Assam names Bishnu Rabha, Sati Sadhani and Ajan Pir awardees for 2026 ceremony

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Assam government has announced the recipients for the Bishnu Rabha Award 2026, which will be presented on the occasion of Bishnu Rabha Divas on June 20, 2026. Two more awards – the Sati Sadhani Award 2026 and Ajan Pir Award 2025 – will be presented on the day that commemorates the death anniversary of the legendary Assamese cultural icon, freedom fighter, and revolutionary thinker, Bishnu Prasad Rabha.

Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Borah announced the names of the distinguished individuals who will be honoured with the awards. Given in two categories, the Bishnu Rabha Award 2026 for Dance will be presented to Xattriya culture exponent Manik Borbayan, and the award for Fine Arts will be presented to painter and visual artist Madhusudan Das.

The Sati Sadhani Award 2026 will be presented to distinguished litterateur Gita Upadhyay, a recipient of the Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi Awards. The Ajan Pir Award 2025, a national award conferred for contribution to communal harmony every three years, will be presented this year to Zikir exponent and regular artiste of All India Radio Shamsuddin Ahmed.

In a post on a social media handle, Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Borah wrote, “The Assam government has always honoured individuals who have made unique contributions to society, literature, culture and the arts. Continuing that tradition, I am pleased to announce that the state government will confer several honorary awards this time as well...I extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to each of these distinguished individuals. Under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, our government remains committed to appropriately honouring those who have significantly contributed to the development of society and culture.”

The award ceremony will be held at the Sri Sri Damodardeva International Auditorium within the premises of Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati on June 20, 2026.

Also read: 7 nominated for Bishnu Rabha, Madhabdev and other awards for the year 2023