STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Seven Eminent Personalities have been conferred with National and State Awards by Assam Government on Saturday at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati.
Attending the occasion, Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Bora said that artists and writers have guided our society through the ages. He described artistes as “travellers of light” who carry their creative vision to the global stage through their unique thoughts and expressions.
Two national-level awards and five state-level awards were conferred at the ceremony.
The 2025 Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi National Unity Award was presented to noted litterateur and educationist Dr. Amalendu Chakraborty. The Pandit Pravar Krishnakanta Handique Award was conferred upon distinguished writer and academic Maneswar Deori.
Minister Bora presented both awardees with a citation, a traditional xorai, a gamosa, and cash awards of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh respectively.
Among the state awards, the 2026 Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala Memorial Artist Award was conferred posthumously on eminent Assamese modern and film playback singer Late Samar Hazarika and noted Kamrupi folk singer Dhanada Pathak.
The 2025 Natsurya Phani Sarma Award was presented to playwright Karuna Deka. The Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Award and the Biju Phukan Award were conferred on filmmaker Arup Manna and music composer and director Abani Ranjan Pathak respectively.
Each state awardee received a xorai, a gamosa, a citation, and a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh. During the programme, 80 artists were granted regular artist pensions, 172 artists received annual artist honoraria, and families of five deceased artists were provided one-time financial assistance. Short documentary films highlighting the lives and works of each awardee were screened prior to the award presentations.
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