Padma Shri Gita Upadhyay, prominent educator and writer, dies in Tezpur
Gita Upadhyay, an educationist, writer and founder president of BGP’s Assam State Committee, died at her residence in Chandmari, Tezpur. Last rites will be held
Padma Shri awardee Gita Upadhyay, a noted educationist and writer, died at her residence in Chandmari, Tezpur, on Monday night. She was 87. According to the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP) Assam State Committee, she passed away at around 9:10 pm after age-related ailments.
A BGP delegation led by working president Thandi Newar visited her home to pay tribute and offer condolences to her family. The delegation draped the BGP flag over her glass casket and observed a minute’s silence.
Contributions to education and the Indian Gorkha community
Upadhyay was born on February 14, 1939, at Gangmouthan in the then Darrang district, now in Biswanath district. She was the granddaughter of freedom fighter Babu Chabilal Upadhyaya, who was the first elected president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee.
In her career, Upadhyay worked as the head of the Department of Political Science at Sibsagar College. She was also described as the first woman from Assam’s Gorkha community to obtain a postgraduate degree. Members of the BGP said she played a key role in establishing and expanding the organisation, while also contributing to the Indian Gorkha community.
Honours for translation and literature
Upadhyay received the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize in 2012 for translating the Assamese classic Karengor Ligiriinto Gorkha into Darbarki Susare. In 2016, she was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for her Gorkha-language novel Janmabhumi Mero Swadesh, based on the life and struggles of her grandfather.
She was conferred the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2025. Earlier this year, the Assam government awarded her the Sati Sadhani Literary Award. The BGP also honoured her with the Rashtriya Gorkha Gaurav Samman in 2024. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed grief over her death, describing her as a distinguished educationist and an eminent litterateur who enriched Assamese and Nepali literature.
The BGP Assam State Committee has declared a week-long mourning period. The Sonitpur district administration said Upadhyay’s last rites will be held with full state honours in Tezpur on Wednesday morning.
