National Tribal Book Festival concludes in Orang

A Correspondent

TANGLA: “Writing and carving good literature is an art and a craft that needs to be developed through deliberate practice and study over a long period of time. But the recent trend in the literary society of the nation, where a section of people write poetry, prose or novel to get awards under patronage of politicians, is solely responsible for destroying literature.” This was observed by former general secretary of Axam Xahitya Xabha, Dr. Jagadish Patgiri here at Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha Degree College at Orang in Udalguri district on Sunday.

Delivering the inaugural speech on the concluding day ceremony of the three-day long National Tribal Book Festival hosted by National Book Trust of India and Sahitya Akademi, Patgiri further said, “We should not have a conservative and fundamentalist mindset. We should join hands and march ahead for a better society.”

Earlier, the 35th Annual Bodo Writers’ Day programme kicked off with hoisting of flag and homage to martyrs. The Bodo Writers Academy also gave away the Ajha Sukumar Basumatari Literary Award 2019 to Nandeswar Daimari; Asha Rani Mochahary Literary Award, 2019 to Aran Raja Basumatari and Nimati Mochahary Aspiring Writer Award, 2019 to Sushmita Basumtari, at the event on Sunday. The literary awards, besides carrying certificate of recognition, carries cash prize of Rs.10,000, Rs.10,000 and Rs.25,000 respectively.

The second day event witnessed a Bodo Women Poets’ Meet where budding women poets recited their works. It was presided over by the vice-president of Bodo Writers Academy, Bhabani Baglari. National Book Trust of India hosted the tribal writers and publishers meet which was chaired by president of Bodo Writers Association (BWA), Rajen Basumatari and participated by Binny Kurian from National Book Trust; and former president BWA, Dr. Dinanth Basumatari among others. On the concluding day, the young writers and poets also participated in three sessions on short story reading, poetry reading and another titled ‘Why do I Write?’ where seminar papers on genre of fiction, drama and poetry were presented.

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