Theng Fakhri: Assam's First Woman Tehsildar

In the quaint corners of Assam's Goalpara district, the Bongaigaon district (probably Dhubri district too), and the three enchanting Barak Valley districts, the Tehsildari system has persisted through the corridors of time. This august office finds itself inextricably linked with the hallowed precincts of the Revenue Circle Officer's domain. Herein, the mantle of Tehsildar is graciously borne by the esteemed Revenue Circle Officer, assisted by a retinue of two or three diligent subordinates.

In the annals of Assam's bureaucratic history, a remarkable figure emerges, shattering the glass ceiling of convention. Theng Fakhri, an intrepid Bodo lady of unparalleled courage, etches her name as the pioneer among women Tehsildars. The first woman Tehsildar of Assam. History unfolds its pages to reveal that it was the discerning gaze of the British that appointed her to this distinguished role, hailing from Bijni area.

                                       

The indomitable spirit of Theng Fakhri finds its voice in the literary tapestry woven by the venerable Dr. Indira Goswami, a luminary adorned with the Gyanpith Award. Her work, 'Theng Fakri Tehsildaror Tamor Torowal,' (The Bronze Sword of Thengphakri Thesildar) stands as a testament to the extraordinary journey of Theng Fakhri, the trailblazing inaugural Indian Woman Tehsildar. 

The book celebrates the legacy of a brave Bodo lady; when young widows are burnt alive with their husband by force she was collecting taxes galloping on her horse shooting man eating tiger. In the epoch when the purdah system sought to retrogress the advancement of all young ladies, pushing them to the shadows of backwardness, she was silencing all the voices of a misogynist society with her actions and bravery by participating in India's freedom struggle putting on a hat on her knee length black hair.

The bronzed sword of Theng Fakhri not merely muted the cacophony of societal ills, but also aspired to forge a realm where the bedrock principles of society resonate with the values of acceptance and equality.