Organisers of Abhiruchi Sports Day address the media about preparations for the central programme in Guwahati on Wednesday. Picture by Biju Boro.

Guwahati, Sept. 1: A total of 21 sportspersons, nine teachers, seven veterans and two sports organisers will be honoured for their contributions to sports on the occasion of 21st Abhiruchi Sports Day to be observed on Friday. The day, observed annually to mark the birthday of first Arjuna Awardee from Assam, Bhogeswar Barua, will, however, be shorn of frills in deference to the victims of the recent floods that ravaged the state.

Manipuri Olympian Thoiba Singh, who represented India in hockey, will flag off a mass run from the Chandmari flyover here at 6.15 am that will culminate at the Nehru Stadium here.

The run will be followed by the felicitation ceremony at a city hotel where Singh will be the chief guest.

Abhiruchi Sports Day organising committee president Bolendra Mohan Chakrabarty said the players’ list is headed by volleyball player Abhijit Bhattacharjee who represented the country at the Asian Games. The sportspersons to be felicitated include 20 players who represented India in various disciplines last year.

Shiv Shankar Roy, part of Assam’s under-15 cricket team last year, has been adjudged the most promising cricketer of the year for the Dilip Choudhury Award. However, Roy will not be able to collect the award in person as he is on tour with the Assam senior team. The Assam boys are in Hyderabad participating in the all-India invitation tournament for the Moin-Ud-Dowla Trophy.

Chakrabarty said the organising body was not interested in making elaborate arrangements this year keeping in view the devastation caused by the recent floods in the state, but organisers from various parts of the state have expressed their willingness to observe the day as usual. The day’s run and various other functions will be organised at more than 100 venues across the state, he added.

However, the central function here will not be as colourful as in the previous years. And unlike in the previous editions, there will be neither be any special bus service from various parts of the city for the runners.

Chakrabarty said the organisers had also invited legendary athlete P.T. Usha to the central function. “However, she informed us that she was pre-occupied with commitments till September 5.”

Assam Badminton Association secretary Omar Rashid will be honoured with the Sashi Sarma Organiser’s Award. Directorate of sports judo coach and Assam Judo Association secretary Baneebrata Das will be given the Raj Baruah Coach’s Award, which has been introduced from this year in place of the Kanai Bezbaruah Coach’s Award. The two awardees have accompanied Indian teams to various international events.

Among the teachers who will feted for their contributions are Kalyani Majumdar of Panbazar Girls Higher Secondary School, former Assam Swimming Association president and principal of Handique Girls College Senehi Begum, Robin Deka of Netaji Vidyapith Railway High School.

The felicitation for teachers has been introduced from this year onwards. “The concept behind awarding the teachers is not merely to recognise their efforts but also to encourage sports at the school level, which are the breeding ground of a state’s sportspersons,” Chakrabarty said.

The awardees:

Sportspersons: Abhijit Bhattacharjee (volleyball), Jayanta Talukdar, Runu Swargiary (archery), Sanjoy Boro, Shiv Shankar Reddy (football), Krishna Dekaraja, Rimi Hazarika, Anshuman Hazarika (badminton), Sikha Dutta (netball), Pranamika Bora, Kalpana Choudhury (boxing), Lisa Mahanta (swimming), Binod Choudhury (basketball), Lalit Kumar Singh, Ranjit Singh (fencing), Kakali Phukan, Sikhamani Barkataki (powerlifting), Kaushik Das, Anshuman Dutta (tennis) and Paban Saikia (taekwondo).

Veterans: Rajen Barpujari, Kamakhya Prasad Das (football), Makibur Hussain (volleyball), Bijay Hazarika (table tennis), Ibocha Singh (hockey), Senehi Begum (swimming), Satanya Kumar Das (basketball).

Teachers: Kalyani Majumdar (Panbazar Girls’ HS School), Manika Goswami Baruah (Maharishi Vidyamandir Public School), Sister Mary Joseph (Holy Child School), Pabin Chandra Barman (Gauhati Refineries High School), Sudipa Bhowmik (Hindustani Kendriya Vidyalaya), Kunja Bordoloi (Tarini Choudhury Govt Girls’ HS MP School), S.M. Sarma (L.U.G. Hindi High School), Robin Deka (Netaji Vidyapith Railway High School) and Monika Raut (Srimanta Sankar Academy).

Special awards: Oman Rashid (Sashi Sarma Organiser’s Award), Baneebrata Das (Raj Baruah Coach’s Award) and Shiv Shankar Roy (Dilip Choudhury Promising Cricketer Award).