TEZPUR, Dec 21 - Two noted artistes of the state � music composer JP Das and director Santwana Bordoloi � were honoured with the Ram Prashad Bhuyan-Bhuleswari Bhuyan and the Jitendranath Bhattacharya-Bimala Bhattacharya Memorial Awards, respectively, instituted by frontline cultural platform Chatak at a function held in Tezpur on Sunday evening.
Chatak has been conferring the two awards since 2009 on people who have made remarkable contributions in the cultural field in the state. The recipients were presented a cash award, a citation, a memento and a seleng sador.
The awards were presented by litterateur and Sahitya Akademi award winner Gyan Pujari, who lauded the team of Chatak for organising the event to give due recognition to the cultural figures of the state.
Congratulating the recipients, Pujari said their contributions have strengthened the Assamese culture. �Folk culture is the main pillar and mirror of a cultured nation and we see those elements reflected in the work of noted cultural explorers like Dr Santwana Bordoloi and JP Das. Das is not simply a musician or a singer, rather he is a musical thinker who has been able to show the right track to newcomers,� he said.
After receiving the award, Santwana Bordoloi shared her experience on how she got involved in both the literary and cultural worlds. �In 1996, I made my directorial debut with Adajya (The Flight) at the age of 48. It was based on Mamoni Raisom Goswami�s novel Dontal Haatir Uiye Khowa Haoda and won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Assamese, and was also showcased at various international film festivals.
The two-decade gap between my films gave my critics the space to call me a �one-film wonder�. However, I came out with Maj Rati Keteki in 2017, which also won an award for Best Assamese Feature Film at the 2017 National Awards. Film star Adil Hussain won the Nargis Dutt Award at the 64th National Film Awards for acting in this film.�
She said she was overwhelmed with the honour given by Chatak at a culturally enriched place like Tezpur.
Meanwhile, JP Das said that the 1970s was a golden time for Assamese music. �Since then, I have witnessing many talented people in this line who have been working with utmost dedication,� he said.
In the programme, five promising artistes of Tezpur � radio artiste Durgamoyee Bora, Bhaskar Mounosh, Dixit Mahanta, Annessa Kanchan Bora and Kamakhya Bora � mesmerised the audience with their performances. The event was attended by Chatak president Anil Kumar Bhattacharya, secretary Bhabani Bhuyan and a few dignitaries.