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.
The Assam Assembly witnessed uproar on Fridat as the Oppositin raised the multicrore scam in Dima Hasao a day after governor JB Patnaik sent his report to the Centre. On the other hand, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma annonced on the floor that Assam will get 60 model hospital to help the state boost rural health. Sarma said construction would start from September.
The bid to buy peace with ULFA seems to have gone one step further when the Center has formally appointed PC Halder as Govt interlocutor for holding talks with ULFA. The appointment of the former intelligence bureau director was expected as Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has suggested his name and was accepted by Union minister P Chidambaram. Halder has also been working as interlocutor fro talk with a few other rebel outfitsin Assam including DHD(J).
A portion of railway bridge wsa partially damaged when suspected NDFB rebels exploded a bomb in Sonitpur district on Friday. The incident took place in between Rowta and Majbat at teh railway briede on teh river Dhansiri. There is no report of any casualty. Top ranked ranked railway officers along with Police and cicvil offocials rushed to teh spot. Polcei calls it a handiwork of NDFB. No one has so far been arrested so far.
The Assam government has been left red-faced when the House was debating the white paper a day after the chief minister Tarun Gogoi tabled it on Wednesday. Opposition party members repeatedly slammed the government citing its failure on all front. In his address Opposition leader Chandra Mohan Patowari said teh white paper has hardly anything to be endorsed. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi will participate in the debate on Friday to conclude it. he session will end on Saturday.
After Akhil Gogoi, now its turn for Prafulla Kumar Mahanta to take on Himanta Biswa Sarma. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Wednesday, the former Chief Minister said never did he met the health minister in or outside Guwahati. "If someone went to him to sell the missing files, then why didn ot he fina an FIR with police as a Cabinet minister?" Mahanta asked. According to Mahanta, Sarma has no reply to what the RTI activist posed. Notably Sarma on Tuesday blamed it all on Mahanta saying Akhil Gogoi is acting at the instance of Mahanta.
Noted environmentalist Medha Patkar on Wednesday opposed construction of big dams in the North East to save the region from complete destruction. Addressing a huge rally in Guwahati, organised under the aegis of the Kisan Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), she said the rivers must be saved at any cost.
She said the government divided people on the lines of caste and religion but now they are taking the name of development.
According to Patkar, "People want development of rivers, power, aquatic life and people of living on river banks and not just of corporate houses and a section of politicians."
The construction of dams involved scams amounting to several thousands of crore and some...
The Opposition's plan to organise a huge procession in Dispur failed to make in the face of beefed up security bandabost in and around the capital on Tuesday. Thousands of people who thronged at Khanapara to take out a mammoth procession demanding thorough CBI probe and steps to rein in pricessline. As the processionists reached Rukminigaon, security forces deployed there were not allowed to proceed. Policemen on duty lobbed tearshell to disperse the protesters. Some of the policemen sprang upon the protesters a as they were trying to break police barricade where AGP and BJP workers have been injured.
A heavy downpour has disrupted in Guwahati in the form of massive waterlogging in the city on Monday evening. Many lowlaying parts in the city have come under rainwaters causing much inconvenience to the residents. These areas include Chandmari, Lachitnagar, Nabinnagar, Zoo Road where massive waterlogging forced forced hundreds of vehicles to remain strandred for several hours in the evening.
Assam Assembly begins its monsoon session on Monday with a storm. As the House began its day one business, opposition and ruling party members started trading charges and counter charges against each other to disrupt teh proceedings. Opposition targeted health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in view of the on going tussle with RTI activist Akhil Gogoi
Shaken by Akhil Gogoi's revelation of Himanta Biswa Sarma's criminal background, chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday refused to involve in this tussle. Talking to reporters on Sunday, Gogoi this is for Himanta Biswa Sarma to deal with these revelations and that it's his purely personal matter. "Himanta should go to the court if he wants so. How can I meddle in this tussle between the two," he said. Gogoi said he would order CID to probe as to how the sensational files were remaining clueless for so many years.
Meanwhile, the health minister is all set to produce the original documents of court acquitting him in the 'baseless' criminal charges.
On the other hand, RTI activist will...
Comments
Pages
Add new comment