Books satisfy thirst of intellectual and spiritual wisdom: Ranjit Kakati

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: “Books are our never-failing friends. They stand by us in our weal and woe. They never leave us in the lurch. In fact, they are the milestones on the path of life. They contain the treasures of wisdom. They enrich our minds with knowledge and satisfy our thirst for intellectual and spiritual knowledge. They can bring us to an aesthetic world where the reader can forget the sufferings and miseries of the physical world. They widen our outlook and give us a new direction in life,” stated writer-cum-journalist Ranjit Kakati in Lakhimpur on Thursday. He made this statement while taking part as a resource person of a symposium organized in connection with the second-day agenda of the Managalmoy Book Festival-2020 (Mangalmoy Grantha Utsav-2020) at North Lakhimpur Boys’ Government HS School hostel premises from Wednesday.

Delivering his speech on the topic, ‘The search of the pleasure and grace of life amidst the aesthetic beauty of books’, the resource person said that the devoted reader could realize the aesthetic beauty of good books, which was the catalyst of paving one’s intellectual journey to a blissful life. “Books open before us the windows of knowledge and lay before us the pearls of wisdom. They give us the secret of living on this earth. They console us, guide us and rebuke us when we are in the wrong and open the door of pleasure and bliss for the reader,” he added.

On the other hand, another resource person of the symposium noted artiste Chandra Kamal Gogoi highlighted the importance of reading books as a mirror of society and human civilization.

Notably, book-lovers were seen thronging in the book fair in search of their favourite books and the masterpieces of their favourite writers. The second day’s agenda of the event began with quiz competition, poetry recitation, drawing and essay writing competition among the students. It was followed by the Mangalbodh Jagaran Kendra Award distribution ceremony which was held in a befitting manner. In this special program, the Siksha Saurabh Bota was conferred to Lakhimpur Girls’ College Principal Dr. Surajit Bhuyan for his contribution to the academic revolution of the district by spearheading the women educational institution.

On the other hand, Mangalmoy Sahitya Uttaran Bota was given to Niran Kumar Borah, former assistant general secretary of Axam Xahitya Xabha. Mangalmoy Xahitya Bota was conferred to eminent writers Deepanjali Dutta, Premalota Bhattacharya, Kalpana Dutta Das, Mina Phukan Hazarika, Nripen Phukan, poet Monprabha Hazarika and dramatist Manik Chandra Sonowal. The awardees were feted with a citation, a memento, gamosa and cheleng sador by Mangalbodh Jagaran Kendra.

On the other hand, noted academician Padma Sarmah Baruah released a book titled Mahamaya, which is the collection of selected short stories by Uday Sankar Hazarika.

In the evening, a cultural function was organized with the participation of vocal artists wherein ethnic cultures of various communities living in the State were also showcased by various cultural groups.

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