Tarun Ram Phukan, also known as Tarun Ram Phookan and Deshbhakta, was a renowned Indian independence activist and a political leader during the rule of the British Empire in India. Phukan was a well known member of Assam Association, which was a political organization during 1920. He played perhaps the most significant part in the formation of the Assam division of the Indian National Congress Party in the year 1921. Tarun Ram Phukan, who was usually called as Deshbhakta, as appointed as the first President of the Assam branch of Congress. He was also one of the leading members of the Non-Cooperation Movement. He also traveled through different regions of Assam delivering the message of Mahatma Gandhi. He was eventually arrested by the British Indian Police and was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for one year in 1921 for his participation in the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Early Life of Tarun Ram Phukan
Tarun Ram Phukan was born on 22nd January 1877 in Guwahati, district of Kamrup in Assam. He completed his studies from the Cotton Collegiate School in Guwahati and late did his higher studies from the Presidency College, Calcutta (now Kolkata). After the successful completion of his graduation Phukan moved to the Bar from Inner Temple in London. He was educated as a lawyer and also served as Lecturer in Earle Law College in Guwahati as well.

Political Career of Tarun Ram Phukan
Tarun Ram Phukan was appointed as the Chairman of the Reception Committee, Pandu Session of the Indian National Congress party in the year 1926. He was also appointed as the Chairman of the Municipal Board and Local Board of Guwahati and assumed responsibility of various programmes for the development of the under-privileged sections of society. Phukan formed a Leper Asylum in Guahati. Later he became the President of the Assam Sahitya Sabha, which was a premier literary organisation in Assam at its Goalpara Session in the year 1927. He served as the President of the Assam Chhatra Sammelan in 1928 as well. Tarun Phukan was prominent writer and also a great orator.

The Assam Provincial Congress Committee (APCC) was formed in the year 1921 with its headquarters at Guwahati. Kuladhar Chaliha was appointed as the president of the committee. Later Tarun Ram served as the president. The reconstituted APCC elected Phukan, Bimala Prasad Chaliha, Gopinath Bordoloi, Chandranath Sarmah, Kanak Chandra Sarmah and Krishna Nath Sarmah as the members of the AICC. This new committee started in 1921 and invited Gandhi to Assam to proliferate the message of non cooperation amongst the general populace. The visit of Mahatma Gandhi provided remarkable momentum to the workers of the Indian National Congress to carry out the Non-cooperation Movement and execute the Swadeshi principles.

In the year 1926, the All India Congress Committee session was held at Pandu, Guwahati. It was presided over by S. Srinivasa Iyengar and other reputed national leaders, namely Motilal Nehru, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Ballav Bhai Patel, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Shaukat Ali, Muhammad Ali, S. Satyamurti, Sarojini Naidu, Abul Kalam Azad and others attended the session.

Tarun Ram Phukan died on 28th July 1939 at the age of 62 years.