Silchar: The Cachar District Committee of the Barak Valley Sports Journalists’ Association (BUKSS) on Saturday organised its much-awaited annual awards ceremony at a marriage hall on Circuit House Road, Silchar. The programme turned into a warm celebration of sports, sportsmanship and the people who work quietly behind the scenes to keep games alive in the region.

The event honoured the best sportspersons of the year along with a sports organiser, recognising dedication, discipline and consistent performance. This year, the Best Organiser award was presented to Nirmalya Nath for his special contribution to the promotion and development of hockey.

Along with this, a total of 12 sportspersons from different disciplines were honoured with the Best of the Year awards, drawing loud applause from the audience.

The programme began at 11 am with Ganesh Vandana, setting a positive and respectful tone for the day.

Addressing the gathering, ASP Subrata Sen said that he loves to be associated with sports and praised BUKSS for its steady efforts over the years. He said he has been indirectly associated with BUKSS for the last four years and has closely seen its work.

Calling the annual awards function inspiring, he said he felt privileged to be present on the occasion and extended his best wishes to BUKSS for the future.

MLA Dipayan Chakraborty, who attended the programme as a guest, said he was glad to be part of the event and praised BUKSS for taking such initiatives for sports and sportspersons. He said sports journalists deserve a special mention for their wonderful work, as they play a key role in highlighting talent and keeping sports in public focus.

Sharing important information, he informed that Rs 5 crore has been sanctioned by the Assam Chief Minister for DSA development and that another Rs 5 crore will be coming soon. He also said that a new DSA gallery will be inaugurated by the Assam Chief Minister, though the date has not yet been fixed.

He requested BUKSS to arrange the inauguration ceremony and expressed hope that it would be organised in a wonderful manner.

Stressing the need for infrastructure development, he said he has tried his level best to help every club during the last five years. He praised journalists and sports journalists and assured them of full cooperation at any cost. He added that the Assam Chief Minister will also extend support and said that if re-elected, he would help more, especially sports academies.

The programme was smoothly compered by Abhijit Bhattacharjee, who kept the audience engaged throughout.

Silchar DSA president Shibabrata Dutta said the occasion was more than just an award ceremony. He spoke about the urgent need to keep games and sports alive, especially in the present times. He highlighted the value of sports in daily life and said coordination among body, soul and mind is very important. He pointed out that games and sports help fight anxiety and depression and play a major role in shaping a healthy society.

He said sports form an integral part of education and are included in the education curriculum, with institutions dedicated solely to games and sports. He heaped praise on BUKSS for its activities and stressed the importance of sportsmanship and sporting spirit, calling it a must for all. He wished BUKSS continued success in the years to come.

Senior sports figure Babul Hore also praised BUKSS for its role, while Mridul Mazumder shared his experiences and spoke highly of the association, recalling its consistent efforts for sports journalism and development.

Nilaksha Choudhury said BUKSS has been doing many good activities and expressed happiness at being part of such an event. He praised BUKSS for its commendable work and dedication.

Vivek Podder praised BUKSS and assured all sorts of aid and assistance whenever required. Uttam Kumar Saha also commended the efforts of BUKSS and encouraged the association to continue its work.

The event saw the presence of a large number of sports lovers, officials and journalists, including Sumanta Das, Razi Hazam, Riten Bhattacharjee, GS Kinkar Das, president Taz Uddin Barbhuiya, Ratan Deb, Jishu Suklabaidya, Babul Hore, Chayan Bhattacharjee, Tamojit Bhattacharjee, Bikash Deb, Amit Nag, Chandan Sharma, Shithil Dhar, Sujon Dutta, Samar Ghosh, Bibhuti Bhushan Goswami, Raju Sengupta, R Alam Laskar, Mridul Mazumder, Bikash Chakraborty, Bikash Shyam, Sudip Singh, Bishu Dutta Choudhury, Milon Uddin Laskar, Shambhu Choudhury, Bikash Das, Ajay Chakraborty, Shanu Choudhury, Aniruddha Laskar, Pritish Paul, Rudra Narayan Gupta and others.

The programme concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Debashish Shome, who expressed gratitude to all guests, participants and organisers for making the event a success.

Promotional | North East Integration Rally