Atanu Bhattacharyya receives the 2026 Jagannath Thakur Sahitya Sanman

Story writer Atanu Bhattacharyya received the 2026 Jagannath Thakur Sahitya Sanman at a ceremony in Guwahati. The Jagannath Thakur Memorial Trust selected him for the award.

The award includes a citation, a memento and Rs 50,000. The trust has presented the annual honour since 2021 to a writer for a contribution to Assamese short-story literature. It is awarded on 8 November, the birthday of Jagannath Thakur.

Notable Points

• Assamese short-story history: Lakshminath Bezbarua’s first published short story was Xeuti, printed in Jonaki. Some scholars have considered Konya his first story. The Oxomiya Bhaxa Unnoti Xadhini Xobha launched Jonaki in 1889.
• Assamese short-story collections: Bezbarua’s Xurobhi, published in 1909 with 12 stories, is recognized as the first Assamese short-story collection. Atul Chandra Hazarika proposed the title Kehukoli in 1968 for Bezbarua’s untitled fourth collection, most of whose stories had appeared in Bahi.