Ghansham Singh
“Devi Dass Thakur, father of former Chief Justice of India, Justice T.S Thakur, was born on 9th of December 1929, at small Village Batroo, located on the bank of river Madhumati flowing in the lap of Pogal Paristan Valley. He was eminent Constitutional Jurist and Practiced Law in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and also in Supreme Court of India. He also served as Finance and Planning Minister during 1975 to 1982, Deputy Chief Minister during 1984 to 1986 and Governor of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in the year 1990”. D.D Thakur was admitted in a Government Primary School Batroo at the age of 4 years by his father M.R Thakur. After passing his 5th Class examination, his life started getting difficult and he took admission in Government Middle School Banihal and passed his 8th Class in the Year 1941 from Government Middle School Banihal. After passing his 8th Class examination, his father was just thinking to obtain a licence for petition writer for D.D Thakur, but events changed its course, when D.D.Thakur and his father while had gone to a temple in Banihal for paying obeisance came across one person namely, Pandit Hari Bhagat, who was a Purhoit from Udhampur and had visited Banihal in connection with reciting marriage in a Hindu family. Pandit Hari Bhagat was also an Astrologer suggested father of D.D Thakur for sending his son for High School education in Udhampur and also offered a rental accommodation in his residential house located in the Barian Village on the bank of River Devika on the outskirts of Udhampur town. This was really a turning point in the life history of D.D Thakur, who bought him out of the hills of Pogal Paristan and Banihal and Journey of his career started in new direction. On this, D.D Thakur, took admission in Government High School Udhampur in 1944 and completed his Matriculation Examination in 1946. After passing his matriculation examination, his father came into contact with one Ramchand Bhan a Kashmiri Pandit, who was working as a Manager in private Companay (Forest Lessee) and had taken rental accommodation in village Batroo. Ramchand Bhan on the same lines of Pandit Hari Bhagat suggested father of D.D Thakur for sending his son D.D Thakur to Srinagar for College Education and also offered rental accommodation in his residential house located in the Ban Mohalla near Amira Kadel Srinagar. He took admission in Partap College Srinagar in 1946 after a brief stay in the residential house of Ramchand Bhan, started searching room for rental accommodation, but all in vain and finally he managed a small room in the Dharmarth Sarai, inside Dewan Mandir Complex located in Fateh Kadel area of Srinagar and completed his 12th from Sh. Partap College Sringar in 1948. However, life became more tougher and more challenging for Mr. D.D Thakur, when on the one side his father expired and for sometime he managed his expenditure of studies through local Tuitions and on the other hand due to the Tribal invasion in 1947, the situation became very critical and disturbing; even movement became also restricted in the entire Kashmir. He remained stayed inside his small room in the Dewan Temple Complex in Fateh Kadel area. After hearing march of Tribals towards Srinagar side and Martyrdom of Brigadier Rajinder Singh, who was GOC of Maharaja and Col. Narian Singh in Muzzafrabad, while battling with Tribals, he on the one hand was feeling scared of tribal invasion and mass killings by the Tribals and on the other hand he was getting lot of inspiration from martyrdom of Brigadier Rajinder Singh and Col. Narian Singh, being Rajput Military Officer. During this period, he used to visit Amira Kadel and Hari Singh High street for getting update about the latest situation from the tribal invasion from the traders of Baramulla. During 22 October to 26 October, he remained inside his small room in the Dewan Temple Complex and also witnessed first time arrival of Patiala Regiment of Indian Army consisting of Sikh Soldiers, which was known for bravery in the Srinagar Airport in the afternoon of 26th of October of 1947 and further marching towards Baramulla. At the time of Tribal invasion, L.D Thakur was SP Baramulla and Chowdhary Faiz Ullah was Wazir-e-Wazarat of Baramulla. On home front, also when his father M.R Thakur was critically ill and at last breath of his life, and due to the snowfall the Jammu and Srinagar highway remained closed for number of days and he reached Jammu via Kohalla, Muzaffarabad, Rawalpindi, Sialkot and Suchetgarh post. After reaching home, the family and relatives asked M.R. Thakur about his last advice for the family and also fate of D.D Thakur popularly known as Debu, he replied that he is leaving his son and the family at the mercy of God and further advised his wife Dhrupadi, that if D.D Thakur gets a Government job after completing his education, he should be permitted to take away his family with him at the place of his job. But, his father may have never thought that his son will not only be a very popular Advocate of International Repute and a Judge of the High Court for Justice delivery at the state National Level, but will also adorn the highest Constitutional position as a Governor of the State. Though the family was making little plans for securing a government job or source of livelihood for D.D Thakur, the destiny was traversing in its own direction. After passing his Graduation from Amar Singh College Srinagar in 1950 he was appointed as a Head Master in the Central School Pogal in the pay grade of 80-4- 40 with 8 rupees per month graduate allowance. However, not contented with the job of a teacher. Mr. Thakur started another journey of life and took admission in Lucknow University for Bachelor Degree of Law in 1950. His relatives and his elder brother supported him and he took the admission but at the same time he did not want to pose a burden on the family and thus he also took a private part time job as a typist in Kashmir Govt. Art Emporium, Lucknow at the monthly wages of Rupees 60 per month. He completed his Bachelor Degree of Law from Lucknow University in 1954. On 8th July 1954, he was given a warm send off by his college mates , friends from the Charbagh, Railway Station Lucknow. After completion of his LLB (professional) Degree, he reached Pogal Paristan thus becoming first Law Graduate from Ramban Sub Division in 1954. This was an awakening and inspiration to the local youths of the area as result of which lot of the youth got educated from the area. He started his practice initially in Ramban 1954 and finally shifted to Jammu in 1959 for practising in the Jammu High Court. In March 1973, he was elevated as a Judge of Jammu and Kashmir high Court and was administered oath by the then Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Justice, Syed Murtaza Fazli. His belief about justice delivery system was that, justice delivery is a holy duty and above all class of duties. In February 1975, he resigned from the Post of Judge of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and became Finance and Planning Minister in the Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir. One of the architects of single line Administration, a unique model of Administration, adopted by the Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir in mid 70’s for ensuring multilevel supervision and taking administration at the door steps of the peoples, he initiated lot of the policy and procedural reforms into the working of administration after seeking approval of the Cabinet for ensuring accountability, responsibility and corruption free administration. During 1975 to 1982, he while representing the Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir before the Planning Commission, 6th finance Commission during its visit to the Jammu and Kashmir and also National Development council presented a true and clear picture of availability of natural resources in the State and need for harnessing the potential as also challenges facing the State for laying a sound base for infrastructural and industrial development as also balanced regional development of Jammu and Kashmir necessary for progress and prosperity of the Jammu and Kashmir. After demitting his office as Finance Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in the Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir in 1984, he again started his practice in the Supreme Court as a Senior Counsel from 1984 to 1990. In the year 1990, he was appointed as a Governor of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. On 2nd May of 1990, he left for Guhawti, the Capital of Assam and took over as the Governor of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Immediately after reaching Guhawati, he reviewed the working of Government especially the Law and Order Situation with the top brass of Police and Civil Administration. H.N Dass (IAS), then Chief Secretary of Assam accompanied by Home Secretary and DGP briefed him about the overall situation. The issues and challenges at the time of his taking over as Governor was insurgency by ULFAmilitants, protection to the tea cultivators and traders as also the local peoples, losses caused as a result of devastating floods in river Brahamputra, deportation of illegal migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, problem of Jhum Cultivation in Arunachal Pradesh and restoration of confidence among the people about the security. (The writer is JKAS Officer)
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