Skip to content Skip to navigation

Minoti Khaund and Sunita Bhuyan Violin recital Tour UK 2008

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

After bhupen hazarika we really feel proud to introduce as assamese women vionalist going to perform aboard .
sunita , rumki's picture

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

NERHURDS, a Changsari based Non Governmental Organisation in the district of Kamrup (Rural) has organised an one day youth programme on career awareness at Saraighat College on July 4. Prof Dilip Kumar Baruah, former principal of Cotton College, Ms Navmita Bhattacharya from Career Cliniq and Ranjan K Baruah participated as the resource person in the programme. Prof Dilip Baruah spoke about Union Public Service Commission’s Civil Service examination and how one can prepare for those examinations. In his speech he mentioned that medium is not a bar for civil service examinations and any students can appear for it. He told the participants about some person who cleared the examination...
The overall flood situation remains unchanged in Assam where one person was swept away in Majuli. The Brahmputra and its tributaries are flowing above the danger mark, affecting over five lakh people in ten districts. Flood waters arer wreacking havoc Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh districts, Jorhat in upper Assam, Morigaon in central Assam and Barpeta, Kamrup, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Baksa in lower Assam were submerged by the swollen rivers due to incessant rains in catchment areas. Almost the entire majuli island got flooded and a villager was swept away on Sunday. The situation in the districts of Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Baksa was grim with flood waters submerging nearly 50...
A Kamrup session court is all set to deliver its final ruling on the journalist Parag Kumar Das murder case on July 16 where CBI has earlier indicted several senior surrendered ULFA cadres. The court heard the case on Saturday and said the final ruling is expected on July 16.Notably, the veteran journalist was killed in Chandmari area in the city in the broad day light on May 17, 1996. The Central Bureau of Investigation, who probed the case filed the chargesheet in 2000. But the hearing began in 2003. The CBI has indicted four SULFA leaders including Mridul Phukan. Phukan was present on the court on Saturday.
Notorious drug mafia Samsul Haque Talukdar alias Pakhi Miyan was remanded to judicial custody on Saturday. Pakhi Miyan was remanded to CBI custody for five days in connection with the sensational murder of revenue intelligence officer Tarun Dutta in 2006. It may be noted that Pakhi Miyan was captured in West Bengal last month and was grilled by a special investigation unit of the Assam police in connection with a number of cases.
The North Cachar hills are still burning. Miscreants set on fire several Dimasa houses at Sabujoy basti village in the strife-hit district on Saturday. According to official sources, the incident took place in the remote tiny hamlet when some armed miscreants have sneaked in to the village and torched several houses belonging to the Dimasa tribe. No casualties have so far been reported. Notably, over 200 houses belonging to both Dimasas and Zeme Naga people have been torched in a fresh orgy of violence during the last one month.
In yet another ongoing offensive against NDFB, a hardcore rebel of the Bodo militant outfit was kiiled in Karbi Anglong district on Saturday. According to information, it was encounter where the rebel, later identified as Janata Boro was killed in Panjuri village under Dokmoka police station. A three-member group of the ultras exchanged fire with the Five Rajputana Rifles men in Panjuri area of Karbi Anglong district. One of the militants was killed, while the other two manage to flee. An Italian made 7.65 pistol with 14 rounds of ammunition was recovered from the slain extremist.
he Centre on Friday banned the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD)-Black Widow militant group operating in North Cachar hills district for the last couple for years. The decision to this eefect was taken at a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by prime minister Manmohan Singh. DHD's chief Jewel Garlosa was arrested in Bangalore last month. This ban order comes in the wake of DHD's involvement in several violent incidents in North Cachar Hills district where the group targeted businessmen, railway properties besides government officials.
There is both tears and cheers for the north eastern region when railway minister Mamata Banerjee tabled the Rail Budget for 2009-2010. In her budget proposal, Banerjee announced that Guwahati station will have world class facilities along with 49 others across the station. Besides, Silchar station would be upgraded to a model station. Moreover, she announced 5 new trains for the seven sister states. One from Kamakhya to Puri superfast. This followed by Dibrugarh-Chandigrah express, Guwahati-Cochbeehar, Alipurduar- Guwahati and Dharmanagar-Agartala, Ranchi-Alipurduar-Guwahti apart from Guwahati-Dibrugarh. Moreover, the Guwahati-New Delhi Rajdhani Express frequency has been proposed to be...
Atleast 300 vilages with over 15,000 population are reeling under waters as the Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level in Lakhimpur district. The situation took a grim turn on Wednesday as the mighy river breached he 100-metre stretch of the state-of-the art Matmora embankment which was constructed using the geo-fabric technology at a cost of Rs 140 crore in Dhakuwakhana. The worst hit areas include Dhakuakhana, Matmore, Kherkota, Dangdhara, Dimoruguri, Kekuri and Dholpeta gaon panchayats inundated by flood water foricng the authorities to sound a red alert in the Upper Assam district. Notably, the Brahmaputra is overflowing following the incessent rainfall in the past 36 areas...
Violence in North Cachar hills distirct refuses to halt as 7 persons were killed in yet another strike by miscreants on Wednesday night even as the Centre is determined to stem violence in the north eastern region. According to information, five persons including a teenagerswere killed and three others wounded as armed miscreants attacked a tiny Dimasa village under Mahur police station on Wednesday. Armed miscreants attacked the hamlet killing five people - four children and a woman - and injured three more. The militants opened indiscriminate fire on a group of people resulting in the grusome incident. The injured, a woman and two children, were admitted to a local hospital with...