OUR CORRESPONDENT
UDALGURI: In the public felicitation ceremony held at Bathou Research and Development Centre on Tuesday, people raised the demand to accord Padma Shri award to litterateur Tarapati Upadhyaya.
A book on his life and work titled Bhasa Senani- Tarapati Upadhyaya: Vyaktitwara Krititwa was released by Durga Khatiwada, the president of Assam Nepali Sahitya Sabha. Another book of Tarapati Upadhyaya in Assamese - Drupadraj Nandini Droupadi- was released by Hareswar Kalita, the president of Udalguri Zila Sahitya Sabha and the Nepali translation of Tarapati Upadhyaya's Asom Tatha Bharatar Nepalijati: Ek Alokpaat by Lakshman Adhikari was released by Nilakanta Goyari, the former secretary of Bodo Sahitya Sabha.
The demand to accord Padma Shri to Tarapati Upadhyaya was raised by Dr. KhagenSarma and seconded by Nilakanta Gayari. Nabin Malla Boro, Bodo litterateur, and Naba Sapkota, senior poet, focused on the personality of Tarapati Upadhyaya. Litterateur Baidyanath Upadhyaya delivered welcome speech on the occasion.
The meeting was presided over by Puspadhar Bastola, the Principal of Udalguri H S School, and the ceremonial lamp was lit by senior citizen Dadhiram Sarma. The people of Udalguri and several organizations, including Udalguri Press Club, Assam Nepali Sahitya Sabha, Asom Gorkha Sanmellan and Udalguri district Gorkha Students' Union felicitated Tarapati Upadhyaya for his tremendous contribution to the society.