HT Correspondent
TEZPUR, Dec 18: The century-old Asomiya Club of Tezpur on Tuesday conferred, for the first time, the Sahitya Kandari Padmanath Gohain Barua Memorial Award on Arjuna awardee and veteran sports icon Bhogeswar Baruah at a solemn function held on the occasion of the 154th birth anniversary of eminent litterateur, educationist and social reformer Padmanath Gohain Barua.
Padmanath Gohain Barua, the first president of the Asam Sahitya Sabha and a pioneer of physical culture in Assam, authored the seminal work Deshi Kacharat in 1904 and was regarded as a leading educationist of his time. The award, instituted in his memory to honour outstanding contributions to literature, culture, theatre and sports, comprised a citation, a memento, a traditional gamosa, an eri shawl, a fulam japi and a cash prize of Rs 50,000.
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The award was presented to the 86-year-old Bhogeswar Baruah by office-bearers of the Asomiya Club, including president Aruna Devi, vice-president Pankaj Kumar Bora, secretary Anu Devi Mahanta, joint secretaries Narayan Borthakur and Bhupen Sarma and former secretary Chittadev Sarma, among others. Several organisations, including Baan Theatre, Tezpur Sahitya Sabha, Asamiya Bhasha Unnati Sadhini Sabha, Padmanath Gohain Barua Branch Sahitya Sabha, Tezpur District Sports Association and various district-level sports bodies, also felicitated Baruah on the occasion.
Receiving the honour, Bhogeswar Baruah recalled moments from his sporting career and said an inner, almost divine, strength had often guided him during crucial competitions against national and international opponents. He urged young athletes to pursue sports with discipline and dedication, pointing out that the present generation enjoys far better platforms and facilities. He also expressed his willingness to continue training young sportspersons and concluded his address by singing a line from a Bihu song, drawing warm applause from the audience.
Delivering the keynote lecture on “Padmanath Gohain Barua’s Contribution as an Educationist”, distinguished author and North Lakhimpur University faculty member Dr Arabinda Rajkhowa described Padmanath Gohain Barua as Assam’s first educationist in the true sense. He highlighted Gohain Barua’s pioneering role in textbook writing, teacher training and children’s literature, noting that Shikshabidhi was the first teacher-training manual written in Assamese. Dr Rajkhowa also called for renewed efforts to publish the second volume of Gohain Barua’s collected works.
Earlier, Asamiya Bhasha Unnati Sadhini Sabha president Santanu Barua outlined the objectives of the Padmanath Gohain Barua Birth Anniversary Celebration Committee, jointly formed by six leading cultural organisations of Tezpur. In her welcome address, Asomiya Club president Aruna Devi said the memorial award would be presented biennially to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to society.
The programme began with the rendition of a group song composed by Padmanath Gohain Barua, conducted by his grandson, noted musician Sanjay Krishna Gohain Barua. A documentary titled Kandari Padmanath, written by Santanu Barua and directed by theatre artiste Bhupen Sarma, was also staged, featuring performances by actors Ujjal Saikia and Biplab Sarma.
At the outset, Bhogeswar Baruah unveiled a full-length portrait of Padmanath Gohain Barua created by renowned artist Mrigen Kalita. Members of the Gohain Barua family, including Pori Gohain Barua, Uday Krishna Gohain Barua and Sanjay Krishna Gohain Barua, paid floral tributes to the portrait. The vote of thanks and brief introductions of the awardee and the keynote speaker were delivered by Anu Devi Mahanta and Dr Pallab Bhattacharyya, secretary of the Tezpur Sahitya Sabha, respectively.
