OUR CORRESPONDENT
TEZPUR: The biennial session of Tezpur’s historic Ban Theatre concluded successfully on Sunday. Meanwhile, the election process for the Executive Committee for the upcoming term of the 125-year-old institution steeped in the legacy of legendary cultural icons such as Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala, Kalaguru Bishnuprasad Rabha, Natasurya Phani Sarma, Mancha Konwar Chandradhar Goswami, Sudhakantha Dr Bhupen Hazarika, and many other pioneers of Assam was conducted through a fully democratic process. The voting process began yesterday evening under the supervision of noted educationist and former president of Ban Theatre Mahendra Nath Keot, who served as the Election Observer. Under the active leadership of Chief Election Officer Nirmal Kalita, voting was held from afternoon onwards, with around 263 members casting their votes. After the completion of polling, counting continued late into the night, and the results were formally declared at 4 a.m.
According to the election results, former president and eminent lyricist composer Bankim Sharma has been re-elected as president. Former vice-president Bhabananda Das and senior actor as well as central vice-president of the Assam Natya Sanmilan Mrigen Chandra Bora were elected as vice-presidents. Actor Jitumoni Debachoudhury was re-elected as general secretary. Former executive members Pankaj Barua and Devabrata Sharma were elected as secretaries.
Senior actor Bhupen Sharma was elected unopposed as general manager. Cultural activist Sanjay Krishna Gohain Barua was elected as music secretary, Jyoti Prasad Goswami as treasurer, and Kulen Bora as stage secretary. Former office-bearers Bhupen Barua (librarian), Manoranjan Mahanta (auditorium manager), and Kishore Sharma (green room manager) were all elected unopposed. Bikram Kumar Bora was nominated as auditor. Addressing the media, newly elected president Bankim Sarma expressed gratitude to all members for the successful conclusion of the biennial session and the smooth conduct of the democratic election process. He stated that the new committee would work actively to nurture a new generation of responsible cultural torchbearers from the historic platform of Ban Theatre. Emphasizing the role of the institution in safeguarding national and cultural life, he affirmed that Ban Theatre would remain ever vigilant in confronting any challenges posed to the Assamese language, literature, and culture.
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