Mamoni's health deteriorates

Friends, fans and family members started to pour in at the Gauhati Medical College Hospital with their fingers crossed on Saturday as Jnanpith award-winning writer Mamoni Raisom Goswami's health deteriorated further since Friday night.

The litterateur was shifted to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from her cabin on Wrdnesday due to a lung infection. Though her health remained stable for next 24 hours, a convulsion on Friday night caused the deterioration. Currently, she is said to be in a critical stage.

State health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma rushed to the hospital on getting the news. Meanwhile, Ulfa pro-talks faction members also wished for her recovery.

"She has been in coma since February and her brains cells are not responding accurately. Convulsions on Friday night worsened her situation further. She is now on ventilator and her condition is very critical. Lets hope for the best," said A K Adhikari, surgeon at GMCH.

Full report here Times of India 

Goswami shifted to the ICU

Jnanpith award-winning writer Mamoni Raisom Goswami has been shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) due to a lung infection.

Hospital sources said today Goswami's condition remained unchanged after she was shifted to the ICU from her special cabin the day before. The eminent Assamese writer was transferred to the ICU as a precautionary measure after the doctors treating her diagnosed a lung infection, the sources said.

Asserting there was no immediate cause for concern, they said her condition was being monitored round the clock by a team of doctors.Goswami (68) would be shifted back to her cabin in the GMCH as soon as her condition improved, the sources added.Goswami has been undergoing treatment in the hospital since July last when she was brought back here from Medanta Medicity Hospital, Gurgaon.

Full report here IBNLive

Book on Manipur nationalism released

Spectrum Publications of Guwahati and Delhi have just released Freedom from India - A History of Manipur Nationalism 1947-2000 A.D. by Malem Ningthouja of Delhi.

The book was released at a function in Delhi University on 30th August and a photograph of the book cover was flashed in The Hindu daily newspaper on its Book Review page of the same date.

A book release function would also be held in Manipur in Imphal in late October, simultaneously with the release of Nepram Bihari's translation of The Cheitharol Kumababa or The Royal Chronicle of Manipur.

Books would also be available at Modern Book Depot, in Guwahati and Shillong as well as important booksellers of Manipur in due course.

Full report here 

Book on cricket pitch released

Noted litterateur Atulananda Goswami on Sep 1 released a book – Cricket Pitch Aru Bigyan (Cricket Pitch and Science) – written by curator Dr Sunil Kumar Baruah – in a function at the Lakhsmiram Baruah Sadan Guwahati.

The book is being written in Assamese by Dr Baruah, who has loads of experience in preparing cricket pitches in the State. He is associated with Assam Cricket Association (ACA) as a curator and has prepared the Nehru Stadium pitch for One-day Internationals on several occasions.

Releasing the book, Goswami said although he has very little knowledge about cricket, he became upset when he came to know about the match-fixing practice in cricket. The Sahitya Academy Award winner literature said corruption in sports was unearthed in the Mahabharata era when Guru Drunacharyya asked Ekalavya’s right thumb as gurudaskhna so that Ekalavya can never beat his favoured pupil Arjuna.

Goswami urged the sports administrators not to indulge in corrupt practices.

Full report here Assam Tribune

Librarians’ Day observed at Gauhati University

Librarians’ Day was observed with a day-long programme by the Department of Library and Information Science, Gauhati University in collaboration with the students’ forum of the Department to commemorate the 119th birth anniversary of Dr. SR Ranganathan, the architect of modern librarianship in India.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof N Lahkar explained the significance of the Librarians’ Day to the gathering and dwelled on the role of librarians in the day-to-day life.

Initiating a discussion on the topic “What do we expect from a modern library?”, Prof. HL Duarah said that for proper development of library services there must be full cooperation from the Government.

He regretted on the lack of proper leadership and management in libraries of Assam.

Prof Duarah further urged the politicians to think for the development of libraries to ensure overall development of the society.

Full report here Assam Tribune

Gariyoshi short story awards presented

The awards for the Gariyoshi Chandra Prasad Saikia short story competition, 2009, were conferred on three winners at a solemn function held in Guwahati on August 8. The programme, attended by Governor JB Patnaik, saw rich tributes being paid to the late Saikia, a distinguished litterateur and editor of Gariyoshi, who passed away on this day in 2006.

Addressing the gathering at the Vivekananda Kendra Institute of Culture auditorium, the Governor mentioned the rich literary and cultural heritage of Assam, and the way it has helped establish the identity of Assam. “Today, Assamese literature has reached a position that is in no way lesser than any other regional literature of India,” he said.

A Sahitya Akademi winner, Patnaik mentioned that literature has the potential to empower an entire community, reinforcing this by referring to Assamese and Oriya literature’s contributions in periods of difficulty.

Full report here Assam Tribune

Five Point author mulls book on region

 Chetan Bhagat would like to write a book on the Northeast one day — once he has got a hang of the region, of course.

That was the promise from a man who acknowledged before a college audience that his books have received “applauding response” from the readers of the Northeast, particularly Guwahati.

Clad in a pair of blue jeans and a grey T-shirt, the novelist fielded questions at a seminar organised by the Royal Group of Institutions on its Guwahati campus today.

The man who smirked at the canon and cheekily released one of his books at a Mumbai Big Bazaar in May 2008, kept the young audience entertained with his trademark humour and commonsensical gyan.

The IIT-IIM graduate has worn many hats — banker, columnist, script-writer and motivational speaker.

Full report here Telegraph

NE conflicts may find place in Bhagat’s next novel

The writer whose bestseller Five Point Someone was adapted to create Bollywood’s biggest blockbuster ever in the form of 3 Idiots could just find another plot of his story in the North East India. At least, he is open to it.

The youth icon in Chetan Bhagat, the author of bestsellers like Two States and Three Mistakes of My Life today conceded that he is open to the idea of carrying out a research on the internal-strife of the North East region and the problems attached with it and use them as a possible plot of his forthcoming novel.

“In fact, the intention behind coming to Guwahati is to have a feel of the area and its people but then to pen a book I would also have to do a lot of research on the subject,” said Bhagat, asserting that he would continue to be an entertainer rather than a serious writer even if he touches sensitive issues like he has been doing in all his four books.

“The problems of drugs which I heard is prominent among youths here is a disturbing thing,” he noted.

Bhagat was speaking during a press conference organized at the Royal School of Engineering and Technology, which is stepping in its second year of inception.

On his next book, Bhagat informed that he is yet to work on his next publication and at the moment he is writing script for a movie. Bhagat’s book One Night @the Call Center was also adapted for Hello, a movie which faced lukewarm response at the box office. On his visit he said, “My books, I am told is widely read in this part of the country and I am happy to be here.”

Full report here Assam Tribune

Tributes paid to martyrs of Bhasa Andolan

Tributes were paid to the martyrs of the Bhasa Andolan, which included remembrance of Ranjit Barpujari of Cotton College, who was killed in police firing on July 4, 1960 at a sombre function held on the bank of Dighali Pukhuri on July 4.

Organised by All Kamrup District Students’ Union along with All Guwahati Students’ Union and others, several eminent personalities including litterateur Bisheswar Hazarika attended the programme.

He described the details of the mass movement that had taken place to promote the use of local language in Assam. In his speech, AASU adviser Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya said that leaders of all political parties in Assam should apologise for their failure to implement the State Language Act and mentioned that more cooperation was required for the growth and development of indigenous languages of the region.

Full report here Assam Tribune

Sabha to put Assamese classics on Internet

In a bid to attract a larger audience, including Assamese living away from the state, the Asam Sahitya Sabha is all set to make a significant presence on the Internet.

Well-placed Sabha officials confirmed that a project is underway that would put a selection of Assamese classics on the World Wide Web, allowing readers in any part of the globe to access those. The collaborative effort involves the Sabha and the Computer Science Department of Guwahati University.

Side by side, the apex literary body of Assam is also creating modules which would be useful for new learners to pick up the language within a short term. The web-based programme is likely to be launched in the next few months, and will give the Assamese language a much needed boost especially in areas where there is absence of teachers or textbooks.

Full report here Assam Tribune 

Sahitya Sabha research centre at Kolkata

Breaking new grounds in promoting Assamese language and literature, the Asam Sahitya Sabha is all set to establish a new research centre at Kolkata. The facility named Jonaki Language-Literature-Culture Centre, would bring into focus the literary and cultural rejuvenation that was brought about by the journal Jonaki way back in the 19th century.

At a press meet held at the Bhagawati Prasad Baruah Bhawan, in Guwahati, Sabha president Rongbong Terang revealed that a scheme detailing the centre has been handed over to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya, who has appreciated the initiative and assured the Sabha of his support.

The centre would serve the interest of researchers who would like to study various aspects of the Jonaki period, including the works of noted litterateurs who were intrinsic to the movement that gave Assamese literature a new dimension.

Full report here Assam Tribune

‘I Am An Assamese, A Bengali And A Sylheti. What Exactly Am I?’

I COME FROM a small town, Karimganj, tucked away like an inconvenient problem on the southernmost fringes of the Indo-Bangladesh border. The widely-spoken languages here are Bengali and Sylheti — I never spoke Assamese until I joined Cotton College in Guwahati. My mother, for instance, spoke Sylheti at home, to haggle with the vendors in her tongue. She taught Bengali at the neighbourhood school in town.

As a young child, I had asked my mother if we were Sylhetis or Bengalis. She had told me a story — my grandmother’s extended family’s roots originated in Sylhet, in what is now Bangladesh. As communal unrest grew in the pro vinces, they fled to the relative safety of Karimganj. Many Bengali Hindus who had fled their erstwhile homes sought refuge in this land. In course of time, they made it their own little paradise, picking up the pieces of their erstwhile memories. Nostalgia pervaded every aspect of their daily existence. I understood while growing up that Barak Valley was never going to be a part of Assam as was being demanded.

Full report here Tehelka 

Assam Valley Award for Imran Shah

The Assam Valley Literary Award-2009 was conferred on littérateur Imran Shah in Guwahati on March 27. Noted for his short stories, Shah has also proved his mettle with poetry, novels and a few plays. Besides, he has translated literary works from English to Assamese.

Author William Dalrymple who was a distinguished guest gave away the prize that comprised a citation, a trophy and a cheque of Rs 4 lakh. Dalrymple read out excerpts from his works.

In his acceptance speech, Shah said. “I simply enjoy writing and I try to keep the writer in me far away and free from any outside influence and instructions…I try not to allow my acquired knowledge and convictions to make me self-conscious while writing.”

He went on to say that he made it a point to work for the welfare of his near and dear ones. From the people around him he learnt about their hopes and frustrations, struggles and conflicts. It has been his endeavour to portray them in his writings.

Full report here Assam Tribune

New chapter for book fair

The 24th edition of the Guwahati Book Fair, one of the biggest literary events in the Northeast, got under way at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre at Betkuchi on April 3 evening after a series of protests against the shifting of the fair venue from centrally-located spots.

Inaugurating the event, chief minister Tarun Gogoi said his government’s stand that a venue shift would not affect the fair’s popularity has been vindicated by a substantial rise in the number of participants.

Altogether 134 publishing firms from across the country have participated in this year’s fair against 116 last year, he said. Last year, Dispur’s decision to shift the fair venue from centrally-located spots on grounds of their vulnerability to terror attacks and to ease traffic congestion triggered opposition and conflict between the government, book lovers, publishers and intellectuals.

Full  report here Telegraph
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Guwahati Book Fair gets under way today Merinews

Guwahati Book Fair gets under way

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on April 3 formally inaugurated the 24th Guwahati Book Fair, organized by the Publication Board, Assam, in the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre in Guwahati. Altogether 134 book sellers and publishing houses from different parts of the country are participating in the fair.

Speaking on the occasion, Gogoi asserted that electronic media would never reduce the importance of books and stressed the need for organizing book fairs in smaller towns of the state. He called for coordination between writers and readers and revealed that the Government would examine whether valuable books including dictionaries can be provided to the readers at reduced prices.

The Chief Minister said that the Publication Board should try its best to publish valuable books and expressed the view that the increase in the number of specialized magazines is a positive sign for the state. He also assured that the Government would give stress on improvement of the condition of the libraries of the educational institutions.

Full report here Assam Tribune 

Librarian calls for preservation

Ashok Kumar Nath, Deputy Librarian of the National Library, Kolkata underlined the need to preserve the old newspapers. Nath, who was speaking on the role of the National Library of India in preservation of Indian newspapers in Guwahati on Friday, March 26, described the newspapers as an index of civilisation.

The Media Archives-cum-National Reference Library on the North East organised the lecture as part of its five-day workshop-cum-training programme on preservation of rare and old documents.

Nath also spoke on the preservation process adopted for newspapers in the National Library.

Addressing the function as resource person, Utpal Das, Librarian of the GC College, Silchar, spoke on the history of manuscripts in Assam.

Full report here Assam Tribune