Atanu Bhattacharya selected for 2026 Jagannath Thakur Literary Award

Assamese storyteller Atanu Bhattacharya was selected for the 2026 Jagannath Thakur Literary Award. The Jagannath Thakur Memorial Trust established the award. It includes a memento, a citation and a cash prize of ₹25,000. The presentation was scheduled for 8 November in Guwahati.

His story collections include Obhotoni Jatra Aru Anyanya Galpa (2004), Nilar Karane Olop Bhalpowa (2006), Boroxunor Setar (2008), Senkur (2013) and Raghunath Kapur Pindha (2021). He has served as executive editor of the Assamese magazine Satsori.

Notable Points

• Oja-Pali traditions: Choral compositions for Oja-Pali performances were called Panchali works. The biyah-gowa tradition recounts Mahabharata stories, while Maroi concerns the snake goddess Manasa.
• Hastividyarnava: Hastividyarnava was commissioned under King Siva Singha’s patronage. Sukumar Barkaith translated it from Sambhunath’s Sanskrit text Gajendra-Chintamoni.