Destination Santiniketan for Assam initiative to celebrate poets

Key Highlights

• Held every February, Monkobita is an initiative of the foundation to celebrate the works of Assam’s legendary poets.
• “This edition of Monkobita will honour two iconic personalities whose creations still impact and mould Assamese literature and music: Navakanta Barua and Bhupen Hazarika.
• Besides celebrating their remarkable artistic legacies, Monkobita 2026 holds special significance as it commemorates the 100th birth anniversary of both cultural figures, celebrating the enduring impact of their contributions to literature, music, and the collective imagination,” a statement from the foundation read.
• The Santiniketan event is being organised in partnership with Visva-Bharati University’s Department of Assamese and the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust.
• Hazarika, affectionately called Sudhakantha (the nectar-voiced) and celebrated as the Bard of Brahmaputra, was a multifaceted genius—singer, composer, filmmaker, lyricist, poet, and visionary — whose work transcended regional boundaries and tackled universal issues of humanity, unity, and social justice.