Xatradhikar Jugadananda, Sunil Kothari named for Madhabdev Award

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is going to confer the Madhabdev Award on two renowned exponents of Xatriya Culture – Xatradhikar Jugadananda Chandra Goswami for the year 2016 and Padmashree Dr. (D. Litt) Sunil Kothari for the year 2019 – on September 23, 2019.

The award in the name of Mahapurush Sri Madhabdev is given away after every three years. This year, the award will be given away at a function at Narayanpur HS School field in Lakhimpur. The great man was born at Narayanpur.

Born in 1927, Sri Sri Jugadananda Chandra Goswami had his graduation from St. Anthony’s College, Shillong. In 1964, he held the post of Yuvadhikar at Sri Sri Mayamora Dinjan Xatra. He has been the Xatradhikar of the same Xatra since 1992. He was also the president of Axom Xatra Mahaxabha (AXM).

Born in Mumbai in 1933, Padmashree Dr. Sunil Kothari, a recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, had his masters in Gujrati and Sanskrit. In 1964 he had been to Kamalabari Xatra in Majuli where he studied the Xatriya culture. While in Assam he travelled different Xatras in the State. His visit to Assam did pay off much when he wrote on the Devdasi and Ojapali dances, besides writing a book on Xatriya dance in 2013. Through his book and lectures on Xatriya culture delivered in India and abroad he did make Xatria dance popular at the international level.

The Madhabdev Award carries Rs 3 lakh, a citation and an angabastram.

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