Skip to content Skip to navigation

Guwahati scribes celebrate R-Day

By Nava Thakuria |

Journalists and conscious citizens of Assam on Monday once again defied militants’ diktat and celebrated the 66th Republic Day at Guwahati Press Club. Hoisting the national flag, senior journalist Pramod Kalita called upon one and all to pay respect to the Tricolour, which symbolizes the spirit of freedom and also the sacrifices of numerous freedom fighters.

Kalita pointed out that India, unlike many of its neighbours, has maintained the spirit of democracy since the days of Independence. He however cautioned that every Indian must be cautious against anti-national elements and also some veiled entities pretending to be progressive, secular and patriotic.

Earlier, senior journalists Rupam Barua and Ranen Kumar Goswami described how a section of journalists took the challenge to defy the diktat of separatist militants in 1998 and hoisted the national flag in the press club and continued the spirit to observe both the Republic and Independence Days.

Journalists and citizens then took out a procession raising patriotic slogans. Those who attended the programme included Dr Jagadindra Raichoudhury, Vivekananda Choudhury, Hem Bora, Jahnavi Goswami, Mrinal A. Hazarika, Hrishikesh Dutta, Pranabjit Doloi, DN Singh, Kailash Sarma, Purabi Barua, Pradip Thakuria, Nava Thakuria, Sumana Dutta, Anita Kalita Goswami, Akhyamala Thakuria, Namita Bora and many others.

Over the years, it has become almost a reflex action for various banned militant outfits of Assam, Manipur and north Bengal to call for boycott of the R-Day programme, protesting against the ‘colonial Indian government’ allegedly exploiting the resources of the region. This year too was no different, and people responded to the boycott call with near total indifference.

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

Gogoi in New Delhi on 3 days visit

12 Sep 2012 - 4:24pm | editor
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi leaves for New Delhi on Wednesday on a three days visit to the national capital.According to sources, apart from his schedule to call on Congress president Sonia...

Nagaon girl gangraped in Hojai

18 Apr 2018 - 5:49am | Nikhil Mundra
HOJAI: Amid simmering shock and anger over sexual crimes across the nation two miscreants allegedly gangraped a girl in Hojai before being dumped on the National Highway No 54 on Wednesday. Local...

Uproar in the Assam assembly

30 Jan 2017 - 10:34am | AT News
Assam legislative assembly got underway in Dispur amid a story note on Monday. Opposition Congress and AIUDF did not allow governor Banwarilal Purohit to complete his speech to mark the start of the...

Study fare helps hill students make up lost days

3 Mar 2018 - 9:38pm | CM Paul
Darjeeling — A college in the hills which lost 104 days due to Gorkhaland agitation (June-September 2017) held 3-day study fare as immediate preparation for the upcoming send-up test in preparation...

Other Contents by Author

Ayursundra doctors conduct OPD clinic at press club

Ayursundra Superspecialty Hospital conducted the weekly evening OPD clinic at Guwahati Press Club on Saturday (1 April 2017) for the benefit of its members and their dependants. Dr Prerit Sarma (Emergency Medicine) and Dr Ayona Barthakur (O&G) checked the health status of over 35 participants and offered necessary consultations. Besides health related free consultations, the participants also got the facility of weight, blood sugar, pressure examinations in the brief camp. The camp was assisted by Satyabrat Baruah (public relation officer), Bijoy Sankar Nath (marketing), Manab Kr Kalita & Jayanta Kalita (pharmacist) and Bandita Kalita (nurse) from the newly launched healthcare...

JFA lauds HC ruling

Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) expresses happiness and gratefulness over the recent Gauhati High Court directive to the management of Janasadharan, an Assamese daily newspaper to clear all the unpaid wages of the employees till January and also make an endeavour to pay the current wages accordingly. The court also asked the management of Janasadharan Printing and Publication Ltd to restart publishing the newspaper, which has already been honoured by the proprietor with full cooperation of the employees. Janasadharan, owned by Congress leader Rockybul Hussain and then edited by Left intellectual Dr Shivnath Barman, was suddenly stopped from publication by the management in last November,...

Brahmaputra Literary Festival ends today

The three day Brahmaputra Literary Festival will come to end today, where Assam Governor Banwari Lal Purohit is scheduled to grace the closing ceremony as the chief guest. The function starting at 3 pm in Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra will also be graced by Gauhati University vice-chancellor Dr Mridul Hazarika, eminent Italian author Carlo Pizzaati and Indian writer Narendra Kohli with few others. Meanwhile, thousands joined and observed various sessions on different topics & genres of literature & cinema, conversations, book reading, interactions in six venues namely Tagore Hall, Pandita Ramabai Hall, Premchand Hall, Subramania Bharathi Hall, Nalinibala Devi Hall and Bezbarua...

Thousands throng Brahmaputra Literary Festival

Creative writers, journalists, filmmakers, vivid appreciators, enthusiast observers from various parts of the globe now gather at Brahmaputra Literary Festival in the far eastern part of India. First of its kinds in the alienated region of the country, the festival witnessed the gala opening on Saturday precluding all serious panel discussions on literature and related other creative activities. Eminent authors including Randy Taguchi from Japan, Neal Hall from USA, Carlo Pizaati, Giampaolo Simi & Alessandra Bertini from Italy, Francois Gautier & Nicolos Idier from France, Carlos Penalver from Spain, Subramani from Fiji, Dhunpal Raj Heeraman & Ramdeo Dhorundhur from Mauritius,...

Brahmaputra lit-fest starts today

A colourful literary carnival will lead the three day Brahmaputra Literary Festival in Guwahati of northeast India starting on 28 January. The vibrant carnival will proceed from the Khanapara locality of the prehistoric city towards the venue of the festival at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra cultural complex. Union human resources development minister Prakash Javadekar, Assam’s education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma are scheduled to flag off the carnival. In fact, after years of conflicts Assam is ready to welcome hundreds of writers from various parts of the world for the literary congregation. The festival, first of its kind in NE, attracts over 150 authors from India and abroad....

GNRC conducts press club OPD

GNRC hospital conducted the last ‘Evening with a Doctor’ program at Guwahati Press Club (GPC) in northeast India on 5 November 2016 for the benefit of media persons along with their close relatives. The free health camp was attended by neurosurgeon Dr Naba Jyoti Borah and general physician Dr Aakashi Deka from the acclaimed hospital. Nearly 25 participants got the opportunity to check their blood pressure in the OPD. Mrinal Ali Hazarika, public relations officer of GNRC group along with nurse Ms Iban also oversaw the program. The last Saturday media health camp was postponed due to Deepawali celebration. The 22 October evening camp was conducted by the city based Sun Valley hospital on,...

Tilak Hazarika left for heavenly abode

He lived with self-pride and died calm. A scribe of repute, an editor of commitment and an author with humor, Tilak Hazarika passed away on the early hours of 22 October. The 95 crossed Assamese gentleman was admitted in the hospital on 19 September following a brain stroke, where the accomplished writer breathed his last. The veteran journalist, who was engaged with the popular Assamese weekly Sadin till his end, continued writing over various contemporary issues till he got hospitalized. He also authored and translated few books and was honored with accolades including the prestigious Sahitya Academy award inm 1996. Born at Silghat Sonari village in Koliabor on 3 October 1921, Hazarika...

Raha Ayurvedic institution should be named after Lokapriya

The central healthcare institution on the line of All India Institute of Ayurveda coming up at Raha in central Assam should be named after Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi, argues noted Assamese scholar and historian Nirode K. Barooah. Presently settled in Germany, the author of much acclaimed book ‘Gopinath Bardoloi, the Assam Problem and Nehru's Centre’, requested the Sarbananda Sonowal government at Dispur to initiate for honouring the great political personality of the country. Barooah asserted that Bardoloi, who was the first ‘prime minister’ of Assam, took personal interest to establish the Assam Ayurvedic College at Jalukbari locality in the outskirt of Guwahati and he along with Dr...

PPFA demands action against JNU anti-nationalists

Expressing shocks over the recent developments erupted from the New Delhi based Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus with a section of students indulging in anti-national activities, a forum of patriotic people urged the authority to take stringent actions against the anti-India elements. Regretting that a prestigious institute like JNU has virtually turned into a hotbed for separatist activities, where some of the students showed the audacity to organize a meeting to raise slogans against the hanging of Afzal Guru, the Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA) also asked the people to be cautious over such developments. The participating JNU students termed the execution of Guru on 9...

Community college mooted in NE University

A northeast India based technical university has mooted for a community college to impart skill development courses to youths of the region with an aim to improve professional skills and employability. The University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) has taken the initiative to launch the program under ‘Skill Youth- Skill India’ mission. “Under the programme, short term certificate & diploma courses will be conducted to train youths in various job oriented skill development initiatives in various schools of USTM. The scheme will become operational from June 2016,” said USTM chancellor Mahbubul Hoque. Speaking to reporters at Guwahati Press Club Hoque also added that initially...