HT Correspondent
TEZPUR, Jan 19: To commemorate the doyen of Assamese culture Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala on his 74th death anniversary, the Cultural Affairs Department of the state government centrally organised ‘Silpi Divas’ here at Collegiate Field with a day-long program on Wednesday in association with the Sonitpur district administration.
During the program, the government conferred the Artists Award (Silpi Bota) for the year 2024 on eminent artist Manisha Hazarika, along with seven other distinguished personalities who have contributed significantly to the Assamese socio-cultural and literary world. For the session 2023, three national awards, including the Gopinath Bordoloi Award for national integration, Krishna Kanta Handique Award, and Sukapha Award, were conferred on the eminent journalist Dhirendra Nath Chakravarty, renowned scholar and researcher Dr Pradipjyoti Mahanta, and noted journalist and litterateur Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah, respectively. Noted actress Chetana Das, journalist Prashanta Baruah, noted social worker Dr Malati Baruah, and veteran folk artist Jagadish Barman were honoured with Natasurjya Phani Sarma Award, Dr Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya Award, Sati Radhika Award, and Silpi Sainik Brajanath Sarma Award, respectively. During the program, 60 noted artists were felicitated with artist’s pensions, while annual artist awards were given to 151 artists of the region. Additionally, 10 divyang artists and 10 families of deceased artists were granted one-time financial assistance.
Conferring the awards, state Cultural Affairs minister Bimal Borah, stated that Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala always dreamt of a beautiful society, and the creations of Jyoti Prasad Agarwala continue to inspire the new generation. The minister also launched a book titled ‘Cultural Mosaic of Assam’ during the program. State cabinet minister Ashok Singhal, while addressing the gathering, said that artists dedicate themselves to the overall benevolence of society, and they should be honoured with adequate respect. Tezpur MLA Prithi Raj Rabha, Tezpur MP Pallab Lochan Das, and noted educationist Dr Swadhinata Mahanta also highlighted the contributions made by Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala. The event was attended by Ritubaran Sarmah, vice chairman, AMTRON, director of Cultural Affairs, Government of Assam, Minakshi Das Nath, district commissioner, Deba Kumar Mishra, distinguished social worker, Dipamani Saikia, president of Asam Natya Sanmilan, Kumar Dipak Das, and officials of the Cultural Affairs Department of the state government.