Guwahati: Eminent Assamese poet Nilmani Phookan was honoured with the 56th Jnanpith award for the year 2021 in a glittering function held at Rabindra Bhawan in the city on Monday evening. Phookan becomes the third Assamese litterateur to receive the highest literary award in the country after novelist Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya and scholar Mamoni Roisam Goswami.
The prestigious Jnanpith award was presented by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the function, organized for the first time in the State by Bharatiya Jnanpith, which was also attended by State education minister Ranoj Pegu, cultural minister Bimal Bora, Jnanpith selection board chairperson Pratibha Ray with others.
“Nilmani Phookan through his dedication to the task of writing poetry over the years and with his uniquely creative language and recurrent use of symbols and imagery gave a new dimension to modern Assamese poetry. Presenting the Jnanpith to Phookan, Bharatiya Jnanpith has infused a new energy into Assamese literature,” said Sarma.
Most of poems of the poet, who created the era of modern Assamese poetry, rich in quality that attracted the reader, have a beautiful picture of nature. Through poetry, he explores life, youth, love, joy, the world’s most common mysteries, nature, etc, added Sarma terming Phookan as one of the best poets of the twentieth century.
Thanking Bharatiya Jnanpith for presenting the prestigious award to Phookan and thus making the people of Assam proud and elated, Sarma stated that there is a need to take the renowned poet’s poetry to the world readers and expressed desire to take the initiative through Assam Publication Board to translate his poems into different languages
Assamese poet Nilmani Phookan honoured with Jnanpith award
