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Guwahati, 14 December (Hindustan Reporter). The three-day Pragjyotishpur Sahitya Utsav 2024, a celebration of literature, culture and intellectual dialogue, continues at Srimanta Shankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati. The highlight of this festival was the announcement of Pragjyotishpur Sahitya Award 2024 and interesting discussions based on cultural and social topics.
Pragjyotishpur Sahitya Puraskar 2024 will be given to senior Nepali language writer Vidyapati Dahal for his literary contribution based on language, Vedanta and folk life. At the same time, it has been announced that Pragjyotishpur Youth Literature Award 2024 will be given to Suprakash Bhuyan of Sivasagar for his in-depth narrative creations and socio-political essays. These awards will be presented at the closing ceremony of the festival on 15th December, in which Dr. Amarjyoti Chaudhary will be present as the chief guest.
Pragjyotishpur Sahitya Utsav 2024 Four major discussions were organized in the program of the second day, in which in-depth discussions were held on important topics like heritage, culture, journalism and cinema. In these sessions, experts contributed to better understanding of Assamese society and culture by sharing their perspectives.
The first discussion focused on the topic “Heritage and the Search for Cultural Identity: Digital Dependence” was moderated by Dr. Rakhi Kalita Moral, Professor, Department of English, Cotton University. In this session there was discussion on preserving cultural heritage through technology.
Dr. Dhruvajyoti Bora, Vice Chancellor of Srimanta Sankardev University of Health Sciences, said regional languages are important in maintaining cultural authenticity. Dr. Bhaskarjyoti Sharma, Assistant Professor, Anudoram Baruva Institute of Language, Art and Culture, emphasized on the role of traditions in identity formation and preserving them with the help of technology. In the same session, Dr. Arup Nath, Assistant Professor of English and Foreign Languages, Tezpur Central University, said, “Some traditions are visible and tangible to us. These are signs of history. But there are also some invisible traditions which can only be felt. For example, the tunes of the songs of Sudhakantha Dr. Bhupen Hazarika are part of our heritage.”
The second discussion was based on “Role of Brahmaputra in the diverse society of Assam”. It was conducted by Padma Shri awardee Arup Kumar Dutta. In this session, the importance of Brahmaputra river in the cultural and economic life of Assam was discussed. Engineer and researcher Pradeep Bhuyan warned about the environmental and cultural risks posed by dams being built on the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh. Vice President of Bodo Sahitya Sabha, Prashant Bodo highlighted the historical importance of Brahmaputra from ancient Pragjyotishpur to modern Assam.
The third discussion was based on the topic “Changing Media Landscape: Credibility and Authenticity”. It was moderated by Prashant Jyoti Baruwa, executive editor of Assam Tribune. Senior journalist Rupam Baruva discusses the challenges of maintaining factual accuracy amid the immediacy of social media. Noted journalist and author Nav Thakuria stressed the need for truth-based reporting and underlined the danger of declining trust in news media due to misinformation.
The topic of the fourth discussion was “Beyond Entertainment: Role of Cinema in Society.”
This session was moderated by film critic and poet Aparajita Pujari. Senior filmmaker Atul Gangwar discussed the power of cinema to bring about social change. Actor Kapil Bora stressed the importance of giving meaningful messages through films. Speaker Dewang Taeung and academician Samrat Bora discussed how cinema presents new ideologies and influences social progress.
The festival continues to be a center for intellectual and creative dialogue showcasing the rich literary and cultural heritage of Assam as well as discussing contemporary challenges.
