The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has assured all possible help to arrange for an ‘honour’ programme in the state Legislative Assembly for legendary literary figure of the Hills, the late Shiva Kumar Rai, on the occasion of his birth centenary, Jas Yonzon ‘Pyasi,’ the chief patron of the Shiva Kumar Rai Janma Shatabdi Samaroh Samiti (a organisation of veteran literary figures), said here on Thursday.

Addressing media persons at the Gorkha Jan Pustakalay in Kurseong, Mr Yonzon said that on 3 April, a team of their organisation met GTA Board chairman Binoy Tamang and vice-chairman Anit Thapa in Darjeeling, and appealed to them to do something to honour the late Rai, the first Gorkha deputy minister of Bengal, in the Legislative Assembly.

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“Legendary litterateur Shiva Kumar Rai was not only a literary figure, but he was a social-minded political person too. He was the first postindependence Labour Deputy Minister of the Bengal Legislative Assembly from the Darjeeling Hills, representing the All India Gorkha League party (between1952-57),” he said.

He added that they have also requested the GTA member of the education department, Amar Singh Rai, who is also the MLA from Darjeeling, to announce and organise a compulsory programme on Rai on 26 April every year on the occasion of his birth anniversary in all the schools in the GTA area.

“To observe the birth centenary, we have decided to hold different literary programmes and other events at different places in the country for a whole year starting 26 April 2018 to 26 April 2019. The nationwide celebrations willstart from his birth place in Renock, Sikkim, from 26 April and will later end in Kurseong, the work place of the late Rai,” Mr Yonzon said.

In Darjeeling, the Samiti will organize programmes in the month of May, in Kalimpong in June, Sonada and Kurseong in July, Mirik, Mungpo and Nagri in August, Gangtok, Namchi, Gezing,Sikkim in September, Saluwa, in October, Dooars in November and Tejpur, Assam in December.

Later, programmes will also be held in Siliguri in January, Banaras Vishwa Vidhalay in February and several other programmes based on Rai in Sikkim and Guwahati universities in March.

“Later in April, a variety of events with help from different associations and organizations, including students of different schools, will be organized at the work placeof the late Rai in Kurseong,” Mr Yonzon said. Rai was born on 26 April 1919 in Renock and died on 22 July 1995 in Kurseong.