NIREN BARUA MEMORIAL ELOCUTION COMPETITION HELD ON 24 NOVEMBER, 2022

News Desk:

The annual Niren Barua Memorial Elocution Competition was organized successfully by the New Art Players – a premier socio-cultural organization of Guwahati – on 24 November, 2022. Held in the newly built state-of-the-art New Art Players Cultural Centre for Performing Arts situated near the Guwahati Club Rotary, the event saw enthusiastic participation from elocutionists of Guwahati and several other places of Assam. The event was organized annually by New Art Players in memory of their member, noted artist-director and All India Radio Newsreader Late Niren Barua, whose golden voice ruled the air waves of Assam for nearly four decades between 1960s and 2004. A talented stage director and the General Secretary of New Art Players from 1999-2001, Late Barua had directed many plays for NAP including ‘Somoy’, ‘Sorapatot Basanta’,‘Ghor’, ‘Mokora Jaal’, ‘Abelir Rod’, ‘Bishnu Rabha – Eta Surjya, Ekajoli Abha’ etc. He had played iconic characters in very popular radio plays like ‘Sur’, ‘Baruar Sansar’, ‘Sapun Sandhya’, ‘Birin Pator Annguthi’ and countless others. Niren Barua’s notable contribution  to the Assamese film world was as Assistant Director (for his acclaimed elder brother filmmaker Late Nip Barua) were   ‘Sontola’, ‘Sonma’, ‘Ajoli Nobou’, ‘Anthony Mur Naam’, ‘Sakuntola aru Sankar Joseph Ali’ and Ai Mur Jonome Jonome and he had also played significant roles in movies like ‘Mukuta’, ‘Xontora’ and ‘Baruar Sansaar’.
The 2022 Edition of the prestigious elocution competition was jointly hosted by NAP members Shri Kalyan Das and Smt. Gayatri Deka and inaugurated by noted musician Shri Anupam Choudhury who recounted his association with Niren Barua. Tributes were also paid to Late Nipon Goswami, Garima Hazarika, Atulananda Goswami, Nilpaban Barua, Pulok Gogoi who had been a member of NAP. The judges for the event were renowned elocutionists Shri Abani Borah and Shri Upam Saikai. In all, twenty six participants competed for the top honours: the first prize was won by Manjil Baruah; the second prize by Kritanjali Dutta and the third prize by Ankita Goswami. Joyprakash Sarma and Karishma Begum won the Special Jury Award. The judges also shared their views regarding the competition and reiterated that love for poetry, proper diction, practice and love for one’s language were most essential for good elocution. Congratulating the winners, Chief Guest for the event noted elocutionist, actor and director Shri Kulada Kumar Bhattacharya lauded the participants for their efforts and spoke on his own tryst with the spoken word. The day also saw performances by elocutionists from the Rupkala Kesari Bhagswarup Sabdam School of Recitation. NAP member and Late Niren Barua’s daughter, Dr. Suranjana Barua, gave the Vote of Thanks.