Eminent Assamese poet Nilamani Phookan conferred with Jnanpith Award 2020

The 88-year-old is the third Assamese after Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya (1979) and Mamoni Raisom Goswami (2000) to win the most prestigious literary award in India

Published on: Apr 12, 2022, 08:25:20 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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GUWAHATI: Eminent Assamese poet Nilamani Phookan was on Monday conferred with the Jnanpith Award for 2020 by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a ceremony in Guwahati.

Assamese poet Nilamani Phookan (left) receiving the Jnanpith Award from the Assam chief minister. (Twitter/Himanta Biswa Sarma)

The 88-year-old is the third Assamese after Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya (1979) and Mamoni Raisom Goswami (2000) to win the oldest and most prestigious literary award in the country.

“The award is a recognition of Phookan’s immense contribution towards enriching Assamese literature. His creations shouldn’t remain confined within the nation. Hence, if his family permits, the Publication Board of Assam will translate those for global audience,” Sarma tweeted after the event.

Phookan’s name was announced in December last year as the recipient of the 56th Jnanpith Award. This is the first time the award ceremony is being held in Guwahati. Bhattacharya and Goswami were conferred their awards in Delhi.

Phookan had won the Sahitya Academy Award in 1981 for his poetry collection ‘Kobita’. He was conferred with the Padma Shri in 1990 and the Sahitya Academy Fellowship in 2002.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More