Guwahati: Noted Assamese poet and litterateur Nilmani Phookan won the highest Indian literary award Jnanpith Award. Nilmani Phookan is known for his symbolistic representation in the genre of Assamese poetry.
Phookan has been chosen for the 56th Jnanpith Award this year. Along with Nilmani Phookan, Konkani writer Damodar Mauzo also won the prestigious award.
The distinguished poet Nilmani Phookan was born at Dergaon near Jorhat, Assam. Especially due to this early background and his artistic response to the language, Nilmani had developed a deep interest in the rich folk culture and the native swings of life. He is one of Assam’s leading art experts and conscious critics of tribal and folk art.
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Nilamani Phookan started writing poetry in the fifties. However, his later evolution made him one of the distinguished poets of the post-war period. He can be noted as one of the pioneers of modernism in Assamese poetry.
Moreover, Phookan was conferred with Sahitya Akademi Award in 1981 for his poetry collection, Kavita (Kobita). He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990 and received the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2002.
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