1.

Eminent painter Ajit Sheel and dancer Gopal Krishna Goswami will be conferred with the 2023 Bishnu Rabha Awards.

Bishnu Prasad Rabha’s death anniversary will be celebrated at Jagrapar Stadium in Dhubri district on June 20. The Cultural Affairs Department, Assam is organizing the event in collaboration with the Dhubri District Administration. The event will also feature various workshops and competitions to celebrate the life and works of Kala Guru Bishnu Prasad Rabha.

The Bishnu Rabha Awards are given to honour and recognize individuals who have made invaluable contributions to the state’s arts, culture, society, and literature.

2.

 Sri Madhavdev Award 2022 – Eminent author Arup Kumar Dutta

Born at Jorhat in Assam on 2nd July, 1946, to Girish and Indira Dutta, Shri Dutta completed his Senior Cambridge from the Lawrence School, Sanawar, and B.A. and M.A. from Ramjas College and Delhi University. He returned to Assam to take up teaching for sometime even as he commenced his writing career. With his books such as The Kaziranga Trail and Unicornis attaining success at a global level, he could give up teaching and take to full time writing and freelance journalism.

His longer works of fiction include The Anagarika’s Swansong, The Bag, Red Camellia – Green and The Ahoms, the last being an imaginative account of a dynasty which ruled the Brahmaputra Valley for six hundred years. His novels have received critical acclaim both at home and abroad.  Based as they are on meticulous, investigative research and documentation, his non-fiction books for adults exhibit the true journalistic ethos and also testify to his scholarship and erudition. These include The Brahmaputra (published by the National Book Trust, India and formally released by then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at New Delhi), Unicornis – The Great Indian One Horned Rhinoceros (formally released by animal-activist Smt. Maneka Gandhi in New Delhi), The Final Frontier, The Roving Minstrel, Cha-Garam, Hammer Blow, Pothorughat,Gauhati High Court- HistoryandHeritage, etc.

Source: His personal website

3.

  Bir Chilarai Award 2022 – Shaheed Bhaskar Kalita Dev

The Bir Chilarai Award is regarded as the highest honour for Assam’s NCC Cadets. The State Sports Directorate has been conferring the award every year since 2005-06 and the award comprises a medal, certificate signed by the Chief Minister, and a cash award of Rs 25,000. It is awarded every year to four best cadets of each Division/Wing of the NCC.

4.

  Kalicharan Brahma Award 2023 – Dr. Tiyathi Zameer

ABOUT GURUDEV KALICHARAN BRAHMA

The great social reformer Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma was born at Kazigaon village in the District of undivided Goalpra on 18th April 1860. Now his birth place is under Kokrajhar district of B.T.A.D. His father’s Name was Kaulram Mech and Mother’s was Randini Mech. Kaularam was a timber merchant and one of the rich persons of those days. From the childhood Kalicharan was a very intelligent, honest and thoughtful. He founded a new religion called “BRAHMA DHARMA” in 1906 and he is reverentially called “GURUDEV” or “GURU BRAHMA” by Bodo people of lower Assam along Brahmaputra river. He also became a great religious preacher of Brahma faith and brought over revolutionary changes in Bodo society by his continuous and sustained programme of reformation.

By the end of the 19th century and the early part of 20th century, the Bodo society was also politically degradation. The young Kalicharan Brahma could perceive the deplorable condition of the Bodos who were bogged down with social practices due to which the commitments despised them and he believed that Bodos are the original inhabitants of Assam. Later Kalicharan realized that Bodo society would have to be reformed. The Bodos were annoyed by other societies for their bad habits and ill practices. They were addicted to Jou, Rice bear and bad habits. Later Kalicharan Brahma achieved success in bringing changes among Bodo society in many fields by preaching his religious faith and principles and for which he was known as “GURUDEV”

The basic ideology of “Brahma Dharma” preached by Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma is one “GOD” in the form of “FIRE” Fire is Brahma and Brahma gives live to the entire earth and all its begins. Brahma is Universal, endless. Where there is Brahma, There can be Found SATYA or TRUTH.

5.

  Sonit Konwar Gajen Baruah 2023 – Eminent Folk Artist Nakul Das

About Gajen Baruah

It is for dedicated service and relentless endeavour of a number of people from yester years that the Barechaharia Bhowna Mahotsav of Jamugurihat, the most spectacular and magnificent festival of drama in the state, has achieved its present stature and popularity. Sonit Konwar Gajen Baruah is one of those exponents whose endeavours have led this grand community festival to its present shape and form. The man who kept himself busy throughout his life in service of goddess Saraswati equally excelled in art, dance, drama, and music. Besides making attempts to popularize the gifts of Srimanta Sankardev among the youths of diverse communities at home and abroad, he wielded his pen to make the world aware of the existence of such a unique festival of dance, music, and drama, which has its roots in the rich Vaishnavite culture of the state. It is for his contributions that the people outside Assam learned about the festival and came to see it up close with their own eyes. When hatred, violence, suspicion, and prejudice loom large over society and the invisible walls of communalism are raised to isolate man from man, Barechaharia Bhowna of Jamugurihat flickers rays of hope and conveys the message of unity and brotherhood across the country. He just expected it to be achieved through the apolitical means of art and expressed the same through his speeches and writings. Sonit Konwar Gajen Baruah rightly felt the strength of such mass celebrations as Barechaharia Bhowna and dedicated years of his life to using it for unification in the society. Gajen Baruah was greatly inspired by the ideals of Srimanta Sankardeva, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, and Bishnu Rabha and devoted his spirit and creative faculty to the creation of a society based on the principles of equality and brotherhood. As an artist, he was aware of the potential of art and culture for the formation of a greater Assamese society. Aptly, he felt that no government or political leader can unify the people of the state belonging to diverse communities and cultural backgrounds. In his article, Bihur Olag,” he held that to strike a balance in our national life and strengthen it further, we must first deal with the issues, that are against the age-old unity among the people of this land. He was a wandering artist who traversed across valleys and hills, sharing the gems of Assamese culture. He did his utmost to acquaint the world with the precious creations of the Vaishnavite saint artiste Srimanta Sankardeva and showcased our cultural treasures across India and other countries like Java, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc., and enthralled his spectators with his sinuous and precise movements as a dancer. In the 1960s of the last century, he offered training to Arunachali youths in Sankari art and culture under the patronage of the Arunachal government. This man, who had done his best for popularizing Xatriya dance and music, later turned out to be one of the chief exponents and architects of the present form of the Barechaharia Bhowna Mahotsav, because he believed that the Bhowna of Assam is the most powerful agency to carry religious and ethical ideas to the illiterate masses and break social barriers. The Barechaharia Bhowna, which is the celebration of Bhowna in a more enlarged and magnificent way with the insolvency of all the villagers of the locality, obviously attracted the man to devote years of his life to take it further. He told me that Barechaharia Bhowna has all the potential to enrich our national culture further. He wrote a number of articles for newspapers and journals to publicise this grand celebration outside Assam. He ever cherished the great dream of setting up a permanent platform for the Barechaharia Bhowna in imitation of the Roman Amphitheatre to make it a centre of Sankari culture and subsequently converting it into an institution of national theatre. In 1970, Gajen Baruah was selected as the Secretary of the Barechaharia Bhowna Committee, and the constitution of the Barechaharia Bhowna Committee was adopted in the general meeting held on 8/6/1971. The organisation also formulated some important objectives. The declared objectives of the organization, such as adoption of plans for social, cultural, and spiritual uplift of all, including students and youths; adoption of plans for evoking social, cultural, and progressive thoughts in the hearts of the people; research on Xatriya and other forms of dance and fine arts; and bringing the neighbouring backward communities under its fold still remain very relevant and remind us of the farsighted observations of Gajen Baruah and other members of the committee. Gajen Baruah wrote articles in different regional and national newspapers and magazines with a projection of a very lively picture of this splendid celebration and the unique design of the open stage, which is constructed by the villagers of the locality with locally available materials like bamboo, straw, hay, thatch, etc. As the cultural secretary of the Barechaharia Bhowna Mahotsav held in 1969, he invited the youths from diverse communities of the North Eastern states like Sherdukpen, Mompa, Bugun, Aka, Dafala, Nyishi, Apatani, Karbi, Mishing, and others, which increased the glory of the celebration further. The King (Syiem) of Khasi Hills, Olim Sing, himself came with a group of about 100 Khasi and Jayantia youths to perform in the cultural programme. Thus, this broad minded humanitarian artiste used the platform of Barechaharia Bhowna to bridge the widening gap among the communities. Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha, speaking very highly of the endeavours of the artiste said that Baruah strengthened the relationship between the people living in the hills and the plains by constructing a new bridge of culture. Eminent writer and parliamentarian Hem Baruah also wrote, bestowing words of commendation on Gajen Baruah for his efforts of integrating the people of various communities from hills and plains through exchange of culture. Gajen Baruah deeply realized the strength of culture in connecting soul to soul. In Barechaharia Bhowna, which is the pinnacle of cultural attainment in Jamugurihat, he found great potential to unite a society, fragmented into pieces in the name of caste and creed. Through his writings and work, he demonstrated that art and culture are more powerful than politics, and Barechaharia Bhowna has that inherent strength to integrate people and illuminate their lives aesthetically and spiritually. On the eve of this gala festival of drama, organised by the villagers of Jamugurihat at Pakamurapathar once again after an interval of five years from March 6, 2023, for four days, we pay our homage to this great artiste who emphasised always the efficacy of culture over politics for uniting the people through the illumination of their souls with the enduring ideals of equality and brotherhood.

6.

  Sati Sadhani Award 2023 – Eminent Scientist Dr. Jayanti Chutia

Joyanti Chutia is an Indian physicist who specializes in solid-state physics and plasma physics. She was among the first women who have headed scientific institutions in India when she became the Director of the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology in Guwahati, Assam, which is the first major research institution in North East India. She is a fellow of National Academy of Sciences. She is an Emeritus Scientist at the Department of Science & Technology in the Government of India.

After her PhD, Chutia continued her research at Dibrugarh University for another year as a CSIR-postdoctoral fellow. She entered the field of plasma physics at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad and then joined the Institute for Plasma Research in Gandhinagar. She then returned to the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology as a faculty member and set up the Plasma Physics Laboratory.

After finishing a fellowship awarded by the Japanese government in 1988 to work at the Plasma Laboratory of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Tokyo, in 2005 she became the Director of the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology.

7.

 Swargadeo Sarbananda Singh Award – Prominent Social Worker Boloram Phangsho

Sarbananda Singh or Mejera was a Moamoria leader. He was Matak Chutia by ethnicity. He was the first ruler of the autonomous region called Matak rajya, selected by his followers, with its capital in Bengmara, in what is now Tinsukia district in the Indian state of Assam. He was the son of Merutnandan. He was succeeded by his eldest son Matibor Borsenapoti as the second ruler of the Matak Kingdom.

8.

The Assam Government has launched a new initiative to enhance access to education in the state’s tea garden areas. Starting from June 19th to June 25th, a total of 38 new secondary schools will be dedicated to the student community, with 19 of them specifically located in the tea garden regions.

9.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Assam has been designated as Single Nodal Agency (SNA) for the implementation of the scheme for the National Cyber Crime Helpline Number in the state.

According to an order issued by Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, CID has been given the responsibility of SNA for the implementation of the scheme for National Cyber Crime Helpline Number 1930 in the state.

The order further stated Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crime-II, CID, Assam has been given the charge of Nodal Officer for implementation of the scheme for the helpline number and to operate SNA Account got utilization of fund.

Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crime-II, CID, Assam is declared as the Nodal Officer for implementation of the Scheme for National Cyber Crime Helpline Number 1930 in the State of Assam and to operate SNA Account for utilization of fund

It may be mentioned that last month, CID of Assam in two separate operations had frozen Rs. 8,15,743 stolen by cyber fraudsters.

A senior official said that an individual named Tapas Gupta reported to helpline number 1930 that he received an email regarding the claim of rewards. However, after opening the link provided by the cyber fraud, Rs. 37,469 was siphoned off from his State Bank of India (SBI) account. The CID was able to trace and freeze the amount after taking quick measures.

While in separate incident, Rs 7,78,274 was siphoned off from the bank account of a person identified as Mehboob Hasan Ahmed. The money was siphoned off on the pretext of offering an online job. The CID traced and freezed the entire amount of money.

Meanwhile, the CID appealed people to be alert and not fall prey to cyber crimes. They had also requested people not to share any OTP, CVV, PIN or password to any strangers and not to click any unknown links received through email, SMS and WhatsApp.

10.

iDEATE 2023, a startup pitch program organised by the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Research Park Foundation was launched on the campus of the institution. iDEATE 2023 has been launched with the key idea of encouraging and nurturing innovative ideas from the region and providing support towards developing sustainable business models among young entrepreneurs of Northeast India. The program will consist of various activities including boot camps and mentoring sessions by experienced people of the domain. The organisers will also acknowledge the winners through awards and undertake outreach programs. Selected participants will be receiving mentoring from experts and first-hand interaction with potential investors and certificates from the Indian Institute of Technology Research Park. iDEATE 2023 comprises of multiple modules including idea pitching, startup funding and mentoring, resources and guidance for growth and expert talks. The program has been supported by the Infrastructure Development Finance Company, IDFC First Bank and the selected winners will have the chance to join the IDFC First Bank Leap to the Unicorn program, providing further support across domains along with necessary resources to scale up their startups. Students, budding entrepreneurs, and startups can apply for the program. Registrations for the event have opened on June 15 and will continue with the deadline of June 30. Interested parties can register online using this link. The IIT Guwahati Research Park which is the organiser of this program, aims to encourage more and more technology-based innovations and entrepreneurs to create custom solutions to key problems. It also provides customised spaces, shared equipment, funding opportunities, mentorship, market connectivity and other necessary resources for such startups to grow. It was put together with the goal of creation of an ecosystem that encourages and supports the growth and success of startups and established companies in the region.