17 January
Artist’s Day
Artists’ Day is celebrated every year on January 17 in Assam. January 17 is the death anniversary of Jyotiprasad Agarwala of Rupkonwa. The artist of transformation is remembered through various events on the day of Artist’s Day. The subhadi buzz of jyotisangeet is heard all over Assam. Jyotiprasad Agarwala (born June 17, 1903; died January 17, 1951) was a great Kandari of modern Assamese culture; He was a poet, lyricist, playwright, freedom fighter and a pioneer in filmmaking in Assam. In 1935, Jyotiprasad made the first Assamese film ‘Joymati’ and in 1939 the second Assamese film ‘Indramalati’. ‘He is the creator of famous plays like ‘Shonit Kunwari’, ‘Karenger Ligiri’, ‘Lovita’, ‘Rupalim’, ‘Nimati Koina’ etc. On the other hand, he gave birth to a unique trend in the field of Modern Assamese songs; The trend that continues to stir many lives even today. Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, who actively participated in the disobedience movement and the freedom movement of Biallis, was more interested in the cultural aspect of the Indian national movement. The dream of establishing a solid cultural foundation suitable for the modern age on the basis of its own heritage and traditions, free from the inferiority created by the colonial rule, stirred. Jyotiprasad too. Apart from this, he had experience of learning about film and music in Germany. He was engaged in building national culture with a strong caste love, a rational democratic mind and a forward-looking outlook. The Assamese nation will always be grateful to Jyotiprasad Agarwala for his outstanding work that has made the Assamese language rich.On this day, Jyotiprasad is remembered with sonwarni meetings, seminars, jyoti sangeet competitions, cultural events, etc. Artist’s Day is celebrated in almost every part of Assam, both officially and privately. The Government of Assam introduced the Shilpi Puraskar in the memory of Jyotiprasad Agarwala of 1990 Rupkonwa and decided to confer the award to one or more renowned artists every year. Since then, artist awards have been given on some day of the year, but since 1999, the tradition of formally giving away the awards has started on the occasion of Artist’s Day. Generally, artists’ day is organized by the Directorate of Culture, Government of Assam at Rabindra Bhavan in Guwahati. The Asom Sahitya Sabha has also been remembering Roopkonwar by celebrating Artists’ Day in a very pompous manner.