"Kumar is a Multilingual Spot Poet": Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi

Our Correspondent

ITANAGARA: Arunachal Pradesh Literary Society (APLS) led by president Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi felicitated its founder member-cum-state’s pioneer journalist Pradeep Kumar Behera at a function in Arunachal Press Club (APC) on Thursday before his departure to his native state Odisha.

   The APLS was set up in 2006 by a group of literature enthusiasts with Thongchi, Mamang Dai and Behera as president, general secretary and publicity secretary respectively with motto “Start Writing Keep Writing,” that had spread a wave across the state for growth of literary activities.

   Reading out the citation, Thongchi said, “Behera came here in 1983 to serve in Donyi-Polo Vidya Bhawan and launched weekly English Echo of Arunachal on February 20, 1988 when there was no newspaper in this remote state for vibrant growth of journalism. He also served as Editor of The Arunachal Times, Arunachal Front and now Aruanachal Observer besides as stringer of UNI, PTI and ANI consulting Editor (NE), writing in magazines and periodicals as columnist to become a god fatherly figure to motivate and guide young scribes.”

   “But, his motivation, particularly creative writing and composing poem in various languages on the spot, had popularized APLS across the state to inspire young writers that facilitated growth of literature and journalism,” Thongchi said before lauding his wife Kalpalata Behera for supporting him.

Behera has been a multilingual spot poet but served a beacon to provoke others by his thought provoking creative writings which would continue to inspire all in the state, said APLS former general secretary Tokong Pertin.

Behera termed Thongchi as a living Buddha to win Sahitya Akademi Award-2005 for his Assamese novel Mauna Outh Mukhar Hriday (Silent lips, Murmuring Heart) and conferred with Padma Shri in 2020 for his work in the field of literature and education.  Behera said that he might go away physically but his soul would remain in Arunachal and wished to be take birth in the state in next life after reciting his self-composed poem.

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