Minoti Khaund: The evergreen violinist of 70's musical world of Assam, she is undoubtedly one of the most popular violinist today and can equally be placed among the best. With her disarming smile and charming manner, the bespectacled Minoti Khaund exudes a comfortable air: music, she says takes her closet to divinity and accords her peace and tranquility. It is an invigorating experience which exalts her spirits.
Born in a well to do Phukan paribar of Jorhat. Her father Manik Chandra Phukan and mother Nalini Debi. She was raised in a culturally rich atmosphere. Her maternal grandfather: Bisheswar Sharma, well-known Tea planter and a culturally gharana of Jorhat. Being a connoisseur of the fine arts himself encouraged Minoti and bought her a violin. So, she started to play at a tender age of 10.
Minoti had her early training in violin from Shri Indreswar Sarma of Jorhat, in the music school of late Darpanath Sarma. She performed in several concerts and festivals and the turning point in her life came when she was performing at the All Assam Music Conference in 1972 and violin maestro Pt. V.G.Jog heard her on stage and offered to impart his art to Minoti. Her husband Kabindra Ram Khaund and the daughter in law of Deputy Commissioner Rabindra Ram Khaund a traditional family of Assam supported her and started her apprenticeship under Pt .Jog. Thereafter started the traditional Gururshisya Parampara between Minoti and Padmavibhusahan Pt Jog.
The Rising Talent Conference at Kalamandir Calcutta in 1978 introduced Minoti as a talented artiste. There has been no looking back since then. The Amir Khan Music Conference at Rabindra Sadan Calcutta, Benaras, Burdwan, Cuttack, Bhubaneshwar, Tatanagar, Rabindra Natya Mandir mumbai, India International Center Delhi, Mehta Memorial Hall Allahabad, IIT Festival, Shankardev Kalakshetra Guwahati, National Gallery of Modern Art Mumbai, India Habitat Centre Delhi, Women's International Forum Goa, Madhusudhan Manch Kolkatta etc were the platforms that Minoti performed in and enthralled the audience and press alike. She became the foremost violinist of Assam. She was conferred the title of Sangeet Jyoti.
Minoti started her parallel studies in the field of music and attained Sangeet Nipune from Prayag Sangeet Samitti, Allahabad, in 1986, bagging a gold medal for her Sangeet Visharad. During this period she also got associated with vocalist Pt. A.T, Kanan of the Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkatta and imbibed the "gayaki ang" in her style. She also underwent music studies in the field of raga improvisations and rhythmic patterns of "tala" from sarod maestro and musicologist Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta.
Sunita Bhuyan is a violinist of the Hindustani style and has carved a niche for herself as an upcoming musician of India. Recepient of the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini award for Music. She was initiated into musicat a tender age by her mother Minoti Khaund. The mother daughter duo of Minoti and Sunita have performed duets all over the country and abroad, regaling the audience and the press alike with their "jugalbandi". What makes her great is: selection of her tune, her style of presentation and she stried to give a semi-classical touch which has a blend of folk western classical.
Sunita has attained a master's degree in Hindustani Music from Prayag Sangeet Samitte, with a distinction and has also studied advanced music under the apprenticeship of violin maestro Padmabibhushan Late Pt V.G. Jog.
Minoti Khaund, the award winning violin master whose musical career spanning 50 years. She has been awarded the prestigious Silpi Bata this year by Govt. of Assam.
A violin recital by Minoti Khaund and her daughter Sunita Bhuyan are on an exclusive UK tour at the prestigious Nehru Centre (the Cultural wing of Indian High Commission) on 26th June and other British cities: Manchester: Kalapremi mandal, Birmingham and Nottingham organized by Rini Kakati, NRI Co-ordinator for UK.
Also the Glasgow concert is organized by Mrs. Anima Sharma, an active member of Lancashire Hindu Association.
At a time when there is massive annihilation of Mother Nature and our Environment in the name of development of Science and technology, the leading socio- cultural organization, People’s Friend Foundation is taking a unique step to create awareness among the school students about Pollution, Global Warming, Deforestation, preservation of Bio-diversity and so on and so forth. In commemoration with the World Environment Day and its theme of this year-“The Green Economy: Does it include you?”, PFF is organizing prize money ‘ENVIRO-QUIZ’, the All Assam School Quiz among high school students of the state on June 5 at the District Library Auditorium, Guwahati. The...
KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi will sit in indefinite hunger-strike in Guwahati from Sunday to mount pressurize on the government to stop police excess on anti-dam activists in Lakhimpur district. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, he said that several other organisations would join him. He claimed that KMSS would continue to oppose the NHPC-owned big dam in Gerukamukh.
He said, “despite my ill health I have decided to sit in indefinite hunger strike to protest inhuman atrocities heaped on our peaceful and democratic protestors in Lakhimpur.”
Peoples' Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement on Friday renewed their demand for a separate Bodoland including parts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts. More than three thousand members of PJACBM staged a dharna in Tezpur and submitted a memorandum to Assam Governor JB Patnaik through Sonitpur Deputy Commissioner.
PJACBM conveners asked the government to expedite the peace process with NDFB(Progressive) to pave the way for early creation of a separate Bodoland. They said that the Bodo people and other indigenous tribals have lost their grip on their land and their survival as distinct communities with a socio-cultural identity is threatened.
The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council will announce the results of the higher secondary examinations in the last week of May. In a statement issued on Friday, AHSEC secretary UC Das said that the students have fared pretty well after they introduced the NCERT syllabus.
Around 2,19,140 candidates have appeared the examination this year, with 2,17,953 students from arts, science and commerce and 1,187 from the vocational stream. He said that the NCERT course allows for high scores and that there hasn't been any mistake in the results.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday claimed to have brought the insurgent outfits under control. But in the same breath, he said that a set of clear cut strategies is needed to firmly deal with Maoist elements. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, the chief minister said that the Maoists elements selected the entire northeastern region in view of the bordering countries.
He said that the Maoists are spreading their diabolic tentacles in the entire region and that police force needs to be strengthen apart from initiatives for the underdeveloped areas. According to him, development can solve the problems created by either the Maoists or other insurgent group and so the thrust...
AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on Friday lambasted Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for his failure to ensured adequate funds from the Centre. Addressing a press conference a day after he took over as party president, he called the Central grant for 2011-12 a meager blaming it all on the Gogoi government’s inefficiency. Mahanta said that the amount in quite meager compared to UP, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi made it simple that he has no plan for immediate retirement. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, he said that as long as is health remains fine he would continue. He said he would quit as soon as his MLAs wish so.
Asom Gana Parishad president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on Friday urged the party leaders to strengthen the party from the grassroots. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, he said that the party has its base in rural areas and we need to strengthen the party from the grassroots so that it can become a strong alternative to the Congress in Assam.
He said that the party would hold a meeting of all its district units and cells from May 23-31 in Guwahati to chalk out a strategy to woo the people. Taking a pot shot at Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, he said that the Congress has failed in curbing rising prices of essential commodities and in ensuring safety and security to the people.
Petrol pumps across Assam are likely to go dry because of the Assam Petroleum Mazdoor Union’s strike from Monday alleging government failure to provide adequate safety and security to petroleum workers. Union President Munin Mahanta told reporters in Guwahati on Friday that several organisations resorting to protests, bandhs and other forms of agitations targeting petroleum workers with several tankers being set ablaze by the agitators.
Mahanta alleged that the state government had assured adequate security and compensation to the workers, particularly the drivers and helpers of the oil tankers but no steps in this regard had been taken so far,Notably, there were two recent...
MORE THAN two decades ago a dozen children – aged between 3 and 10 – crowded on to a stage waving red balloons as they sang as part of London's Rongali Bihu celebrations.
Almost 25 years later, some of those same children -now fully grown and some married - reprised that performance of 'Ronga Balloone' at the Silver Jubilee of the London Bihu Committee - the group that has been organising the UK capital's bihu gatherings for all that time.
That performance on Sunday 6 May at The Campion School in Hornchurch was the climax of a cultural programme that had been crafted specifically to mark 25 years of unbroken celebrations in London for Rongali Bihu.
Dr Neera...
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