Assam Olympic Association Sarbananda Sonowal announced that a national sports award would created in honour of Baruah. ^[29] Sonowal stated that "legendary achievements" of Baruah represented the "spirit of perseverance and pride of our athletes", and that they intended to keep the legacy alive for "generations to come". ^[30] In August, in an event attended by Sports minister Nandita Garlosa, the trophy was unveiled in a ceremony. ^{[31] [32]} On the Abhiruchi sports day in 2025, Himanta Biswa Sarma formally renamed the Sarusajai sports complex as the Arjuna Bhogeswar Baruah sports complex, ^{[33] [34]} describing Baruah as a "living legend" who continued to inspire the "sporting fraternity". ^[35] The first ever Bhogeswar Baruah national sports awards were held the same day at the Srimanta Sankardeva International Auditorium, where Sarma stated that Baruah was a "trailblazer who proved that determination and discipline can take Assamese talent to the world stage." ^[36] Sarma also described him as "true icon of Indian athletics", and asserted that his "dedication and discipline" would continue to "inspire generations". ^[37]

Eponyms

Eponyms of Baruah include:

• Bhogeswar Baruah State Sports School
• Arjuna Bhogeswar Baruah sports complex ^[38]
• Bhogeswar Baruah national sports award

Honours and awards

Over Baruah's career, he has received numerous awards: ^[9]

• Arjuna Award (1966)
• Lachit Award (2015)
• Bir Chilarai Award (2019), presented by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal ^{[39] [40]}

Books featuring Baruah

• সোণালী দৌৰ, (2019), a biography written by Narayan Bardoloi

See also

• List of Arjuna Award recipients (1961–1969)
• List of National Sports Award recipients in athletics

References

Citations

1. Case Studies on Individual Elite Players & Athletes; .pdf auto-download: shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in'; retrieved May 2014
2. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 23–30
3. Raipalli 2018 , p. 63
4. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 151–158
5. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 55–67
6. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 182–194
7. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 55–66
8. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 67–78
9. "Biography of Bhogeswar Baruah » Dev Library". Dev Library. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
10. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 89–95
11. Bhogeswar Barua Bonus for Assam; STAFF; Monday, 18 July 2005 article; The Telegraph ; accessed May 2014.
12. "MEDAL WINNERS OF ASIAN GAMES". Athletics Federation of India. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
13. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 108–115
14. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 128–139
15. "Making sports a celebration and a tribute - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
16. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 140–150
17. Star Athlete's Dream Runs Off Track; 23 May 2011, 12.23 PM IST article; Times of India online; accessed May 2014.
18. Gani, Abdul (26 February 2019). "Assam to have sports school after its first Arjuna awardee Bhogeswar Baruah". thebridge.in. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
19. "Assam CM lays foundation stone of Bhogeswar Baruah Sports School". NORTHEAST NOW. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
20. Archiman Bhaduri (6 February 2016). "12th SA Games: Digital touch to opening | More sports News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
21. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 158–165
22. Bardoloi 2019 , pp. 166–173
23. "Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah admitted to hospital". www.pratidintime.com. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
24. "Arjuna Awardee Bhogeswar Baruah Admitted to ONGC Hospital". www.pratidintime.com. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
25. Karmakar, Sandeep Phukan & Rahul (29 September 2025). "Zubeen Garg: The atheist who became god". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 13 October 2025.
26. "Buried tale of a once-forgotten hero - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
27. "Sivasagar Celebrates Bhogeswar Baruah's 86th Birthday - The Hills Times". The Hills Times. 4 September 2023. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
28. "CM Himanta Biswa Sarma hands over Sports Pension for 2021-22". Way2Barak. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
29. "AOA to introduce National Sports Award in honour of Bhogeswar Baruah". The Sentinel - of this Land, for its People. 7 July 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
30. "Sports award announced in honour of Bhogeshwar Baruah". The Times of India. 6 July 2025. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 15 October 2025.
31. "Assam Olympic association unveils Bhogeswar Baruah National Sports Award trophy". The Sentinel - of this Land, for its People. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
32. "Assam Olympic association unveils Bhogeswar Baruah National Sports Award trophy". India Today NE (in Hindi). 29 August 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
33. "Sarusajai Stadium renamed after Assam's sporting legend Bhogeswar Baruah". India Today NE (in Hindi). 3 September 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
34. "Sarusajai Sports Complex Renamed After Arjun Awardee Bhogeswar Baruah". The Sentinel - of this Land, for its People. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
35. "Press Trust Of India". www.ptinews.com. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
36. "Manu Bhaker receives inaugural Bhogeswar Baruah National Sports Award". The Sentinel - of this Land, for its People. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
37. "Assam Celebrates State Sports Day Honouring Arjuna Awardee Bhogeswar Baruah". The Sentinel - of this Land, for its People. 3 September 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
38. "Sarusajai Stadium renamed after Assam's sporting legend Bhogeswar Baruah". India Today NE (in Hindi). 3 September 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
39. "Government committed to empower the people of Assam: Sonowal". NORTHEAST NOW. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
40. "Bhogeswar Baruah To be Conferred with Bir Chilarai Award". Pratidin Time. Retrieved 10 May 2022.

Bibliography

• Bardoloi, Narayan (2019). সোণালী দৌৰ[Golden race] (in Assamese). India: Biplab Baruwa.

Raipalli, Manjunath Sahadevappa (2018). A Case Study on Contrbution of Karnataka Hockey Players Towards the Development of Indian Hockey. Lulu Press, Incorporated. ISBN   9781387712373.

External links

Media related to Bhogeswar Baruah at Wikimedia Commons