| It was November 14, 2022 at New Delhi... My book, Dangor Manuhar Sadhu was awarded with the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Award, 2022.  |
| On the podium, just befor receiving the award, with the Secy. of Sahitya Akademi to my right and other awardees of different regional languages. |
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| Receiving the award from the President, Sahitya Akademi |
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| Receiving the award from the President, Sahitya Akademi |
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| Receiving the award from the President, Sahitya Akademi |
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| Receiving the award from the President, Sahitya Akademi |
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| Warm congratulations by the Secy, Sahitya Akademi |
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Day after the presentation cerimony, I spoke to the audience
about my literary journey. Here are a few lines of my speech- I am an ordinary writer of Assamese which is formed through a tradition of thousand years. The songs, lyrics, the ballads and the fables of this language and the contribution of each of its predecessors are the underlying spirit of my thought and meditation. And I am grateful to my mother who happens to be the first individual to introduce me to this realm of thoughts and ideas. Where does the mankind stand in this humdrum race fueled by unquantifiable human wants? What confusion, with fight between tradition and the desire to change, rife with so many complexities of human mind! How is the relationship among society, individual and the collective life? I have only tried to delve deep into this during the last few years-- an effort to realize society and history with my limited capability. My writings, both past and recent, have dealt primarily with the area of social sciences. This has pushed me to have a voracious hunger for reading across interests and themes. I have done only one thing with mindfulness-- in the process to observe the society I have valued motion over emotion, rationality over whims. Each step in the way to destination is perhaps more valuable than the destination itself. These treatments are what our readers and critics look for, I opine. ... In today’s world of unbound human and societal progress, where a myriad of human thoughts dwell, what can writers of my calibre contribute at large? The answer is perhaps to disseminate thoughts, ideas and reflections... The children are the most harassed folk under the Sun. The physical and mental oppression of them in homes, schools and other social functions have become a simple phenomena. .In retribution of the harm that has been done towards them knowingly or unknowingly, whatever minute and constructive one could do for them, can at best be called an ablution... |