Niketu Iralu receives Bhupen Hazarika Integration Award

September 9, 2023 76 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Golaghat | September 9

Naga statesman and peace activist Niketu Iralu received the Bhupen Hazarika Integration Award (Xomonnoy Bota) 2023 at a programme in Golaghat on September 8.

The award, instituted by the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust (BHCT), is given away annually honouring the legacy of the Bharat Ratna awardee, Dr Bhupen Hazarika, Assam’s preeminent cultural icon, also referred to as the ‘Bard of the Brahmaputra.” Its first recipient was Lata Mangeshkar.

Iralu was handed the award by the BHCT at a ceremony hosted by the Debraj Roy College, coinciding with Dr Hazarika’s birth anniversary on September 8.

Iralu, while receiving the award, acknowledged the gesture the BHCT has extended in choosing him for the award in honour of the great Dr Bhupen Hazarika. “I am accepting the unique award not because I deserve it. But I am accepting the challenging award in faith and with conviction because reaching out to one another as neighbours demonstrates solidarity in time of danger and doubt.”

He said that the Nagas regard Assam as a “safe link with the rest of India, which we can trust.”

While asserting that the north-east region is meant to be a safe home taken care of equally by those who live in it, he added, ” We believe the BHCT in all its manifestations is making sure that this will be so.”

According to Anupam Laskar, Trustee and Joint Secretary of the BHCT, the award is given to personalities, whose work has made significant impact, cutting across cultures.

“In recognition of his contribution to peace work, promoting open dialogue and reconciliation, the Trust proposed and decided on giving the Integration Award to Iralu, this year,” said Laskar. Dr Hazarika’s birthday, who passed away in 2011, has been commemorated as Integration Day since 2012.

Two other personalities from Assam– Dilip Dutta and Upen Kakoti were bestowed with the Hitoshi Bota (Friendship Award). Kakoti, a prominent Assamese music director and also a close associate of Dr Hazarika was given the award posthumously. Laskar added that Dutta, a researcher, wrote extensively on the life and work of Dr Hazarika.

The award ceremony was the culmination of a two-day event encompassing discussions, cultural presentations and competitions celebrating Dr Hazarika’s impactful legacy.