GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal unveiled a life-size statue of Sahityarathi Lakshminath Bezbarua at the Assam House complex in Kolkata on Sunday.
The statue has been installed through a joint initiative of the cultural affairs and general administration department of the Assam government, an official statement said.
Speaking at the statue-unveiling ceremony, Sonowal said the installation of the life-size statue of the Sahityarathi would give a new impetus to literary, cultural and people-to-people relations between Assam and West Bengal.
The chief minister termed the day historic and said that Lakshminath Bezbarua had created many of his literary masterpieces while he was in Kolkata.
Further saying that the statue would help the young generation to know more about the literary doyen, Sonowal observed that this would also inspire them to take Assamese literature forward.
Addressing the students who were present at the ceremony, he said that success could be achieved through hard work only and that they must put their best efforts with dedication, positive attitude and sincerity to be successful in life.
The chief minister also asked the Assam House authorities to take adequate steps for proper upkeep of the statue. He appreciated the work of sculptor Biju Das who made the statue.
Education and finance minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma in his address said that Lakshminath Bezbarua made extraordinary contributions to the growth of Assamese literature.
He said that the interest shown by the young generation of Assam in the literary works of Bezbarua was a good sign for Assamese literature.
Sarma further said that Assam government was planning to develop an 11-storied building by demolishing the existing Assam House located at Russel Street in Kolkata.
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