GUWAHATI, Dec 31 ? The Assam Valley Literary Award for the year 2003 will be conferred on noted litterateur Nirupama Bargohain. The award, instituted by the Williamson Magor Education Trust, will be presented to Bargohain in a function to be held in March next year.
The award, instituted in 1990, is given every year to an Assamese author for creative writing and literary contribution to Assamese literature, said a release of the Williamson Magor Education Trust.
Born in Guwahati in 1932, Bargohain obtained her MA degree in Assamese from Gauhati university and in English from Calcutta University. She worked as lecturer in various colleges before becoming the editor of weekly Sanchipat and fortnightly Chitrangada. She is one of the most prolific writers in Assamese literature and to her credit she has 30 novels, 16 short story collections, nine essay collections, five translated works, three children?s books, three travelogues and an autobiography.
In recognition to her contribution to Assamese literature, Bargohain has been awarded the Saswati award by an organisation in Bangalore for her novel Anyajiban in 1987, Asam Sahitya Sabha Basanti Devi award for the same novel in 1988, Asam Sahitya Sabha Hem Baruah award for the novel Abhiyatri in 1983, Sahitya Akademi award for the same novel in 1996, Prabina Saikia award in 2000, the Ambedkar Award in 2002 and the Adaitwamalla Barman award from the Tripura Government in 2003.
Bargohain?s Sahitya Akademi award winning book has been selected as a textbook by the Karnatak University. Many of her works have been made into telefilms and serials by the Doordarshan.