Guwahati: The ‘Dhakapatty’ area in Assam’s Nagaon town has been officially renamed “Rupkonwar Chowk” in honour of Assamese cultural doyen Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, following instructions from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, a noted playwright, songwriter, poet and freedom fighter of Assam, is popularly called ‘Rupkonwar’ (prince of beauty).
The name “Dhakapatty” originated in the 19th century from labourers brought from Dhaka, now the capital of Bangladesh, by the British for various skilled works.
Nagaon District Commissioner Devashish Sharma on Tuesday ceremonially declared to rechristen the name of Dhakapatty in the heart of Nagaon town in central Assam to Rupknowar Chowk as per a collective decision of esteemed local citizens.
“As directed by the Assam CM and following advice from eminent personalities, the decision of renaming the Dhakapatty area as Rupkonwar Chowk was taken unanimously in the fond memory of Assam’s noted cultural icon,” Sharma said.
The age-old street area, starting from RD Store point to Sayar Store point, is rechristened as Rupkonwar Chowk from erstwhile Dhakapatty, he added.
“The name of the street area, starting from Sayar Store towards the greater Barabazar area, is also renamed as ‘Barabazar’ instead of Dhakapatty,” the DC said.
“Today, we corrected a historical wrong by changing the name of Dhakapatty in Nagaon as Rupkonwar Chowk as a tribute to the cultural icon. The message is CLEAR- Assam stands for PEACE & COEXISTENCE. Any attempt to ghettoise an area and bring lawlessness will NO MORE BE TOLERATED,” CM Sarma posted on X.
The district commissioner stated that the government’s decision has been widely welcomed by the public.
“People from every walk of life in Nagaon district have welcomed the government’s decision to rename the said area after Assam’s pride Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala instead of the capital of Bangladesh,” Sharma claimed.
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He has requested local traders to rewrite the name as ‘Rupkonwar Chowk’ in the signboards of commercial establishments in the locality within the next one month.
He also informed that a circle will be constructed at the newly named Rupkonwar Chowk point after a detailed discussion with the Nagaon Municipal Board and the departments concerned.
