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.
An ULFA militant was killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in Goalpara district on Saturday. The encounter took place in the wee hours at Thakurvilla in Lakhipur area of the district. The body has yet to be identified. Police recovered a pistol and a motorbike from the spot.
Police on Saturday arrested a teenager in Karimganj three days after he allegedly killed his friend. The teenager was arrested on charges of murdering his 17-year old friend Abdul Malik in Ratabari town. Malik was found missing since Wednesday and his body was found the next day by local residents from a pond . A jacket belonging to the boy was also found at the site. The teenager also took away Rs 10,000 from Malik after killing him.
Utter sensation prevails in Guwahati after local residents of Kamakhya found a severed head on Friday.
According to police, it could be a case of human sacrifice. The head was found in a plastic bag along with a sheet of paper of a hymn written on it.
The head was not identified. It is suspected that the person was beheaded and the severed head was brought near the ancient temple. Investigation was going on.
Good news for nature lovers. There has been steep rise in the number of tigers population in Assam. Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain told the assembly on Friday that there were indications that tiger population in Kaizranga and other wildlife sanctuaries was on the rise.
An uneasy situation is what prevailing in Lepetkota in Dibrugarh following a shoot out where one person died and several others injured on Friday.
The incident took place when CISF personnels opened fire to disperse some workers deployed at the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited headquarters.
Initially, some labourers held an altercation with CISF personnels posted at the factory gates. Later they pelted stones at the security forces. The CISF personnel also retaliated with firing leaving one person dead. The injured trio have been rushed to the AMCH.
The recent spurt of leopard straying into human habitats in Assam can be primarily attributed to loss of forest cover as the dominant male of the species usually drive out weaker ones during breeding season, according to an environmentalist.
"During the breeding season, the dominant males usually drive out the weaker ones out of their territory and as the size of their habitat has decreased, the leopard stray into human habitat," noted environmentalist and Director of Nature's Beckon Soumyadeep Dutta told PTI.
Altogether 15 leopards have strayed into human habitats, with Guwahati registering the highest of seven, during the last two months, and four of these were killed.
Dutta...
The recent spurt of leopard straying into human habitats in Assam can be primarily attributed to loss of forest cover as the dominant male of the species usually drive out weaker ones during breeding season, according to an environmentalist.
"During the breeding season, the dominant males usually drive out the weaker ones out of their territory and as the size of their habitat has decreased, the leopard stray into human habitat," noted environmentalist and Director of Nature's Beckon Soumyadeep Dutta told PTI.
Altogether 15 leopards have strayed into human habitats, with Guwahati registering the highest of seven, during the last two months, and four of these were killed.
Dutta...
Social welfare minister Akon Bora is set to land in a major trouble. The Gauhati High Court on Friday rejected an anticipatory bail plea moved by former Sonapur police station officer in charge Pranab Kumar Deka in connection with the Jugdol carnage.
Deka was accused of destroying evidence at the instance of the powerful minister. The senior police officer and his sub inspector probing the case got the house burnt down within 24 hours of murdering six members of a family two years back.
Deka is likely to be arrested at any moment by the special investigation unit of the CID. Deka’s confessional statement is likely to expose the minister’s alleged role in the case.
Guwahati is set to get Reverend John Moolachira as the new Archbishop. He is likely to take charge on Monday succeeding Archibishop Thomas Menamparampil who has already retired. The Guwahati Archdiocese, created in 1992, covers the districts of Nagaon, Goalpara, Kamrup, Bongaigaon, Morigaon and parts of Baksa.
The Supreme Court is expected to decide on the fate of Mahendra Das on March 13 when it will be delivering the final judgment on the Special Leave Petition filed by death-row convict Mahendra Nath Das.
The court was to deliver its verdict on Thursday. But it was deferred to March 13. His mercy petition was rejected by the President after an inordinate delay of 12 years and plea for commutation to life imprisonment on this ground was dismissed by the Gauhati High Court.
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