GUWAHATI, Jan 5 - Asom Kesari Ambikagiri Roychoudhury was a patriot for whom the interests of Assam and its people reigned supreme. He was also a humanist at the same time and it would be a folly to assess him through a narrow prism.
Writer and critic Mayur Bora observed this while delivering the Ambikagiri Roychoudhury Memorial Lecture at Pandit Tirthanath Sarma Bhawan on Tuesday.
�Roychoudhury was a firebrand Assamese nationalist and this gets adequate reflection in his thought and works. Whatever he uttered and did was intrinsically linked to his love and concern for the State and its people. It was also this firebrand Assamese nationalism over which he was sometimes unkindly criticised. He was also a humanist and multi-faceted genius who devoted whole-heartedly to the cause of his motherland,� Bora said.
Bora added that Roychoudhury�s concerns for the issues regarding Assam and its people were relevant today and his ideals should serve as a beacon in today�s disturbed times when Assamese nationalism was at a crossroads. Bora suggested that a statue of the great patriot be erected in the city.
The function presided over by Harekrishna Deka, eminent poet and president of Asom Academy, was also addressed by Gangapada Choudhury, Upendra Nath Sarma, and Dr Amiyo Mohan Das.
The biennial Urmila Das memorial awards were also presented at the function. Aruna Mukherjee, the 101-year-old social worker, was honoured with the award this year.