The two-month-long golden jubilee celebrations of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) splattered through July and August and boomed to the grand finale with an energetic splurge on September 1 throughout India. The Assam Oil Division (AOD) of Digboi was no exception. Whatever be the reason for the choice of September 1 for the concluding bash, Digboi has a strong enough ground for the garish show on that day. It was in September exactly 120 years ago the drilling of Well No. 1 began and the successful completion of the well almost exploded a revolution in the industrial history of India. Oil came to have its sway from now on. About ten years later and one year before the commissioning of the Digboi Refinery, the then Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, made a visit to Digboi on March 7, 1900 and noted that Digboi was “a most interesting and enterprising corner of Her Majesty’s Dominions”.

When on the morning of July 2, the golden ship of IndianOil was flagged off by AOD in the brightly studded Golden Jubilee Complex, packed to more than capacity, I should say, a vibrant Subrato Ghosh, executive director of AOD flanked by AOC Labour Union President, Tarun Hazarika and Officers Association secretary Kishore Dutta, came down from the dias and grabbed the hands of the octogenerian employees of the earstwhile Assam Oil Company Ltd in tearful joy, it became a wonderful “sight to dream and not to tell”, and the floor of the auditorium melted away into a surrealistic sea of timelessness of time! The present melted away into the past and the past woke up to the present.

AOD has come through five important stages of transformation or it has had five births throughout its past history. The first one was its primal, undated birth when some mighty geo-physical copulation planted the sperm of the chemistry of hydrocarbon in the ovum of mother earth millions of years ago and the slow but active quickening inside the dark bowels began. The subsequent births are recent and dated and management oriented. The second birth took place in 1889 upon the successful completion of the Well No. 1 in October of that year under the nursling care of AR&T Company. The third transformation occurred in 1899 with the AR&T Company promoting the Assam Oil Company to take care of its oil concessions in the specific areas under Digboi and Margherita.

The next transformation took place in the management of Assam Oil Company in January, 1921 with the appointment of Burmah Oil Company, which had long been eyeing upon Digboi oil concessions jealously, as ‘commercial and technical managers’ of it. The last birth came off on October 14, 1981 when by an Act of Parliament the Digboi Refinery along with its marketing operations was vested with the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd though allowed to continue as the distinct Assam Oil Division.

The displays and photographic exhibits in course of the golden bi-months caught up the spirit of everwidening horizons of Assam Oil Division’s productive efficiency throughout these different stages of transformations and transfigurations. Care for and aid to the physically challenged throughout the locality, free eye camp and free cataract operations of the sufferers from Digboi and its suburbs in a speciality hospital and free health camp inked the charter of Samaritan activities of the golden period.

The traditional fireworks from Barpeta burst forth to open the celebrations in the Jubilee Field near the Golden Jubilee Complex on July 2. It followed by many more exciting cultural and sports events — night cricket matches, the village school football tourney, the State level badminton championship, felicitation to Mr Universe Mahadeb Deka, variety programmes, an all-Assam school quiz, ‘Indian Oil Idol’ music competition, photography costest, et al. The golden train of events had a golden finish in the golden numbers of Shreya Ghoshal, the Bollywood singer who won this year’s national award for the best singer. Jubilee Field was specially decked up for the event on September 1 that was attended by over 15,000 strong responsive crowd.

Yes, Digboi is invincible with its golden saga of glories and we all must take due care of its heritage. Subrato Ghosh, ED of AOD, seems to be alive to the environmental threats to Digboi. It will be his organization’s choice whether to thrive or to perish in the long run. It is good that he is responsive and committed to massive plantation of trees, afforestation in the hillocks and proper management of the garbage.

Throughout the two-month-long celebrations of the golden jubilee ‘togetherness’ came out as the most pronnounced theme. Maybe the befitting post-script will be “AOD moves forward into the sun-shine future together!” Yet another transformation?

Hitendra Nath Sarma