kakati was born at ulabori, a small hamlet in nalbari district, in the northeast indian state of assam, in october 1912 and did his schooling at the kamrup academy, a school born out of nationalistic movement in assam. his graduate studies were at the cotton college, guwahati when he was attracted towards the freedom movement in india and due to his involvement in the civil disobedience movement and agitation against the "cunningham circular" issued by j. r. cunningham, then director of public instruction, which banned student involvement in swadeshi movement, he had to endure incarceration for three months. he was also involved in the student movements and was one of the founder secretaries of the assam university league, which agitated for a separate university for assam.