GUWAHATI, Oct 17 - �The personality traits that motivated Singhapurush Radha Govinda Baruah to take up several onerous challenges and emerge successful, should be promoted among the school and college students of Assam so that his courage and dedication continue to inspire the younger generations.�
Prafulla Govinda Baruah, Editor of The Assam Tribune and son of Radha Govinda Baruah made this observation at a function organised by the Asam Sahitya Sabha on the occasion of the 119th birth anniversary of the architect of modern Assam at the Singhapurush Radha Govinda Baruah auditorium on the Sahitya Sabha office premises here.
Baruah, while speaking as chief guest of the occasion, stated that being a hardworking person, RG Baruah always taught others that nothing was impossible.
�We know him as the person behind many of the path-breaking developments in Guwahati and Assam. But the qualities he possessed that motivated him to take up such arduous tasks are less discussed today,� he said, laying stress on the focus, dedication, discipline, courage, patriotism and personal integrity of RG Baruah.
In keeping with the occasion, the Singhapurush Radha Govinda Baruah Yuba Sahitya Award was conferred on promising author Bishwajyoti Sarmah of Titabor, Jorhat, for his latest novel Neelakanthi based on the lives of eminent educationist Dr Ananda Bormudoi and his wife and an accomplished writer Purabi Bormudoi.
The award comprised a gamosa, a seleng sador, a collection of books, a sorai, a memento and a citation.
Receiving the award, Sarmah said that it was an emotional moment for him to receive the award instituted in the name of one of the stalwarts of Assam.
�This award, which is a recognition to my work, is great encouragement for me besides being a huge responsibility to continue the good work in future as well,� he mentioned.
At the same function, a special honour named after �Bhasha Swahid� Ranjit Borpujari was conferred on Oil India Limited for its role in promoting Assamese language and literature.
Pranjit Deka, Resident Chief Executive of OIL received the award on behalf of his organisation. The award comprised a gamosa, a seleng sador, books, a sorai, a memento and a citation.
While narrating OIL�s role in promoting the Assamese language and literature, Deka mentioned about a translation project taken up by the Asam Sahitya Sabha that had been financially supported by OIL through a contribution of Rs 50 lakh.
As part of the project, 20 Assamese books would be translated into other languages to take Assamese literature onto national and international platforms. Work on ten such books has already been completed.
In another initiative, OIL is giving a training of Assamese language to its non-Assamese officials and staff engaged here to give them a functional knowledge about the language and also to facilitate better communication between the OIL officials and the local population.
Dr Paramananda Rajbongshi, president of the Asam Sahitya Sabha, lauded the role of the Assam Tribune Group for its support to various social and cultural activities besides being a source of authentic and accountable journalism in Assam. He also applauded OIL for its support to the Sabha�s translation project and other initiatives taken from time to time.
The Sabha president said that since the education sector was in the government�s hands, not much had been done to promote Assamese language. Premier institutions like the Cotton University (earlier Cotton College) and Gauhati University have also been ignoring Assamese giving more prominence to English, he added.
He also explained the Sabha�s plan to set up a network of Adarsha Vidyalayas in different parts of Assam where equal importance would be given to Assamese, English and Hindi.
