Cultural icon remembered in Assam

GUWAHATI, January 17: Rich tributes were paid to cultural patriarch Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwalla on the occasion of Silip Divas, his 53rd death anniversary, today. The central function was observed at Tezpur under the aegis of directorate of cultural affairs in collaboration with the Northeast Cultural Centre, Calcutta. Speaking at a meeting held at the District Library auditorium there, state industries minister Gunin Hazarika and agriculture minister Chandra Mohan Patowary recalled Rupkonwar's contribution towards the formation of the greater Assamese society and ethos. As a part of the day-long commemoration, Artiste Awards for 2001 were presented to the Dilip Sharma and Prafulla Bora. Several other leading artistes were also felicitated. Earlier, rich tributes were paid to Rupkonwar at a solemn function held at his ancestral residence. The day was also observed by different student and youth organisations. Silpi Divas was also marked by competitions of Jyoti Sangeet and recitation of his poems in different parts of the state. Net chat: Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta today fended off a barrage of queries from netizens during an online question-answer session at New Delhi. Mahanta was asked 28 questions on various issues, including the recent mass killings, Illegal Migrants (Determinaiton by Tribunals) Act, drug trafficking, infiltration and the state's economy, an official release said here. Replying to the questions, Mahanta sought the people's cooperation in solving the various problems of the state. Earlier in the day, Mahanta attended the golden jubilee celebrations of the Election Commission at Vigyan Bhavan. He was accompanied by his wife and Rajya Sabha MP Jayashree Goswami Mahanta, state ministers Biraj Sharma, Pradip Hazarika and Nurul Hussain.