Society / Assam

NEW DELHI, Feb 24— The coveted Jnanpith Award went to Assam for the second time in 36 years today, when Assamese writer Dr Indira Goswami, who is popular known as Mamoni Raisom Goswami was formally conferred the honour at a glittering function here this evening. She is the second Assamese writer after late Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya to be so honoured. Presence of Nobel laureate Sir V S Naipaul at the award presentation ceremony held at the Vigyan Bhavan here was added attraction, even as he joined in paying laurels to Dr Goswami for her writings. Other notable personalities in attendance...

JORHAT, Feb 21— Pitchforked into international reckoning for its unique cultural repository, and presently vying for securing World Heritage Site status under UNESCO, a two-member team of researchers from the British Library’s National Sound Archive (NSA) have just about completed collecting, recording and documenting the variegated music and dance styles prevalent in Majuli river island within Jorhat district. Part of a 17-month project, sound recordist and music researcher Rolf Killius along with associate Ms Jutta Winkler recorded the complex music and dance styles in 12 digital audio-tapes...

GUWAHATI, Feb 19 — Renowned poet of the State, Sri Nilamoni Phukan has been selected as “Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi,” the highest honour of the institution reserved for the immortals of literature. When contacted at his residence here this evening, the poet told The Assam Tribune with humility, “I don’t consider myself to be qualified for such an honour even though I tried my level best with all sincerity and devotion at my command to serve my language and literature for about for decades. May be the award is a recognition to that.”

Sri Phukan, who came to know about the news from TV...

GUWAHATI, Feb 19 — State Government’s bid to improve healthcare in rural areas suffered a serious set-back as out of the 400 doctors recruited recently to man health centres in rural areas, 350 rejected the job offer. Dr Bhumidhar Barman, the Health Minister, informed that out of the 400 selected candidates only 50 honoured the appointment letters issued to them by joining duty in rural health centres. Dr Barman termed the tendency of fresh medical graduates to keep off from rural areas as an alarming development considering that over 80 per cent of the total population in the State live in...

GOYBARI (Kokrajhar), Feb 19 — The Bodo Sahitya Sabha has come a long way since its inception in 1952 and achieved quite a lot of its objectives. Now its main task is to put the Bodo language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Sri Doleswar Boro, president of Bodo Sahitya Sabha, said this today while inaugurating the Sonathi Kampha (golden pillar) at Jwhwlao Swmbla Fwthar here to mark the beginning of the 41st annual conference and golden jubilee celebrations of the Sabha.

Sri Boro said the main focus of discussions in the session will be on the history and development of the Bodo...

KAMALABARI, Feb 17 — Majulials — the people of Majuli, the largest fresh water island on the earth, are now consolidating their unity more and more every passing moment to put up a rock-solid front in their campaign for securing the World Heritage Site status for their unique island, — which is the seat of Assamese Vaishnava culture and religion and a treasure house of diverse ethnicites. The campaign for securing the World Heritage Site status for Majuli is spearheaded by the Majuli Island Protection and Development Council (MIPADC), — an NGO headed by Dr Arun Kumar Sarma, MP. Dr Sarma is a...

KAMALABARI, Feb 16 — Noted conservationist Bruce Jefferies, whose services have been requisitioned by the UNESCO to study the potential and management planning for the World Heritage Site proposal of Majuli island, is of the view that the maintenance of the satras (monasteries) and all of the cultural values associated with the Vaishnavite cult of the island, need, to a great extent, recognition and continues support for their survival. However, Jefferies was speaking on his personal capacity as a conservationist.

Jefferies, who worked in New Zealand, Antarctica, Nepal, Laos and Papua New...

DIBRUGARH, Feb 14 — The three-day fifth Adivasi Mahasabha was held at Sarupathar College in Golaghat district from February 8. The conference was attended by about 15,000 persons from all over Assam. The meet was organised by the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam. At the open session of the concluding day, several Congress leaders attended as guest speakers. They included the Dibrugarh MP, Paban Singh Ghatowar, the Assam Assembly Speaker Prithibi Majhi, MLAs Rupam Kurmi, Aklius Tirkey and Etuwa Munda and the Assam Labour Minister, Rameswar Dhanowar. After inaugurating the open session...

NEW DELHI, Feb 13 — Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Kerala cadre today took over as the new Director General of the National Security Guard. A highly decorated officer, Sri Mooshahary, prior to his latest assignment, was the Director General of Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau in Kerala. Recipient of the President’s Police Medal for meritorious service, he has the distinction of being the first Bodo IPS officer from Assam. This apart, he is also the first IPS officer belonging to the North-east to hold the office of the DG NSG.

GUWAHATI, Feb 13 — The Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) in association with the Customs department has decided to launch an operation to destroy the poppy cultivation along the Assam-Arunachal border area. Highly-placed official sources said today that the operation would be launched in the last week of this month covering Upper Siang and Lohit areas. According to a preliminary survey there are 22.27 hectares of poppy cultivation in the area and it would be covered within 10 days, sources added. Giving the rationale behind the operation, they revealed that the CBN and the Customs department...