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Young Writers Felicitated at Assam Book Fair 2025
A Moment of Gratitude, Honour, and Responsibility: My Yuva Lekhak Samman Journey
By Nang Lucky Gogoi
Recipient of Yuva Lekhak Samman
Receiving the Yuva Lekhak Samman at the Annual Assam Book Fair 2025 has been one of the most humbling and meaningful moments of my writing journey. It is not merely a personal achievement, but a recognition that thoughtful writing and young literary voices matter in shaping society.
On 24 December, at the playground of Khanapara Veterinary College in Guwahati, the Annual Assam Book Fair 2025 was inaugurated by Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr.Himanta Biswa Sarma. On this occasion, 818 young writers from across Assam—including myself—were honoured with the Yuva Lekhak Samman, each receiving a cash award of ₹25,000. This initiative forms a key part of the Assam Government’s decision to declare 2025 as the Year of Books, a visionary step aimed at strengthening the reading and writing culture of the state.
The programme was jointly organised by the Assam Publication Board (Assam Prakashan Parsihad) and the All Assam Book Publishers and Sellers Association. Applications for the award were invited from writers below 40 years of age in Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Mising, Karbi, Nepali, and other community languages. Out of nearly 2,300 applications received from across the state, 818 writers were selected, making the honour both competitive and inclusive.
The Assam Book Fair, which began on 24 December, will continue for 14 days and has brought together more than 135 publishing houses from Assam and other parts of the country, including Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Haryana. Beyond Guwahati, book fairs are also being organised in Bongaigaon, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, Jorhat, Tinsukia, Silchar, and Mangaldoi, ensuring that books reach readers across different regions of Assam and helping to cultivate a vibrant reading culture.
For young writers, the financial assistance of ₹25,000 is far more than symbolic. It can help cover the costs of publishing a book, support higher education or academic research, enable fieldwork and travel essential for serious writing, or allow access to books and learning resources that many early-career writers struggle to afford. More importantly, it offers moral encouragement—the reassurance that the state values intellectual labour and creative expression.
The programme was graced by several eminent dignitaries, including Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, Vice-Chairman of the Assam Publication Board Sumanta Chaliha, renowned author Amish Tripathi, Asom Sahitya Sabha President Basanta Kumar Goswami, and Assam Prakashan Parsihad representative Parmod Kalita, among others.
In a message shared on social media, the Hon’ble Chief Minister described the occasion as a celebration of young litterateurs and urged people to visit the book fair, read more books, and encourage youth to take up writing. As a recipient, I deeply resonate with this appeal.
I express my heartfelt gratitude to Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr.Himanta Biswa Sarma for his visionary leadership and sincere commitment to literature. Declaring 2025 as the Year of Books and instituting the Yuva Lekhak Samman reflect a profound belief in the power of ideas and languages. I am equally thankful to the Assam Government, the organising bodies, and all those who worked behind the scenes to make this initiative a success.
I accept this honour with humility and a deep sense of responsibility—to write more honestly, research more rigorously, and contribute meaningfully to society through my words. May this initiative continue to inspire many more young writers to dream, read, and write, strengthening the literary soul of Assam for generations to come.