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.
Hundreds of Tibetans in the North East on Saturday observed the 53rd anniversary of their 'Uprising day and held participated in a rally from the Dighalipukhuri area of Guwahati.
Speakers alleged that many Tibetans have died while demanding the return of Dalai Lama from exile.
The members from the Tibetan Solidarity Community who organised the protest, said there was widespread resentment among the people of Tibet.
Photo: Syed Miraz Ahmed
Three members of a family, including a woman, were hacked to death and two others seriously injured at a family in Karbi Anglong district on Saturday.
According to police, the three were hacked to death by sharp weapons following an altercation in their house at Josephbasti village in the wee hours.
Those hacked were a couple and their teenaged son, while the injured were their two minor children. Search on for the absconding assailants.
Two youths died when their bike rammed into a tree after losing control over it in Dibrugarh district of Assam on Friday. The accident took place when a bike with two youths rammed into a tree near Joypur tea garden in the evening. Two youths namely Rupen Das and Govind Ghatowar died on the spot.
Tension is simmering in Gossaigaon when a 24 hour bandh disrupted normal life in Kokrajhar on Friday.
A group of bandh supporters in the evening set on fire two vehicles in Babulbil area on the National Highway 31 after asking the passengers to get down. AMSU gave the bandh cal to protest the arrest of two members on extortion charges.
Fear psychosis grips the local residents in the Zoo area in Guwahati when they spotted a forest fire atop the hill. They have spotted smokes and fire at a huge portion inside the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati. But the zoo authorities have yet to react. A section of local residents are trying to leave their houses fearing the spread of the forest fire.
An uneasy calm seems t have prevailed along Assam-Nagaland border in Jorhat district on Friday. The situation took a serious turn when a group of youths from Nagaland torched three farm houses and a vegetable garden at a tea estate. The incident occurred at Naganijan Tea Estate under Mariani Revenue Circle and sparked off tension along the interstate border.
Founds would not be a problem to uplift infrastructure sector in Assam. The Asian Development Bank on Friday granted the state a loan of $81 million to develop infrastructure in Guwahati and Dibrugarh. A tripartite agreement to this effect was signed in New Delhi by the Centre, Assam government and ADB. According to information, the money will be used to bring clean and piped water to 350,000 residents in Guwahati besides building a new treatment plant and pumping stations.
Normal surface communication along the Assam-Nagaland border comes to a grinding halt on Friday following road blockade against Nagaland.ATTSA has blockaded the main thoroughfare at Mariani, the only gate way to Mokokchung, Tuensang, Zonebhoto and Phek districts of Nagaland. The blockade was undertaken after armed Naga groups reportedly harassed the people of Naganijan Tea Estate and injured two persons from the estate. DIG for Eastern Range of Assam Police Anurag Tankha and Upper Assam Commissioner Ismail Hussian, inspected the site and took stock of the situation.
Militancy in North East seems to have stymied the prospect of a comfortable bilateral trade between India and Burma Dr Tint Swe from chairman BCD said that both the countries have potentials to boost bilateral trade. Interacting with media in Guwahati on Friday, the Burma scholar said that military action is not the solution to wipe out insurgency in the region. He stressed political initiatives to end the chapter of bloodshed in the form of insurgency.
Tension prevails in Tezpur when fifty people have been injured in a group clash on Friday.The took place at around 4 in the evening when a group of youths clashed with some local residents at Hazarikachuk. The local residents in large number also countered the youths with sharp dao and arson forcing the security forces to stop in. Over 50 people from both sides have been injured who were rushed to the hospital.
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