The Assam government has announced the 2026 Silpi Awardees, including late singers Samar Hazarika and Dhanada Pathak, honoring outstanding contributions to art, literature, music, theatre, cinema, and journalism. Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Borah revealed the list ahead of Silpi Divas on January 17.
Other state-level awards include: Moneswar Deori (Krishna Kanta Handique Memorial Award), Dr Amalendu Chakraborty (Gopinath Bordoloi Award), Karuna Deka (Natasurya Phani Sarma Award), Arup Manna (Bhabendra Nath Saikia Award), and Abani Ranjan Pathak (Biju Phukan Award).
Financial support schemes were also announced: 83 artists and three differently-abled persons will receive Regular Silpi Pension, 170 will get Barxik Silpi Sanman, 26 will receive Regular Family Pension, and five families of deceased artists will get one-time assistance.
Silpi Divas, observed annually on January 17, commemorates the death anniversary of cultural icon Jyoti Prasad Agarwala. Late Samar Hazarika, younger brother of Dr Bhupen Hazarika, is being honored posthumously for his decades-long contribution to Assamese music.
