Poet, Critic and Academician Nilamani Phukan received the Doctor of Literature (D. Litt) degree (honorary) from Dibrugarh University (DU). On Monday at his Maligaon residence a team of DU comprising its Vice Chancellor Ranjit Tamuly and Registrar Dr Hari Chandra Mahanta were present on the occasion.

Receiving the award, the poet said: “Friendship, affection, humanity, truth and beauty are what a poet strives for. No prize or honour can give a poet the pleasure which he/she gets from his/her creative works.” The veteran poet also said, “I’ve been engaged in creative works in the Assamese language, literature and culture for 60 years now, without any dodging.”

Nilamani Phukan born in 1933 at Dergaon in Assam, the poet has poetry collections – Surya Henu Nami Ahe Ei Nodiyedi, Gulapi Jamur Lagna, Phuli Thaka Suryamukhi Phultor Pine among others – to his credit.

Earlier, he was honoured by the Axam Xahitya Xabha (AXX) with the ‘Axomiya Jatiya Kobi’ title. He also got Sahitya Akademi’s Literary Fellowship in 2002. In 1981 he received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his collection of poetry named ‘Kobita’. In 1990 he was honoured with Padmashree by the Government of India.