Norway‘s Ambassador to India Nils Ragnar Kamsvag on Wednesday complimented Assam’s renowned actor Adil Hussain for achieving the best actor award in Norway’s Amanda Awards and said that he hoped cooperation between Assam and Norway would continue in the field of culture.
Addressing the launching ceremony of the Assam Agricultural University and Norwegian collaborative project on climate resilient agriculture at the Boardroom of the varsity on Wednesday,
Kamsvag said that agriculture was not the only sphere in which Norway and Assam were collaborating but there is also collaboration in the sphere of culture.
It may be mentioned that noted actor from Assam, Adil Hussain, recently won the best actor award in Norway for the movie What Will People Say, which was Norway’s official entry to the Oscars.
Kamsvag further said, “Cooperation in the sphere of culture will continue.”
Hussain has played the lead role of a strict Pakistani father directed by second-generation Norwegian national, Iram Haq.
Amanda Awards or the Norwegian National Awards, the top national film honour in Norway, was instituted in 1985.
Speaking to media persons later, Kamsvag said that Spicmacay, an organisation had been working to bring about cultural exchanges between the two countries for the past 10 years especially in the schools.
“Indian literature and music are very popular in Norway. Norwegian authors attend the Jaipur Literary Festival and books of our country have been translated into Indian languages and likewise many Indian authors have been translated into Nynorsk,” he said.
He, however, ruled out any Government agreement in cultural cooperation and said that institutes or organisations of both countries would have to work together in this regard and the Norwegian Government would facilitate any proposal which came from Assam or any other place.
Kamsvag further said that though a list of Indian books were recommended, his personal favourites were Vikram Seth’s ‘A Suitable Boy’ and books by authors Arundhati Roy and Jhumpa Lahiri. He also said, the trilogy of books on opium trade between India and China in the 19th century also engrossed him.