Kiran Bala Bora

Kiran Bala Bora (Assamese: কিৰণ বালা বড়া ; 1904 - 8 January 1993) was a freedom fighter and social activist from Assam, India. She is known for her participation in the civil disobedience movements of the 1930s and 1940s, which contributed to the independence of India.

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

India gained independence on 15 August 1947. Later in her life, Kiran tended to her children.

In 1942, the Quit India Movement was announced, and the British were asked to leave the country. "Do or Die" became the slogan of the movement. In response, the British colonial government initiated a crackdown on the movement, arresting tens of thousands of independence activists and keeping most of them imprisoned until 1945.

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.

In 1929, the Lahore Congress 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 British-Indian government. Police stopped the women from participating, and many were allegedly beaten up.

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

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 started involving herself in the activities of the movement and gradually devoted all her time to it. She fundraised to help congress gain momentum in the northeastern part of India. She also worked alongside leaders like Purna Chandra Sharma, Mahidhar Bora, Haladhar Bhuyan, & D. K. Barooah. During this time, she met Chandraprava Saikiani, a writer, social reformer, and freedom fighter from Assam. Kiran established a close relationship with her and worked for social causes under her direction.

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