GUWAHATI, Aug 8 � The Gariyoshi-Chandraprasad Saikia Short Story Award 2013 was given to three young writers for their prowess in writing short stories, at a programme organised at the Kanaklal Baruah auditorium of the Assam State Museum today.
The competition was organized in memory of the founder editor of the pioneer literary magazine Gariyoshi and renowned writer and journalist Chandraprasad Saikia.
Speaking as the chief guest of the occasion, Dr Birendranath Dutta, educationist and former president of the Asom Sahitya Sabha said that apart from being a powerful writer himself, CP Saikia was a creator of writers, who inspired others to write.
Sharing his personal experience with Saikia, he lauded the effort of the organisers of the award in inculcating the spirit of creative writing among the young writers.
Anupam Aabishkar Gogoi was given the first prize for his story Bastab Charitra. For her story Aaul, Kabita Karmakar bagged the second prize, while Niloy Nilim Deka got the third prize for his story Boom.
Noted writer Phanindra Kumar Debchoudhury, speaking as the distinguished guest, expressed concern at the decreasing interest on literature among the younger generation. �Due to the rapid inroads of science and technology, which has given numerous entertainment options, people are reduced to multi-tasking animals, with little time to get in to the depth of creative literature,� he said.
Editor of Gariyoshi Dr Lakshmi Nandan Bora, who presided over the function today, said that lack of consistency among the young writers was not a good sign for Assamese literature. �Being an editor, I come across write-ups of young writers everyday. My suggestion to them is to concentrate more on the content and language of the story rather than the technical forms and patterns. A writer must have a strong command over the language but her/his writing must touch the heart of the readers also. How well one can convey the message of the story, determine the success of the writer,� he added.
Dr Pranjal Sarma Basistha, judge of the competition, also shared his experience of judging the competition. �We received 47 entries for the competition, of which 10 were shortlisted. Apart from freshness of content, many positive aspects of the young writers came into light while judging the contest. However, it was also noticed that most of the writers focused on experimenting with the form of the story, rather than expressing their feelings. A better command over the language would help the young writers in the long run,� he said.
Convenor of the competition, and a senior sub-editor of Gariyoshi, Ankur Deka, anchored the programme.