HT Digital,
Tezpur, Dec 25: Eminent singer Diganta Bharati was conferred the Pankaj Bordoloi Memorial Award at a ceremony held at Bhupen Hazarika Kalabhumi in Tezpur on Tuesday. The award has been instituted for the first time by the Sonitpur district unit of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU).
Accepting the honour, Bharati said he does not believe in luck but in work. “Luck has never helped me, but I have been blessed by people, organisations, well-wishers and admirers,” he said, adding that he was fortunate to have worked for nearly three decades alongside global music icon Zubeen Garg. “Sadly, we have already lost that priceless asset,” he remarked.
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Bharati said the award had “enriched his artistic treasury” and noted Tezpur’s deep cultural legacy, associated with luminaries such as Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha, Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala and Sudhakantha Bhupen Hazarika. He described Pankaj Bordoloi as a “Dronacharya-like mentor”, stating that no other artiste matched Bordoloi in rendering the songs of Jyotiprasad Agarwala, Bishnu Prasad Rabha and Parvati Prasad Barua with such flawless pronunciation and precision. Bharati also recalled the late singer’s valuable advice on music and urged for wider efforts to document and celebrate Bordoloi’s body of work.
As part of the award, Bharati was presented with a xorai,seleng, jaapi,bakul phool, a citation, a memento and a cash prize.
The programme opened with a documentary on the musical journeys of the late Pankaj Bordoloi and awardee Diganta Bharati, followed by a Sattriya dance performance by students of Nupur Nrityangana. Floral tributes were offered to Bordoloi’s portrait by Bharati, Bordoloi’s wife and noted dancer Ruby Bora Bordoloi, AASU vice-president Nitul Bora, district AASU president Abhijit Nath, general secretary Arup Talukdar and other dignitaries.
In his welcome address, Nath described Bordoloi as a committed nationalist artiste who actively engaged with social and national issues. He said the award would continue to be presented annually to distinguished personalities, adding that Diganta Bharati was selected for the inaugural honour following wide consultation.
An emotional Ruby Bordoloi thanked AASU for taking a significant step towards keeping her husband’s legacy alive. “There was a time when I feared we might have to beg for his memory to survive. Today, AASU has stood firmly with courage,” she said, assuring future cooperation. The event also featured performances by Diganta Bharati and a song by Bordoloi’s daughter, dancer and vocalist Violina Bordoloi, paying tribute to her late father.
