President Droupadi Murmu confers Padma Shri awards to two personalities of Assam

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• Apr 22, 2024 | Guriya Khatun

A total of 05 persons from North East were conferred the Padmi Shri today of which 2 were from Assam and 01 from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura each.

Digital Desk: The President of India Droupadi Murmu conferred Padma Shri to i Sarbeswar Basumatary in the field of Others (Agriculture) and Drona Bhuyan in field of Art from Assam in the Civil Investiture Ceremony in New Delhi today. 

A brief citation about the life and work of awardees is given below-

Sarbeswar Basumatary (Padma Shri) 

Sarbeswar Basumatary is a distinguished farmer currently serving as the member of Advisory Board of Fishery Department of Chirang District, Assam. He is also member of Krishi Vigyan Kendra and Sericulture of Chirang District. Since 2017, he is working as promoter in Bordosila Farmer Producer Company Limited.Born on 8thApril, 1962 Shri Basumatary received education upto 5th Standard at Bagidwara L.P. School. At 13 years of age, he went to Bokakhat, Dhansrimukh and worked as a ploughman. In 1984, he came back to Chiponsila and started cultivation. Later, he shifted to Bhutiapara, and began to cultivate land belonging to landlords.

Basumatary bought a piece of land in 1995-96 and in 1996, a training on agriculture was performed at Bijni Sub-Divisional Agriculture Office. With their suggestions & guidance, Shri Basumatary as the President of Panbari Banana Growers’ Society, implemented many schemes and grew Banana, Orange and Pineapple with a satisfactory production. In 2007 he obtained training in fish farming. He visited Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal and abroad. He also obtained training on Horticulture from Kalyani University, Kolkata.

Basumatary is the recipient of numerous awards and honours. He got Award of Excellence in Sericulture by Central Silk Board, Bengaluru, Ministry of Textiles in 2015. He also got theAssam Gaurav by Governor of Assam in 2022-23 and Best Farmer Award by Assam Agriculture University in 2022. He also got awards by the Fishery Department of Bodoland Territorial Council, Kokrajhar in 2005; by the Director of Agriculture, Kokrajhar of BTC in 2010; by the Deputy Director of Agriculture Marketing, Guwahati in 2010; by the Deputy Commissioner, Chirang, Kajalgaon, Government of Assam, Department of Agriculture in 2010-11; Department of Agriculture & Director of Horticulture in 2013; by Indian Institute of Horticulture, Bangalore in 2013; by Assam Agriculture University, Guwahati in 2015; participation certificate by NIAM, Jaipur, Rajasthan in 2017; by the Government of Assam; Best Farmer Award in 2021 on the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahatsav-2021; Best Farmer Award by Income Tax Department of North East on the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahatsav-2022; by IOC Ltd. Bongaigaon Refinery - Best Farmer Award in 2024; Best Farmer Award by Bijni District UPPL in 2024. 

 Drona Bhuyan (Padma Shri)

Drona Bhuyan is a great exponent of folk culture ‘Suknani Ojapali and Deodhani dance’.

Born on 01st January1956, in the village Satgharia of Sipajhar in the district of Darrang, in a poor family,Bhuyan spent his life with struggle. Due to lack of money, he only received primary education. He was interested more towards the Suknani Sangeet and Deodhani Dance.When he was only 7-8 years old, he started moving with his father for preparing “Jatra Party” and he was honoured in the society for his good acting. He acted in different dramas like ‘Village Girl’, ‘Chandra Hangsa’, ‘Lalasar Balley’ etc. His father sent him to accompany Ratneswar Bora – aOja of Suknani Ojapali for learning from where he was attached with Ojapali Culture. He started practicing Ojapali under the leadership of Late Chandra Kanta Nath Oja, who was also a prominent leader.

Bhuyan performed Suknani Ojapali and Deodhani Dance in the Pragati field of Delhi in 1972. He is expert in performing Drum. Today Shri Bhuyan is a successful leader of Suknani Sangeet and Deodhani Dance and contributed signifuicantly for the improvement of the performing art of Darrang District. As a regular artist of All India Radio Guwahati and Sangeet Natak Academy, he took part in the workshops of performing art not only in Assam but also in the NationalSchool of Drama, Delhi, Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Tezpur Central University. He got the title of the “GURU” of traditional plan relating Guru and Sishya. He performed Suknani Sangeet in various festivals and social organization like Naamghar, Sangha, Educational Institutions etc. He also established a training center in his own residence“Traditional Performing Art Centre”in 2009 to train interested artists. 

Bhuyan has received many awards. Some of the awards are “GURU TILE” from Ministry of Culturein 2009, “MEERA AWARD 2012” organised by RastriyaNatya and Loka Kala Mahotsav in Agra, “Ek Kalin Bota 2019” and “Bishnu Rabha Bota 2021” by Cultural Affairs, Assam, Rabindra Bhawan, Guwahati andAssam Gaurav 2023.

A total of 05 persons from North East were conferred the Padmi Shri today of which 02 were from Assam and 01 from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura each.