Skip to content Skip to navigation

Minoti Khaund and Sunita Bhuyan Violin recital Tour UK 2008

By editor |

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.

-- Rini Kakati

Comments

charlie, kharghuli's picture

Submitted by charlie, kharghuli on Sun, 11/05/2008 - 03:34
After bhupen hazarika we really feel proud to introduce as assamese women vionalist going to perform aboard .
sunita , rumki's picture

Submitted by sunita , rumki on Sat, 17/05/2008 - 19:15
On behalf of my mother: thank you charlie I know all of you are my well wishers always Minoti khuri

Pages

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

Crisis over: Youths back to B’lore

Hundreds of Northeast people are back to the southern cities to resume work a few days after they got the real story of rumour. Three special trains have been deployed in Guwahati for Bangalore to meet the rush. The overall situation is under control and this comes two days after three special trains left for Bangalore from Guwahati on Sunday taking back those who had fled the capital of Karnataka fearing attacks on them. The situation eased on Monday.

Central team on visit to riot-hit areas

A seven member central team on Tuesday visited the violence-hit Dhubri and took stock of the ground situation in the entire areas. Led by joint secretary of home ministry for north east Shambhu Singh, the team of senior officials is scheduled to visit Kokrajhar on Wednesday and Chirang district on Thursday. The officials talked to the district administration as well as the relief camp inmates. The team visited relief camps at Barkanda People's Academy, Maspara LP School, Indranarayan Academy and Bilasipara College and interacted with the people at the camp.

Rly compensation for NJP victims

The Railways announced an ex-gratia of Rs 15,000 each to the family of two passengers who died in the NJP incident where the victims were thrown out of a Guwahati bound train in West Bengal. The kin of the passengers who were residents of Hailakandi district in Assam will be given an ex-gratia of Rs 15,000 each. Four injured passengers all having confirmed tickets for journey up to Guwahati will get an ex-gratia of Rs 5,000 each. The seven other injured passengers will get an ex-gratia of Rs 500 each.

Hira Sarania arrest unfortunate: Daimary

ULFA’s pro-talk faction called it an unfortunate one. In a statement, the outfit’s publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary said that Sarania played an important role in striking the peace deal with the government. Daimary further said that they would probe the allegations and that if found guilty, he would have to face the stern action.

NDRF searches Binit Jain’s body on B’putra

NDRF team on Tuesday launched an operation on the river Brahmaputra in Kharghuli area to recover the bodies of Binit Jain and his servant. The operation was launched on the basis of confessional statements by Sarania and his aides who dumped the bodies on the river.

Arm, cash seized from Sarania’s camp

Some startling revelations seem to have surfaced when police raided a camp where top ULFA leader Hira Sarania stayed till he was arrested from Nalbari on Monday. A team of city police on Tuesday morning raided his designated camp and seizes an AK-56 rifle, 30 rounds of bullets and 12 lakh rupees in cash.

6 days police remand for Hira Sarania

A lower court on Tuesday sent Hira Sarania to police custody for 6 days a day after he was arrested on murder and robbery charges by Guwahati police. He was remanded to police custody after he was produced before the chief judicial magistrate on Tuesday.

Cachar youth found dead in Allahabad

One more Assamese youth was found dead in Hyderabad on Monday. Identified as Sanjeev Sinha, the body was recovered near a railway station in the morning. He hailed from Lakhipur in Cachar district and was on his way to home following rumours of impending attack.

ULFA raps Gogoi for unabated influx

ULFA’s anti-talk faction slammed chief minister Tarun Gogoi for his claim that Assam has not even a single immigrant. In a statement sent to media on Monday, the outfit’s chairman Abhijeet Asom said that the Centre was responsible for the large scale influx from across the Indo-Bangla border. He further alleged that AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal has been trying to create a communal divide in the state.

Won’t allow target Assamese: ULFA

ULFA’s anti-talk faction has blamed immigration migration from across the Indo-Bangladesh border for the crisis that cripples the state. In a statement, the outfit blamed Centre’s apathy in protecting the Assamese working in the southern cities. Ulfa chairman Abhijeet Asom expressed concern over the worsening situation in BTAD areas and Dhubri. It further said that they won’t allow any immigrant to destroy the future of the indigenous people of Assam.