Birth Centenary celebrations 2014 - 2015
To initiate, coordinate and oversee the various activities of the birth centenary year, the Trust instituted a special Munin Barkotoki Birth Centenary Celebration Committee with distinguished novelist and playwright Shri Arun Sarma as the Chairman and Trustee Meenaxi Barkotoki as the Secretary. This Committee organised the activities listed below during the period 18th Oct 2014 to 18th October 2015.
A. Inaugural event at Baligaon, Jorhat
The meeting to inaugurate the Munin Barkotoki Centenary Celebrations was held in Munin Barkotoki's birthplace Baligaon, Jorhat on his 100th birthday, the 18th October 2014. It was jointly organised by the Baligaon Milon Mandir, Baligaon Sanmilani Natya Mandir and the Baligaon Sahitya Sabha in collaboration with the Trust. Prof. Birendranath Dutta inaugurated the year-long celebrations by lighting a lamp and Sri Upendra Barkataki released a book titled 'Baligaonor somu abhas aru Barkataki poriyalor aati-guri' , in a solemn and well-attended meeting which was presided over by Mr. Indrajit Barua.
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Opening song by the Baligaon Ladies Group
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Shraddhanjali by Smti. Nirmoli Barua, oldest citizen of Baligaon
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Shraddhanjali by Sri Niren Bhattacharjee, President, Baligaon Natya Mandir
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Shraddhanjali by Sri Indrajit Barua, President of the meeting
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Shraddhanjali by Professor Birendranath Dutta, Chief Guest of the meeting
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Shraddhanjali by Shri Upendra Barkataki, honoured guest of the meeting
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Prof. Biren Dutta lighting the lamp to inaugurate the Centenary Celebrations
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Trustee Dr. Meenaxi Barkataki describing the activities planned during the centenary year
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Release of the book 'Baligaonor somu abhas aru Barkataki poriyalor aati-guri'
B. Seminar on Literary Criticism
A two-day seminar on literary criticism titled 'Munin Barkotoki's Failed Dream' Literary Criticism in Northeast India' was organised by the Trust on 31 January and 1 February 2015 at the Bishnu Nirmala Bhawan, Latasil, Guwahati. Dr. Nagen Saikia delivered the keynote address, while distinguished critics such as Preeti Gill (Delhi), Margaret Zama (Mizoram), Pradip Acharya, Rakhee Kalita-Maral, Mitra Phukan, Mousumi Kandali, Bibhash Chowdhury and others analysed in detail eight short stories written in different languages of the northeast such as Asamiya, Bengali, Nepali, Mising, Bodo and Manipuri.
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During the inaugural session with Arun Sarma, Dr. Nagen Saikia and Karabi Deka Hazarika.
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Rakhee Maral and Mitra Phookan discussing Sanjib Pol Deka's short story while Mousumi Kandali and Bijoy T. Singh look on.
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Dr. Nagen Saikia delivering the inaugural address.
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A view of the audience including poet Hiren Dutta and Upen Sarma.
C. Award ceremony and 20th anniversary of the Award
The Munin Barkotoki Birth Centenary Celebration and Award Meeting was held at the Vivekananda Kendra, Guwahati on the 28th February, 2015. This being the twentieth year of the award, a book exhibition of books by the awardees was also organised at the venue. Moroever, a book about past awardees was also released there by Professor Hirendra Nath Dutta. The awards for the years 2013 and 2014 were given away by noted poet Nilmoni Phukan. Professor Birendra Nath Dutta presided over the meeting. A 'rough cut' of a documentary film on the life of Munin Barkotoki directed by Prabin Hazarika was also screened at the meeting.
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Release of the book about past awardees on 28 Feb 2015 by noted poet Hirendranath Dutta
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Apu Bharadwaj receiving the Munin Barkotoki award 2013 from Chief Guest Nilmoni Phukan on 28 Feb 2015.
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Mridul Haloi receiving the Munin Barkotoki award 2013.
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Tulika Devi receiving the Munin Barkotoki award 2014
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Dibyajyoti Bora receiving the Munin Barkotoki award 2014.
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A view of the book exhibition.
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Some of the interested readers
D. Lecture on Journalism
The Trust invited distinguished journalist Shri Amit Baruah, Managing Editor, The Hindu, Delhi to deliver a lecture on journalism titled
Outmoded or Valid? Centres and Margins in the Age of Digital Journalism.
Noted journalist Shri Samudra Gupta Kashyap moderated the programme, which was followed by a very lively Q & A session. The programme was held from 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, 18th October 2015 at the Vivekananda Kendra Auditorium, Uzanbazar, Guwahati.
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The distinguished audience.
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Amit Baruah in conversation with Samudra Gupta Kashyap.
E. Closing event
The closing event of the Munin Barkotoki Birth Centenary was held from 4 p.m. on Sunday, 18th October 2015 at the Vivekananda Kendra Auditorium, Uzanbazar, Guwahati. Distinguished writer Dr. Nagen Saikia was the chief guest at the meeting which was presided over by veteran journalist Shri Radhika Mohan Bhagabati.
Three books sponsored by the Trust were also released on the occasion.
1. Pragyadhikari Munin Barkotoki, by Dr. Nagen Saikia, Purbanchal Prakash, 2015;
2. Essentially Speaking: Biographical Snapshots, Eds. Meenaxi Barkotoki and Stuti Goswami; Gauhati University Press, 2015;
3. Satyen Barkataki: Jibon aru Krititta, Ed. Arindam Barkataki, MBMT, 2015;
Moreover a documentary directed by noted filmmaker Prabin Hazarika titled 'Living in the Mind: the world of Munin Barkotoki' was also screened on the occasion.
F. Three others events organised during the centenary independently of the Trust
Munin Barkotoki was honoured along with a few others on their birth centenary by the Assam Publishers and Booksellers Association in the Northeast Book Fair that was held in November 2014 in Guwahati. They also organised a seminar on the occasion in his memory.
The Assam Publication Board published and released the Munin Barkotoki Rasanabali at its Sahitya Utsav at the end of December 2014.
A special Munin Barkotoki Memorial Lecture was delivered by Professor Madan Sarma of Tezpur University on 22nd November 2015 at Jorhat. The event was organised by the Jorhat district Sahitya Sabha.
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Remembering the Centenarians at the Northeast Book Fair in Nov 2015 in Guwahati.
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