GUWAHATI, March 9 - In the present times, exercise of literature should be a united movement rather than attempting to select the best one. This observation was made by young Assamese writer Dalim Das here today while delivering his speech after receiving the Munin Borkotoky Literary Award for the year 2017 for his collection of short-stories Hari Jadu Madhu.
The Munin Borkotoky Memorial Trust today gave away the literary award for both 2017 and 2018 at a function held in the Vivekananda Kendra auditorium in the presence of a galaxy of dignitaries.
For the year 2018, the award was given to young literary-critic Dr Debabhusan Bora for his book Nirbasan, which is a collection of articles of literary criticism.
Presenting the award, educationist Upendranath Sarma said, �Munin Borkotoky was a man of letters. He was introvert but socially sensitive. He was a clever critic not only for literature but also for life. He was a complete man and writer and had always raised his voice in need. As a short story writer he had created a trend in the Abahan era of Assamese literature.�
Writer Nirupama Borgohain attended the function as the honorable guest.
As part of the award ceremony, a panel discussion hosted by critic Mousumi Kandali on the topic �Kobitat Golpo, Golpot Kobita� also took place in the same premises.
Speaking at the discussion, poet Anubhab Tulasi said, �Both prose and poetry are part of our epics. Both are interlinked, only because their source of formation is the same human society. But story is more liberal in expression and not disciplined like poem.�
Saying that both prose and poetry are constituents of the epics, he said, �Many writers in the world used to write both prose and poetry and it is the writer who will always decide what to write and in which way. On the other hand, a poet always wants his poem to become a metaphor of social life with a message.�
Critic Arindam Borkotoky, who was also a panelist of the discussion, said, �I discover poetics in everything that attracts me, because poetics always touches our heart.�
He asserted that response of the writer to the surrounding environment will decide whether he will write a poem in a story or a story in a poem.
Another panelist and writer Sanjib Pal Deka said, �We found story in many romantic poems. Moreover, in Assam in some book like Kirtana we found story through poem.�
