Assamese writer-lyricist Gunamoni Bora conferred with Jiten Deka Memorial Award

By Prantik Deka* 
The quintessential “Mor shukula ghora” is one of those enduring Assamese compositions that people of all ages continue to enjoy to this day. The peerless performer Jiten Deka, who endeared himself into the hearts of audiences through his soulful renditions, rose from a very humble background to become a major artiste of our times.
Though the singer has bid farewell to the mortal world, the unmatched passion and intensity of his music and lyrics are forever embedded in everyone's hearts. He was often praised by his peers not just for his musical talents but also because he embodied certain warmth and innocence, and generosity.
An engrossing function organised by Srotoswini – a socio-cultural organisation -- was held at the premises of Gauhati Artists’ Guild on January 26, to mark the beloved singer's 71st birthday, coinciding with the country's 75th Republic Day.
The function celebrated the singer's remarkable achievements by conferring the Jiten Deka Memorial Award 2023 to Assam's eminent writer-lyricist Gunamoni Bora, who happens to share the same birth date. Over the years, Bora's songs, rendered by a number of renowned Assamese singers, including Jiten Deka, have been a regular feature of AIR Guwahati's Geetimalika programme.
On the occasion, the special guests and celebrities who graced the occasion, including noted musician JP Das, actor and former Deputy Director General, AIR, Dinesh Das, noted singer Mridula Das, musician and former station director, AIR, Abani Pathak, noted composer Bipul Baruah, among others, celebrated the 80th birthday of Gunamoni Bora with a little cake cutting ceremony.
Popular singer Munindra Saikia paid a glowing tribute to Jiten Deka with a new song 'Ahin Oha Baat', which was released on the occasion. The song written by Jiten Deka and musically scored by Tapan Das, is beautifully rendered by Saikia. The function got going with a chorus performance based on a Jiten Deka composition performed by the members of the 'Meghbarna' group.
Jiten Deka has been an inspiration for many aspiring singers and musicians in the state. The guests spoke about their association with the artiste in addition to his illustrious musical journey.
Most importantly, Deka's compositions brought him wide appreciation among the new generation artistes, which was evident during the function as a number of talented upcoming singers enchanted the audience with their renditions of his evergreen compositions.
They were Munmi Devi, David Singha, Brisha Bharadwaj, Upasana Barman, Sanskrita Malakar, Bijuli Goswami, Pratul Goswami, Madhusmita Rabha, Jiten Deka's youngest son Sudarshan Prabir Deka.
It's heartening to see this illustrious musician being appreciated for his wonderful talents following his passing.
The function was beautifully compered by Hemanta Nath.