GUWAHATI, Sept 11 � The nascent Assam People�s Welfare Association (APWA), Trans-Yamuna NCR (East Delhi), celebrated the tithi of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva on September 6 at the Indira Kala Kendra, Noida, with cultural programmes and traditional naam-prasanga, showcasing the rich Sattriya cultural heritage of Assam initiated by Srimanta Sankardeva, stated a press release.
Association adviser Kamal Chandra Dutta inaugurated the cultural programmes at a function in which Association vice president Dr BK Sarma welcomed the guests and the audience. Dr Sarma said that the main objective of the observance was to generate awareness among the members of the young generation about the great cultural and literary heritage left behind by the Mahapurush and the contributions he had made for the development of the Assamese society into a homogenous one.
The cultural programmes started with the recitation of a self-composed poem by Chandan Barman on Sankardeva. This was followed by an audio-visual presentation on the life and works of Srimanta Sankardeva for the benefit of the Assamese children born and brought up outside Assam and also for those members of the audience who were not from Assam.
The rendition of a Sankardeva-composed borgeet by Rupanjali Deka added to the solemnity of the function. It was followed by the recital of a Sattriya dance, Krishna Vandana, by accomplished Sattriya exponent Preetilekha Choudhury, which enthralled the audience. The climax of the evening was a dance drama � Haradhanu Bhanga � presented in the ankia style by the members of the APWA under the direction of Preetilekha Choudhury.
The cultural programme was followed by the announcement of the names of the winners of the national-level essay competitions and on-the-spot drawing competitions organised by the APWA on the occasion of the tithi. The winners of the all-India level essay competitions are � Category I (Class V-VII): first: Akankhsa Bora, Sankardeva Sishu Niketan, Jorhat; second: Anushka Barman, DPS, Noida; third: Tuhina Baruah, VKV, Sivasagar; Category II (Class VIII-XII): first: Manash Pratim Talukdar, Barbari High School, Nalbari; second: Pranami Ojha, Green Wood School, Majuli; third: Animesh Das, DPS, Duliajan.
Plaban Gogoi, an APWA member, offered the vote of thanks at the end of the cultural programmes. This was followed by naam prasanga by Putul Saikia and his group.
