After the death of Sattradhikar Lilakanta Mahanta, a ceremony was held at Barkhatpar Sattra in Sivasagar on Friday. At the request of the newly elected Sattradhikar, disciples, trainees and the general public, eminent researcher, litterateur, and master of Sattriya culture, Dr Nirupama Mahanta was entrusted with the responsibility of managing the Barkhatpar Sattra.
Prof. Nani Gopal Mahanta was present on the occasion which was attended by Sangeet Natak Puraskar winners Rebakanta Mahanta, Sattriya Pandit, Sattradhikar Laxmikant Mahanta, Muktanath Mahanta, Shankari culture practitioner Hiru Mahanta, Suren Mahanta, Dharmaacharya Arupananda Mahanta and many others. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Nirupama Mahanta said that in the past too, Aie Kanaklata, Aie Padmavati, and others have been creating groundbreaking history by managing sattras. She also said that she would run the sattra smoothly and take it forward.
Sattradhikar Laxmikant Mahanta called Dr Nirupama Mahanta a learned woman with extensive knowledge of Sattriya culture. Sattra culture expert Sattradhikar Hiru Mahanta recalled various contributions of her. It may be mentioned here that Dr Nirupama Mahanta has done a lot of work with special studies regarding the attire, expressions, and other intricacies (আহাৰ্য ) of the Sattriya dance.
Under her leadership, various plays and jhumurs have been exhibited in Puri, Vrindavan, Bangaluru, Mumbai etc.
Apart from authoring many books on Sattriya culture, Dr Nirupama Mahanta has been making every effort to promote Sattriya culture among the new generation. She has authored many literary books, including novels based on the life of Aie Padmapriya, and Aie Kanaklata. Dr Mahanta has received many awards and honors along with the Model Mother Award (আদৰ্শ মাতৃ বঁটা).
Getting a talented woman like Dr Nirupama Mahanta to take over the responsibility of managing the sattra is good news for the Sattriya culture. This decision will contribute to the rise in the position of women in Sattriya culture. In today's ceremony, Shri Arup Mahanta was appointed as Deka Sattradhikar and Tirtha Mahanta as Lori Sattradhikar. Many Sattriya scholars, Bhakat-Vaishnava, were present to make the event significant.
