Monoranjan Bezboruah, President, ASSNA

ASSNA wishes a belated Happy New Year to each and every one amongst us.  Although it is only February, this is just a forward note about contributions to the forthcoming issue of the LPM.  As usual, our next LPM will be published as part of the AANA Convention to be hosted by our members in the Detroit area.  We will begin a rolling collection of articles, essays, stories, poems, personal experiences, and observations etc. from the month of March 2013.  The deadline for contribution to the 2013 LPM is May 31, 2013. 
Asom Sahitya Sabha, Jorhat branch held the "Bakul Banar Kabi" (Late Ananda Chandra Baruah) award and recognition ceremony on January 27, 2013, and ASSNA was represented there.  The Bakul Banar Kabi Trust chose a remarkably talented down to earth --man of the soil-- Loka Badyak for this year's award and recognition.  Srijut Dugtha Malakar, from Pathsala, is 90+ in age, but is still spritely and agile.  He had no formal education as such, but has acquired a status of great respect and admiration as an ace player of every conceivable instrument associated with Vaymaman Theater.  He stated that he began playing instruments on his own and began also acting as Chokra in the various Roving Theatre groups.  He has had the privilege of playing for and being associated with the greatest artists from our Assam. It was an eye-opener to see the needed recognition of the importance of our Loka Sanskriti and Loka lores while the Indian nation manifests the great bonding and purposefulness in considering the country as One Nation aspiring to reclaim her erstwhile glory and elan!
On ward we move, with the ASSNA planning to be present at the Asom Sahitya Sabha annual gathering in Borpeta during the first few days of February, 2013.