Guwahati: Vishwa Samvad Kendra (VSK) Assam will host its annual Devarshi Narad Jayanti lecture this Sunday, June 7, at Sudarshanalay in the Barbori locality of Guwahati. The program is scheduled to begin at 10:30 am.
Prakhar Shrivastava, a nationally acclaimed news presenter and senior advisor at the Delhi Doordarshan news section, will deliver the keynote lecture. His address will focus on the life and legacy of Sage Narad, who is widely regarded in traditional Indian culture as the world’s first media professional.
During the event, veteran journalist and Ishan Darpan editor Nava Thakuria will be honored with the prestigious Devarshi Narad Jayanti Award for 2026. Additionally, the organizers will felicitate three working journalists from the region: Lakhyajit Gohain of NKTV, Ranjita Rabha of Pratham Khabar, and Mridul Haloi of Dainik Asam.
Kishor Shivam, the secretary of VSK Assam, emphasized the enduring relevance of the celebration, noting that the media plays a vital role in keeping society vigilant, countering government wrongdoing, and ensuring public welfare. He explained that Narad Mahaprabhu embodied this philosophy of social awareness, which inspires VSK Assam’s annual festival. Over the years, the platform has recognized several of the region’s finest media minds, including Dhirendra Nath Chakrabarty, Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah, and Kanak Sen Deka.
This year’s award recipient, Nava Thakuria, began his career in mainstream Assamese journalism in 1990 with Natun Dainik before transitioning to English journalism. An alumnus of Assam Engineering College, his work regularly appears in Ishan Darpan, The Statesman, Terra Green, and Indian Printer & Publisher, and he is a frequent commentator on television talk shows.
Thakuria’s reporting heavily focuses on socio-political, cultural, and environmental issues across Northeast India and neighboring nations like Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. He also frequently analyzes the evolution of mainstream journalism in the digital age. In 2021, Thakuria received global recognition from the Geneva-based media rights organization, the Press Emblem Campaign, marking the first time the honor was awarded to an Indian journalist.
