22/09/2025
Rev. Dr. Borman Roy Shokhia in Remembrance: Church of God, Lalmonirhat, Bangladesh.
Rev. Dr. Borman Roy Shokhia was a very good Christian leader, a great preacher, and a powerful speaker of the Church of God Meghalaya, Assam, and Shillong Missionary Board, India. He was a former student of Union Biblical Seminary (UBS) and later an honored member of its Executive Board.
I came to know him when I was a student in either Class 8 or 9 at the Church of God High School in Lalmonirhat. He often visited our Lalmonirhat Church of God Mission along with Rev. Michael D. Klinner, the Regional Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific region. In my youth, I had brief conversations with him in broken English.
The first thing he ever said to me was, “What is your name?” I replied, “Tapan Borman.” He smiled and said, “My name is Borman Roy.” Then he asked, “What about your surname spelling?” I said, “Borman.” He responded, “Nice, your and my surname is the same.” Then he asked his second question: “Can you take me to your TNT office? I need to make an emergency call to America and Siliguri, India.” Eventually, I took him to the TNT office.
I learned—and already knew—that he had long served as a missionary and senior pastor in the Church of God Siliguri, India. After the death of our National Leader Bangladesh Rev. Robin Das in 1996 due to cancer, Rev. Borman Roy visited the Lalmonirhat Church of God Mission. Even after Mr. Provat Kumar Das took over as the new leader, Rev. Roy continued visiting the Church of God Lalmonirhat mission. I didn’t get a chance to speak with him during those later visits, but we did exchange glances. That was the extent of our brief acquaintance.
Years passed. After I completed my graduation and started working in administration at BSFB (Inter Versity movement) in Dhaka, I heard the tragic news that our second National Leader of the Lalmonirhat Church of God Mission, Mr. Provat Kumar Das, had passed away from a heart attack while en route for medical care. During that critical time for the Lalmonirhat Mission, I returned from Dhaka and joined the mission as Secretary and Treasurer on April 1, 2000.
Later, on December 13, 2000, I made my first official visit to Siliguri, India from Lalmonirhat. However, the visit was at his (Rev. Roy’s) invitation. When I arrived in Siliguri, our conversation began with how we knew each other from earlier times—my brief youthful encounter with him and the few words exchanged back then.
Eventually, he told me why he had invited me. He said there was an unfinished responsibility he wanted to fulfill—something I was already partly aware of. He wanted to introduce me to a potential life partner.
It is worth mentioning, assigning me the responsibility in the Church of God Lalmonirhat Mission, our American missionaries Rev. Dr. Robert Bob and Mrs. Frank Clarke had spoken about Shikha Biswas, who is now my wife. After assigning me the role, during their road trip from Bangladesh to Siliguri, India, they spoke with Shikha’s mother and Rev. Borman Roy about me and entrusted him with the responsibility of arranging our marriage.
Thus, my journey to Siliguri, my visit to Shikha’s home, and everything that followed—including our engagement on January 7, 2001, and our blessed wedding on February 24, 2001, in Siliguri—was all under the kind and noble responsibility of Rev. Dr. Borman Roy Shokhia and his devoted wife, our aunt.
Yesterday, that great pastor, missionary, preacher, and speaker left us all behind and went to be with the Lord—leaving behind his two daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren, and our beloved aunt.
I believe with all my heart that the Lord has taken this great man, His faithful servant, into His eternal rest. I live with the hope that we will meet again—not here, but in the heavenly home that our Lord has promised us all.
These are just a few words in memory of a remarkable man. As Rabindranath Tagore wrote:
“Tumi robe nirabe, hridoye momo...”
(You will remain silently in my heart...)
“Jokhon porbe na mor payer chinho ei ghaate…”
(When my footprints will no longer mark this shore...)
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith". 2 Timothy 4:7
