Bhajan Award for Wakro Sisters
TEZU, 4 Jun: The Lohit Youth Library Network Committee (LYLNC) has announced to accord annual library awards to outstanding library volunteers and activists.
“The prestigious Bhajan Award for 2023-24 for outstanding activities and contribution to reading movement in Arunachal goes to senior volunteers,the Wakro Sisters – Ashapmai Dellang & Behelti Ama – who have brought the library movement and the state of Arunachal nationwide goodwill by treading the unusual path of learning Carnatic music.
“By their dedicated and enthusiastic pursuit of learning this highly complex musical art form for the last five years, the Wakro Sisters have won appreciation from music lovers across the country and leaders like the prime minister and the chief minister. They are the first Arunachali youths to take up formal study of Carnatic music during the last 25 years,” the LYLNC informed in a release.
“While Ashapmai is a full-time student of Carnatic music, Behelti has taken it as a passionate hobby, apart from pursuing a serious study of fine arts, wherein she has won recognition by being selected to exhibit her artwork in the Rashtrapati Bhavan in October 2023,” it said, adding that “both are 4th and final year students of Kalakshetra.”
“In May 2024, they broke fresh grounds by staging the first public Carnatic music recitals in Arunachal at Tezu, Namsai and Itanagar. During their annual vacation, both have been supporting library activities and holding training sessions for their village students,” it added.
The Bhajan Award was instituted in 2014 by a Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala)-based patron, in memory of his parents, and consists of a cash award of Rs 10,000, a memento and a certificate, the committee informed.
The Sister Nivedita Award for dedicated library volunteers went to junior volunteers of Bamboosa Library Anushka Kumari (Class 9), Arpita Kumari (Class 8) and Simran Minj (Class 9).
“Reader-activists and volunteers of Bamboosa Library for the last three years, they have been involved in training sessions by Bamboosa Library at different venues, including the Namsai district library. They have also been involved in the day-to-day running of library services,” the release stated.
The Sister Nivedita Award was instituted in 2017 to pay respect to the illustrious disciple of Swami Vivekananda, who emerged as a champion of nationalism and girls’ education. The award consists of Rs 5,000, to be shared by the awardees, besides mementoes and certificates, it said.
“Bamboosa Library in-charge Siwani Pul has been selected for the Ranganatha Award for best library services. Since taking over the responsibilities at the Library in June 2023, Pul, an MLibSc degree holder, has brought in a range of new activities in Bamboosa Library. She has managed to bring several new speakers to the library to address readers of various age groups. Currently, she is undergoing a month-long advanced training in library services at IIT Gandhinagar, under a Mandakini Khandekar memorial fellowship awarded by the RPETA Trust, New Delhi,” the committee said.
The Ranganatha Award, instituted in memory of two great champions of libraries – Swami Ranganathananda, the former president of Sri Ramakrishna Math & Mission, and Prof SR Ranganathan, the father of Indian Library Sciences – is sponsored by a patron from Pune, it said.
“In addition, senior volunteers and regular readers at different libraries will also receive merit certificates for their contribution to reading promotion during 2023-24,” the committee added.
