Skip to main content

Aspiring for perfection

                                                                                                                     Mehjabin Hussain

Pursuit of Excellence authored by Ankur Bora is a compilation of biographical sketches of prominent personalities around the globe who have had either their roots or some kind of connection with Assam and North-East of India. As I read the chapters one after another, what I found most riveting is that each and every individual featured in the book carries his own endearing story of grace, charisma and humanity.  Pursuit of Excellence is a storehouse of information to every eager and aspiring student who has a dream to carve out his own identity in life. The book is food for every visionary. It is a guiding light to the clueless pupil. It can give direction to anybody who is not particularly sure about the next move that he needs to make in his studies, research work, social pursuits, business activities or any other career matter.
The Book release event on 6th January 2018
The book begins with an insightful foreword by Mitra Phukan who is a reputed Indian author, translator and columnist. Indrani Raimedhi columnist, author, journalist and Features editor, The Assam Tribune applauds the work “The endeavor by Ankur Bora is indeed laudable and brings to light the achievements of many Assamese stalwarts. The book has great archival value and will serve as an inspiration to future generations. Pursuit of Excellence features  the adventurous stories of incredible achievers like Adil Hussain who is an Indian stage, television and film actor who has worked in international movies like Life of Pi ; Birubala Rabha who is a crusader against witch-hunting in India; Manjil Saikia, a young math enthusiast, currently working as Research Fellow at the University of Vienna, Austria, and co founder of a multilingual web magazine called Gonit Sora ;  Australia –based Dr. Rangam Rajkhowa, who has assessed silk fibres sourced from India, eventually pioneering a new method to treat ruptured eardrum;  Rita Payne, London-based Journalist and Media Adviser hailing from Assam; Rubul Mout who is associated with gene editing technology ; and Dr. Rukmi Dutta, Senior Lecturer in Energy Systems, The University Of New South Wales ( UNSW), Australia, amongst other personalities from varied sectors.
Book review published in Assam Tribune
The book documents the globally influential leadership skills of Wahid Saleh who ,hailing from Rajabari, Jorhat, has evolved into  a social entrepreneur and community leader based in Holland, having received the coveted Dutch honor, the Knighthood in the Orange- Nassau , the Netherlands, and then also becoming the recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest award conferred by the President of India, on overseas Indians. The book also profiles Dr. Rupakjyoti Borah,  currently a visiting research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, Singapore; Dr. Sanchayeeta Borthakur, astronomer and scientist at the John Hopkins University, USA;  Dr. Surajit Borkotokey, a math enthusiast and Professor of Mathematics, Dibrugarh University; Anwesha Mahanta, a versatile Sattriya  dancer; Gautam Prasad Baroowah, the author of the book The Monk Who Redefined the Concept of God ; Kilang Yanger from Nagaland who got featured in the cover article of  Genes and Development, a reputed scientific journal ; Father Lukose, the Founder of the Snehalaya Homes for the underprivileged ;and Manjil Hazarika, a dedicated anthropologist, amongst others.
The stories  related to  Peggy Carswell, the  founder of Fertile Ground and  Suchismita Majumdar, Founder of Swabalambi, make inspiring reading. Another remarkable personality featured in Pursuit of Excellence is Mike Fincke, the American astronaut.  As Chief Editor of the Friends magazine, the author of  Pursuit of Excellence happened to get an invitation to the NASA Johnson Space Center, and this incredible event in his life is mentioned in the chapter on Mike Finchke. In another chapter titled as ‘ The Lone Ranger’ Ankur Bora reflects on his personal meeting and relationship with Kuladhar Saikia, an officer of Indian Police Service.
Ankur Bora has also nominated several of the organizations and people who are written about in this collection for international awards. Some have gone on to win laurels and awards, such as Pradip Kumar Sarmah, the founder of the Rickshaw Bank, (the Tech Awards) innovator Uddhabh Bharali  (Nasa Tech Briefs )as well as groups such as Fertile Ground (Women’s World Summit Foundation Award)  which works to bring awareness and change in several areas, and groups such as Swabalambi, the organization that works for children with disabilities in the lower economic sections of society, and others. 
The  writer has featured nearly fifty people in the book. The essays were originally published in The Assam Tribune, spanning a time period of several years, during the course of which the readers of these  prose pieces had reached out to the author from different parts of the world, applauding the initiative taken by the Dallas-based Software engineer to  express his intense feelings of affections , admiration and awe for an entire multitude of people  who have moved and empowered him with a better understanding of human zeal, passion, resourcefulness and fortitude.
The book Pursuit of Excellence was released by Executive Editor Assam Tribune Mr. PJ Baruah at the Jeevan Kite and River Festival on 6th January. The event also provided a platform for a number of organisations working for women, children, differently able and marginalised sections to share their experiences of working in their respective fields. Mr. Baruah in his speech lauds the philanthropic activities which are highlighted in the book. “From The Assam Tribune, we would continue to support and promote such selfless service to society, particularly towards the downtrodden. The more people know about such activities, the stronger such movements grow” he added.
Pursuit of Excellence is definitely a laudable project, for it will showcase the works and achievements, along with the struggles, of these people. These stories serve as an inspiration to all but especially to the younger section of Assam and North East. May it inspire them to take forward this rich legacy of achievers.  
( Mehjabin Hussain is an author, freelance editor, compiler and English Teacher. She lives in Jorhat, Assam.)
Mehjabin Hussain with Ankur Bora

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The 5th commandment

Readers Comments I have followed with great admiration the amazing journey of Wahid, my classmate( proud to say that)  from the school days in Jorhat, in those dreamy days. Not only the younger generations, he inspires me a lot--at times feel 'wish I had the tenacity, the enthusiasm and drive'  that Wahid shows in anything he takes up. Certainly an icon for the younger generations. Thanks for publishing a lovely write up. Madan Prasad Bezbaruah , former secretary tourism, Government of India .

PursuitofExcellence

In the last few years, a number of articles of  the author have been published in the newspapers of Assam. Each article is a unique story of non-resident having roots in Assam and North East winning awards, recognitions as well as their contributions to the motherland. Pursuit of excellence is a treasure house of these stories, work experience and expertise of these individuals.  We sincerely wish that the book will be a medium to groom and guide the students and youths of Assam. Ankur Bora ,  November 30th, 2017 Dallas , Texas , USA ankurbora@hotmail.com Website http://ankurbora.blogspot.com/  

The lone Ranger

Assam Police officer Kuladhar Saikia was investigating a brutal killing of five innocent men in the name of witches. Among the suspects was a young boy, who apparently joined the villagers in fatally hitting his own father. The incident stirred the conscience of everyone present; Saikia realized that something beyond traditional policing was needed; after critical and objective analysis of these phenomena, a new approach to Community policing was conceptualized, which, later transformed the lives and economies of hundreds of isolated and backward communities across Assam. I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Saikia in the year 2008, I myself as an executive of Assam Foundation of North America (AFNA) and Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS) had been exploring ways and means to engage and nurture such projects. Saikia, was curious about everything I was doing and he made me feel instantly at ease. We sat and talked about everything, the conversation just flowed. I absorbed wi...