South East Asia Institute of Ramayana Research Centre members with the children of Snehalaya. Picture by UB Photos

Guwahati, Nov. 14: Assam today remembered litterateur Mamoni Raisom Goswami on her 73rd birth anniversary by organising various programmes.

South East Asia Institute of Ramayana Research Centre, which was founded by Goswami, held programmes among the inmates of Amar Ghor, an old-age home for women, and Snehalaya, an orphanage, to recall how the writer had worked for the underprivileged and downtrodden section of society.

Sweets were distributed among the children of Snehalaya and other essential commodities and fruits were distributed among the inmates of Amar Ghor.

“We are really thankful to the trustee members of the centre for taking such an initiative for the inmates of Amar Ghor on the birthday of the great soul. Goswami often used to visit us and take care of our inmates,” said Yugabrata Dutta, secretary of Amar Ghor, on the occasion.

Sister Martina of Snehalaya thanked the trustee members of the centre for such a gesture to mark the birthday of the only woman Gnanpith Awardee from the state.

Goswami’s sister, Arundhati, niece Mrinmoyee and a trustee member of the centre, Alka, were present on the occasion. Naam kirtan was also held and Ramanjali, the residence of Goswami, was illuminated to mark the occasion.

Goswami, a celebrated name in Assamese literature, was born in 1942 at Amranga in South Kamrup. Most parts of her early childhood were spent in Amranga, Shillong and Guwahati.

Residents of Amranga paid floral tribute to the writer on the premises of Umakanta Chandrakanta Goswami primary health centre, the government hospital named after Goswami’s father, and for which she had offered a significant amount of financial assistance for its infrastructure development.

Mrinmoyee, however, lamented that the state government had forgotten the writer whom it had honoured with the Asom Ratna title. “There is not a single ceremony or message from the government’s part,” she said. She said the centre is planning to organise the memorial lecture on Goswami on her birthday.

Goswami’s house in the city was today kept open to the public so that people could come and pay tribute to the beloved writer.