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.
Rebati Neog Assam's Bhoot Jolokia has become famous as the worlds hottest chilly a few months back. Guinness Book of World Records has awarded this title to our very own red chili and the media all across has been covering this event widely. But almost all reports in English named this chilly as “ghost chilly” translating the name directly from Assamese. In Assamese “bhut” stands for “ghost”. Bhot actually means people of Bhutan. Awarded chili is Bhot Jolokiya not Bhut Jolokiya In Assam everyone knows it. Some journalist made this mistake sometime back and it is continuing
Kaziranga : One rhino was drowned at Kohora Range in Kaziranga National Park. This is the first reported death of any big animal in the park after floods submerged more then 60% of the park area. Officials believes that the rhino actually died at lest one week ago and was over aged. The horn was intact which proved that it is not a case of poaching.
Guwahati : A Leopard killed one teenaged boy and injured five others on Wednesday in Upper Assam's Dibrugarh district. Police sources informed that 11 years old Dhirsai Garh, son of Maheswar Garh of Bhadoi Panch Ali went to bring back his cattle herd on Wednesday evening when a leopard attacked him. He succumbed to his injuries immediately. Angry villagers managed to track down the leopard in a tea garden near Bhadoi Reserve Forest. They attacked it immediately with a sharp weapon. The Leopard attacked in retaliation and injured five people. Later however the villagers managed to kill the man-eater. In another incident, two Rhinos moving out from Kaziranga National Park created panic in...
Guwahati: Army fatigues (olive green stripes) have been banned in Assam from 1st of August in view of the Independence Day on 15th of August 2007. Every year it is observed that the State witnesses an escalation in violence before the Independence Day celebrations and it is easy for militants to wear army fatigues and mingle with the crowd. Moreover there have been reports of incidents from Dibrugarh where ULFA militants had dressed in army fatigues and harassed woman in some villages. And hence the administration has decided to go ahead with the ban.
Nagaon: Unidentified gunmen killed an Assam State Electricity Board employee at Nagaon on Thursday and flew away with cash amounting to Rupees 2.6 lakhs. This amount was the cash collection of the day at Nagaon Electrical Division-1, which is the only revenue collection branch for the entire district from consumers against their monthly bill. This happened when two staff members of the office and a security man were boarding a vehicle with the cash in a bag to deposit in the Bank at 2.45 PM. Two armed youths who were loitering there for some time came close to the vehicle and tried to snatch the bag. When challenged they fired at the driver, and one of the ASEB employees, Guna Das. Das was...
Guwahati: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has been given a grant by Hewlett Packard (HP) amounting to approximately $75,000 worth of technology.HP India Director, P Ravindranathan announced at a press conference that the grant was aimed at integrating mobile technology and educational infrastructure and transforming the way subjects are taught on its campus. The grant would comprise things like HP tablet PCs, wireless networking cards and printers , optical drives and stipends for people to complete work on projects which have to be completed within a year, Gautam Barua, Director IIT, Guwahati welcomed the grant and said that it would benefit the students and the...
Guwahati: Guwahati High Court on Wednesday stayed the appointment of 13,318 numbers of Anganabadi Workers in the Social Warfare Department. This would have been the biggest appointment in the second term of the Tarun Gogoi led Congress government. The Social Welfare Department had published a selection list to fill up vacancies in 6659 centers located in various places of the state a few days back. Post this advocate Rita Devi had filed a writ petition at the High Court alleging discrimination in filling up of these vacancies. Accepting the application, the court has stayed this process until further orders and has asked the Government to file an affidavit within three weeks.
Barpeta: Police opened fire and lathi-charged a group of flood-hit people on Wednesday who were blocking a highway near Barpeta town demanding urgent relief. One minor and several other people were injured in this incident. About 1500 people were taking shelter at Bhella High Secondary School since Saturday last, but not getting any kind of Government relief or other support. The angry villagers blocked Barpeta-Doulashal road on Wednesday evening in protest. A police team led by Additional Superintendent of Police reached the spot immediately and tried to clear road forcefully. When people protested, police lathi charged to disperse the mob. People started pelting stones and brick pieces...
Guwahati: Popular singer Zubeen Garg and many others joined hands to save Kaziranga National Park, the home of the one horned Rhinoceros in Upper Assam. On Wednesday a team of at least twenty artists led by Zubeen camped at Kaziranga, attended several street meetings, held a protest march, distributed leaflets, sang a song specially composed for the occasion and drew a painting on the theme save wildlife, preserve Kaziranga to create awareness among common people residing in nearby villages.They also encouraged volunteers of different NGO and local people who engaged themselves in night patrolling on National highway 37 passing through the Park area to save animals from speeding vehicles...
Guwahati: After weeklong heavy down pour, floodwater submerged the world famous Kaziranga National Park in several places. Park authority informs that at least 60% of the park area was inundated and water level is rising day-by-day covering more area. It is yet to be ascertained, whether floods are a curse or blessing to the park known for the one horned rhinoceros worldwide. Three years of consecutive draught damaged the ecology of the park whereas fresh floods every monsoon helps park grazing lands to grow plenty of grass creating a good stock of étagè for the entire year. Flood waters also helps to carry out excess production of fish from marsh and low lying areas of the park...
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