Bhupen Hazarika Firingoti Award to Dilip Kumar Dutta and Manoranjan Bordoloi

Tej Hazarika (left) and Dr. Dilip Kumar Dutta (right) | photo: Prasenjit Khanikar

Instituted by Bhupen Hazarika Foundation, the 2014 inaugural Bhupen Hazarika Firingoti Award for Lifetime Achievement was given to writer Dr. Dilip Kumar Dutta for his contributions towards preserving and promoting Assamese culture as well as his works on Dr. Bhupen Hazarika. The award was given away at the Bollywood Musical Night, a tribute ceremony for Manna Dey, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika and Jagjit Singh on July 11th in Edison, New Jersey.

Dr. Dutta, a former professor of Mathematics in the University of Rhode Island, Kingston, USA, has written more than 15 Assamese books, which include Dr Bhupen Hazarikar Geet aru Jeevan Rath, Subhadinar Nirghanta, Mane Mur Kaina Bichare, Miss Gauhati, Premat Parilo Neki, Bishnu Prasadar Prasad among others. As a researcher, preserver and promoter of Assamese culture, he has a rare collection of songs of Dr Bhupen Hazarika, Bishnu Prasad Rabha and many other eminent artistes of Assam.

Manoranjan Bordoloi being presented the Firingoti Award for Entrepreneurship by Tej Hazarika (photo: Prasenjit Khanikar)

In the same event Manoranjan Bordoloi was conferred the Firingoti Award for Entrepreneurship for his subservient efforts in bridging the gap between Indian and the American communities. He has also been working with cultural and social associations, and staging live shows for diverse communities to foster artistic freedom and mastery of the arts. Bordoloi is the founder of E-Aspire IT, a leading IT service provider based out of Princeton. Bordoloi and his wife Deepshikha Sharma Bordoloi are residents of West Windsor Township in New Jersey, US.

The awards were presented by writer Tej Hazarika, son of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika and one of the founding members of the Bhupen Hazarika Foundation. Headquartered in Guwahati, Assam, the foundation was formed with an aim to spread Dr. Hazarika's works across the globe.

Apart from the award function, the event also witnessed performances by the Sattriya Dance Company followed by Rema Lahiri's Bollywood dancers and Papon and East India Company.