The Commerce Day was observed in the Chandramohan Medhi Hall of Tezpur College on 30th May on the occasion of the 102nd death anniversary of the eminent businessman and philanthropist, Sadagar Bholanath Barua. The event commenced with the ceremonial lighting of a lamp in front of his portrait by Dr. Manoj Kumar Hazarika, Principal of Tezpur College, followed by tributes from Prithviraj Rabha, MLA of Tezpur Legislative Assembly Constituency; Shantanu Barua, President of the Assamese Language Development Association; Binanda Bora, President of the Assamese Business Development Council; entrepreneur Hemanta Lahkar; as well as faculty members, students, and other attendees.
In the inaugural speech, Dr. Manoj Kumar Hazarika emphasized that along with various institutions, educational institutions should also observe Commerce Day on May 30 to inspire the younger generation to engage in business and trade. The MLA supported the initiative for the Assam government to officially recognize May 30 as Commerce Day.
The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Kangkan Deka, Head of the History Department at Darrang College. He shed light on how Momai Tamuli Borbukan enabled villages to be self-sufficient during the Ahom reign and facilitated public capital formation. He also highlighted that Maniram Dewan was executed not merely as a freedom fighter but because he was considered a business competitor by the British government.
Shantanu Barua proposed that the Skill University in Mangaldoi should be named after Sadagar Bholanath Barua, while Binanda Bora stressed the importance of protecting local markets and agricultural lands.
On Commerce Day, several entrepreneurs were felicitated, including Rajashree Goswami, co-founder of Vox-Pop Daily; Shankar Das, owner of Niramay Hotel; Pranjal Das, proprietor of Unisec Salon; Niranjan Katila, owner of the bookstore Chatr-Bandhu; Kaustabh Goswami, founder of Panchai Agritech Private Limited; and Kasturi Sharma. Each was honored with a ceremonial shawl and a certificate of appreciation.
The event concluded with Surajita Bora, a faculty member of the Education Department at Tezpur College, leading the proceedings, while academic leader Nutan Patangia presented tokens of appreciation on behalf of the Commerce Department.
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