KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 11
Dr. Rishi Bastakoti received the Hari Outstanding Talent Award-2080 (Hari Utkrista Prativa Puraskar) for 'Bisangata Basti,' amidst a ceremony jointly organized by NCNLS and the Hari Cultural Center.
The award was presented by chief guest Dr. Neelam Karki Niharika, Shikhar Dulal (Chairman of North Carolina Nepali Literary Society), and Ishwar Devkota (Trustee of Hari Cultural Center) The award ceremony was held in North Carolina, USA, with literary enthusiasts participating locally and from various cities around the world, including Nepal, via Zoom.
Dr. Prabha Kaini, President of the Hari Cultural Center, addressed the event from Kathmandu via Zoom, discussing Dr. Bastakoti's literary contributions.
The Hari Cultural Center was established in 2046 BS in honor of Haribhakta Devkota by his son, Rajeshwar Devkota, who used the prize money from his Madan Puraskar and Sajha Puraskar awards. The center annually honors creators born in Gorkha or associated with Gorkha for their literary contributions on the day of Shree Panchami.
Dr. Kaini mentioned that Bastakoti, born in Liglig Pathibhara of Gorkha, has been contributing to Nepali literature for the past three decades and was awarded this year for his work.
Kedarnath Khanal, the advisor of Hari Cultural Center from Chitwan announced poet Narayan Prasad Pokharel as the recipient of the Rajeshwar Devkota Fellowship Award and unveiled the Center's yearly publication, "Aabartan."
Prizes for the annual inter-high school essay competition held this year at Mahendra Lila Secondary School i in Harmi, with nine local schools participating were also awarded during the event.
Shikhar Dulal, chair of the award ceremony and the North Carolina Nepali Literary Society (NCNLS), emphasized the significant impact of the awarded work "Bisangat Basti." Dulal praised the contributions as a mirror of society, noting that the quatrains (muktak collection) have sparked a movement against malpractices, superstitions, and disorder.
