TheSixth Sadin-Pratidin Achiever Awards were presented today in a glitteringceremony at Sriamanta Shankardeva Kalakshetra in the presence of a galaxy ofsocial leaders drawing from every walk of Assam's Social spectrum.
Everyyear, the Sadin-Pratidin group awards some of the luminaries who have excelledin their chosen area of activities ranging from literature to corporate, fromculture to sports.
Thistime the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to eminentwriter-intellectual Homen Borgohain.
Theceremony was attended by Assam Governor Prof. Jagadish Mukhi and Assam ChiefMinister Sarbananda Sonowal while former President Pranab Mukharjee joined witha video link due to his indisposition.
Addressingthe occasion former President Mukharjee lauded Sadin-Pratidin group and itsGroup Chairman Jayanta Baruah for recognizing the talents of Assam through theaward. He also recalled the emergence of the house from the family of HemChandra Barua who a century ago gave Assam and Assamese its first dictionaryHemkosh.
Parsingthe awardees and Mr Homen Borgohain in particular for his long contribution tothe field of journalism, Mr Mukharjee went on to describe how media had beenplaying the role of nation-building over the decades in India and urged it toremain watchdog for a healthy democracy.
Speakingon occasion, Assam Governor Prof Mukhi lamented the Sadin-Pratidin group forfelicitating people from all walks of life every year.
"Today,media has been well-established. We are living in an era of informationtechnology where media plays a vital role in influencing and changing socio andpolitical values. As we all know that media is considered to be the fourthpillar in a democratic country and it maintains a balance between the otherthree pillars, which are Judiciary, Executive and Legislative. Therefore, it isvery important for all the media houses to be responsible in what message theyare delivering. Sadin Pratidin is such a group who has been very bold inshowing the right and wrong to the people of Assam, unbiased! They have beensuccessfully connecting a thread of unity and prosperity among all the tribesand communities of Assam," he said.
Aboutthe long journey of the Sadin-Pratidin group, he said, "It is a nice andepochal moment for all of us because the Sadin Pratidin Group, the popularmedia voice of Assam, has traversed a long way braving all odds since itsinception 30 years ago. For this, I would like to thank Sri Jayanta Baruah, thespirit behind the Group and his fellow hard workers who have tried their bestto materialize the dreams of the people of Assam into reality."
Meanwhile addressing the occasion, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal underlined the role played by media and also its contributions in nation-building. "Journalists are the conscience of society. They have been performing their duty responsibly for the benefit of the society," Sonowal said, adding that the four pillars of democracy must work together responsibly with sincerity and commitment to ensure the wellbeing of the people of the state.
EarlierChairman of Sadin-Pratidin Group Jayanta Barua welcoming the invitees, awardeesand the dignitaries, he committed that the group, like the past three decades,would continue to serve the state of Assam and will raise the issue that stateconfronts.
The complete list of Achiever Awards 2019 is: