Assam Lekhika Samaj will jointly confer the Mohini Gogoi Memorial Award 2023 to noted media persons Maini Mahanta and Teresa Rehman. The award has been instituted in memory of Mohini Gogoi, a school teacher to inspire women. Gogoi, who passed matriculation from Phuleswari Girl’s School in Sivasagar was the first matriculate from her village and retired as the headmistress of Disangmukh Senior Basic School.
The joint awardees, Maini Mahanta and Teresa Rehman have both carved a niche for themselves in the field of media. Maini Mahanta, the editor of Nandini, a premier women’s monthly in Assamese has also been working for women’s empowerment through the pages of her journal as well as television debates and newspaper columns. She has also authored and edited several books on women. On the other hand, Teresa Rehman is an award-winning journalist and author who is known for quiet grit and a matter-of-fact approach to stories. She has travelled extensively and has done incisive reporting from all over northeast India. She had worked for India Today, The Telegraph and Tehelka before taking over as the Editor-in-chief of Thumb Print magazine. Rehman has written several books and is associated with various media organisations including the Editors Guild of India. Both of them will be honoured at a function in Guwahati on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
Assam Lekhika Samaj is a socio-cultural and literary organisation set up in 2021 to empower women through the pen. ‘We want to hone the talents of women and give them a wider platform to express themselves in various fields. The main fulcrum of our organization is literature, culture and education. We also work with the young generation, both children and adolescents. We want to ensure that we have members in remote villages and towns. We have branches at different levels. We want to encourage them to write,’ says Padumi Gogoi, president of the organization. The Samaj also has a children’s wing called Lorioli and a wing for teenagers called Sakhioti. After they cross the age of 18, they become members of the Samaj. They have members all over Assam, India and even abroad. They also have a mouthpiece called ‘Pragya’ which showcases writings by women from all walks of life.
Gogoi said, ‘We want to ensure that we have members in remote villages and towns. We have branches at different levels. We want to encourage them to write. We organize International Women’s Day, Mother’s Day and Indigenous Day. We are growing by the day and I feel it is a good sign.’