HT Correspondent
SIVASAGAR, April 10: Noted litterateur, poet, lexicologist, compiler of Assamese Mising dictionary, former professor, and former principal secretary of Asom Sahitya Sabha Nahendra Padun was conferred the ‘Sivasagar Ratna’ award by Sivasagar Jila Sahitya Sabha in association with its primary units. In a meeting held for the purpose in Juva Dal auditorium, Dr Basanta Kumar Goswami conferred the award and spoke in length on the singular contributions of Prof Padun in many genres of literature, primarily in Mising study and understanding theoretical aspects of constructivism and Deconstruction. Goswami said that Padun began his literary career from his primary school in remote Rig Bi Mising village in Murkongselek where most people did not know Assamese. Padun had to strive hard to learn the Assamese language and after a long struggle for recognition as a writer, Padun became a colossal figure in Assamese language and literature by dint of exemplary dedication and hard work, he added.
Goswami profusely appreciated Nahendra Padun as a disciplinarian as he had been closely associated with him when Padun was the editor of the Asom Sahitya Sabha Patrika for four years and secretary of the Sabha for five consecutive years. Goswami is hopeful that Asom Sahitya Sabha will consider him to be the next president by way of recognising his invaluable literary contributions as well as selfless service. Padun was in fact the most revered literary person among the Mising people and has hugely contributed to Mising studies.
Padun in his speech thanked the organisers for showering love and respect on him and said that he will remain indebted to the people of the district. Padun categorically said that the Central Government’s overt attempt to impose Hindi language on the people of the state will soon create enmity and hatred for the language itself and will destroy the creative culture. He cited the example of Arunachal Pradesh and said that when Assamese was the language of the medium, a number of writers like Lummer Dai were born but when Hindi was imposed by the Centre, the creative culture among the people dried up.
Juga Gogoi, president, Sivasagar Jila Sahitya Sabha, said that Nahendra Padun has not been given his due honour yet. Sivasagar Jila Sahitya Sabha earlier on Nov 29, 2015, published his felicitation volume in a well attended public meeting in Sivasagar Natya Mandir. Santosh Dutta, the secretary delivered the welcome address and Rumin Baruah did the anchoring. The meeting was attended by a large number of intellectuals and senior citizens of the town.
