Lachit Barphukan was the brave Assamese general who defeated the mighty Mughals and kept Assam free. In this talk, the speaker talks about how Lachit Barphukan, through his leadership qualities, not only evicted the Mughals from Assam but also successfully defended the Ahom kingdom against an invasion mounted by Aurangzeb to retake Guwahati. The hall mark of this whole campaign was the Battle of Saraighat – a unique battle fought entirely on the river Brahmaputra. Being a merchant navy officer, the speaker tries to understand how the river would have created challenges never seen on land.

About Speaker:

Aneesh Gokhale is a navigating officer in Merchant Navy and pursues writing as a hobby. He has written two books : Sahyadris to Hindukush and Brahmaputra – The Story of Lachit Barphukan. He has written history columns for DNA, Swarajya, India Facts, TFI and other publications. Aneesh has also given talks on over various occasions notably at Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership, (Mumbai), INTACH (Delhi), TCET Talk at Thakur College (Mumbai), Wadia College (Pune) and the Pondicherry Lit Fest. His next book “Battles of Maratha Empire” will be launched soon.