SAMBALPUR: The prestigious Gangadhar National Award for Poetry-2022 was conferred on noted Assamese poet Anis Uz Zaman by Sambalpur University on the occasion of the institution’s 57th foundation day on Tuesday.
Delivering his address in Assamese language, Zaman said, “The award is a matter of delight and pride not only for me but also the entire Assamese community and people of Assam.” He expressed his love for Odisha and Odia poets by citing the stark similarity between Odia and Assamese language.
“In today’s time, poems have been able to preserve the fundamental characteristics of a language. However, the impact of the current political situation on literature and tradition is a bad sign for everyone. The poets need to be careful about it,” he said.
Born in 1947 at Bamun Bari in Assam’s Sivasagar district, Zaman embarked on his creative journey with his collection ‘Agyate in 1989’ and continued to traverse the artistic realms of poetry and translation. He has to his credit five books on children’s literature.
A connoisseur of global poetry, Zaman has translated Japanese Haikus of renowned poet Matsuo Basho for which he was awarded the Amulya Chakraborty Translation Award (2023). His literary contributions have transcended language barriers with translations of works into English, Bengali, Hindi, Odia, Tamil, French and Spanish.
The event was presided over by vice-chancellor (VC) of Sambalpur University Bidhu Bhusan Mishra. Director of NIT Rourkela Prof K Umamaheswar Rao graced the occasion as the chief guest. Former VC of Berhampur University Prof Aditya Prasad Padhi was the chief speaker. Among others, chairman, PG Council Sanjukta Das and registrar of Sambalpur University Nruparaj Sahu also spoke.
The Gangadhar National Award for Poetry was instituted by Sambalpur University in 1989 in the memory of Swabhaba Kabi Gangadhar Meher to honour Indian poets for their creative excellence. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a shawl and citation.