Kathmandu, September 11:

The Nepal Education Council today honoured young poets Rameshwor Rawat “Matridas” and Roshan Thapa “Nirab” with the ‘Yuba Barsa Moti Puraskar-2007’ for their contribution to the promotion and preservation of Nepali literature.

At a programme organised to mark the 142nd birth anniversary of youth-poet Moti Ram Bhatta, National poet Madhab Prasad Ghimire gave away the award that consists of

gold medals and a purse of Rs 40,000. The award established by the Rastriya Yuba Smriti Kosh in 1985 decorates outstanding litterateurs below the age of 40 every year.

Ghimire also launched four books: Hatko Takiya of Bharat Raj Panta, Moti Ram Bhatta Ko Jeevani Alok of Dr Hari Bhakta Neupane, The Pashupati Stotrum of P Rama Chandra Joshi, and Deshko Saan Rakhau of Gopal Pandey.

Litterateurs shed light on the life of Moti Ram Bhatta, who died at the age of 30 in 1896. Despite a short life, Bhatta marks the prosperous epoch in the medieval Nepali poetry, where along with Bhanubhakta’s ‘Ramayana’ many good poems and songs were introduced. Littérateur Dr Chudamani Bandhu stressed on the need of following Bhatta’s footprints to save Nepali language and literature.

“Moti Ram Bhatta devoted his life to conserve Nepali language and promote Nepali literature; every youth in Nepal should follow him to preserve our identity,” he added.