Guwahati: The Pragjyotishpur Literature Festival (PLF) 2025 concluded this evening at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, wrapping up three days of rich literary discussions, cultural insights, and powerful storytelling. Organized by the Sankardeva Education and Research Foundation, the festival began on 14 November with acclaimed author Shefali Baidya delivering the keynote address.
On the final day, the organizers announced the recipients of this year’s prestigious PLF awards. Eminent researcher and author Moneswar Deori was named the recipient of the PLF 2025 Award, while promising young writer Srotashwini Tamuli, a researcher at Birangana Sati Sadhani State University, was declared the winner of the PLF Youth Award. Festival president Phanindra Kumar Dev Choudhury praised Deori, a renowned Tiwa scholar and essayist who has authored over 20 books and resigned from a senior government post to dedicate himself fully to literature and journalism. He also highlighted Tamuli as an emerging voice in contemporary Assamese storytelling.
The day’s major highlight was an intimate and reflective session on Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha, moderated by writer Nayanjyoti Bhattacharyya. Eminent actor, legislator, and playwright Prithwiraj Rabha offered a vivid portrayal of his father’s extraordinary life — from a brilliant student to a legendary artist and revolutionary thinker. He described how Kalaguru devoted himself to three masters: Sri Krishna, Srimanta Sankardeva, and Leonardo da Vinci, weaving anecdotes from his father’s personal, artistic, and ideological journey.
Earlier, a panel discussion titled ‘Assamese Language, Literature and Journalism: Growth and Expansion’ drew keen interest from budding journalists. Veteran scribes Dilip Chandan, Bedabrata Dev Mishra, Bidyut Kumar Bhuyan and Nava Thakuria reflected on the evolving challenges of print journalism while nurturing the Assamese language. They agreed that traditional journalism may witness a revival as audiences experience fatigue from electronic and internet media.
Another engaging session, ‘Evolution of Assamese Performing Arts: From Ankiya Bhawana to Bhramyman’, featured National Award-winning filmmaker-playwright Kripal Kalita, celebrated performer Pakija Begum, and dramatists Pankaj Jyoti Bhuyan and Hillal Kumar Pathak. The panel described theatre as the “mother of all performing arts,” acknowledging the significant contributions of Assam’s mobile theatre groups while noting the continuing effort to carve out a distinct Assamese theatrical tradition.
The festival concluded with a multilingual poetry session titled ‘Kavya Kaveri’, where poets mesmerized the audience with evocative recitations across various languages, marking a fitting end to the vibrant literary celebration.
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