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 students of Delhi woke up today against the serial blasts in Assam. A large number of students took out a protest rally in Delhi University, North Campus and traversed the whole Delhi Univesity Enclave this evening.The march started at around 4.30 pm and went infront of locations such as Kirori Mal College, Ramjus College, Hansraj College, Delhi University Faculty of Arts, Gywer Hall and the Vice Chancellor's residence. They returned to the Vivekananda Statue where they lit candles and prayed for blast victims. This was a crowd of more than 700 students which consisted of students from all parts of India. They raised slogans in Assamese and Hindi against the Assam government and...
After the serial bomb blast at various places of Assam,various organisation has decided to protest against the government's failure.The blast was so devastating that it can be termed as Bloody Thursday,taking away the lives of many innocents.Today, BJP has called for the 12 hrs Assam Bandh in connection with the serial blast which completely rocked the state.In Nagaon,all the shops and business centres including educational institures remained closed.Though in some areas, shops were open but the Bandh activist closed them.The national highway remain deserted for the Bandh.News and Photo : Diganta Talukdar, Nagaon
"Who will marry my daughter who has diabetes?" asks Ram Anuj, a native of Ganga Jamuni village, Bahraich district in India. Ram Anuj's 14 years old daughter Munni (name changed) has type 1 diabetes and needs daily insulin injections.The family members stopped sending Munni to school when other children made fun of Munni when she took her insulin. In a village-setting, giving insulin injections to Munni, is a public knowledge. Munni often gets scorned for being a burden on the family. Munni's family doesn't have enough money to take adequate care of her and provide the treatment she needs.Stigma-related to diabetes, is particularly more pronounced for girls. Stigma in response to...
A terror group named ISF (IM) takes responsibility of the serial blasts yesterday. According to a satellite channel News Live, they have received a SMS from the number 98646-93690, ISF (IM) which read as: "We, ISF(IM) take responsibility of Thursday's blasts. We warn all of Assam and India for situation like this in future.We thank all our holy members and partners...Amin'. According to the channel, the number is registered to one Nazir Ahmed of Moirabari in Morigaon district of Assam.
The death toll in Assam’s serial blasts has gone up to 77 on Friday with 11 more people succumbing to their injuries overnight. Confirming this official sources here said eight people died in Guwahati, which now alone accounts for 41 deaths. Three others succumbed to their injuries in Barpeta taking the toll there to 15. Our Kokrajhar correspondent informs that the death toll in Kokrajhar remained at 21.Although its is widely believed to be the handiwok of the HuJi terrorists along with other jehadi outfits, police do not rule out the hand of ULFA behind the serial blasts. Home ministry sources said some northeast groups having "external linkages could have done it an apparent...
The Centre on Friday expressed grave concern over the serial blasts in Assam a day after the state was rocked by serial blasts leaving 75 dead and over 470 injured. Rattled by the state’s biggest ever serial blast in Assam, the Centre held a cabinet meeting which asked Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to leave for Guwahati on Friday itself. Talking to media persons after the meeting, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said, "The Cabinet meeting expressed serious concern over the incident and extended sympathy to the next of kin of those who lost their lives, The Home Minister has been requested to take immediate necessary steps.” Home minister Shivraj Patil is leaving for to...
The Centre has announced a financial assistance of Rs.1 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in the serial blasts.According to PMO release, the ex-gratia relief has been sanctioned from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund and that a sum of Rs 50,000 would be given to those seriously injured in the blasts.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government would take all possible steps to bring the perpetrators to justice."We will take all possible steps to maintain peace and bring the perpetrators of such acts to justice," he said in a message."I am confident that the people of India will rise unitedly against these attempts to disturb peace and harmony and to...
The serial blast on Thursday has touched off a seismic wave of reaction throughout Assam. The Assam government is remaining clueless while the United Liberation Front of Asom(ULFA) has straightly denied its role in these strings of blasts. Boxed by the circumstances, chief minister Tarun Gogoi was hurried to talk to the media men admitting the failure of the intelligentsia network. Also, Gogoi said right now it was impossible to ascertain the culprits behind it.On the other hand, the banned insurgent outfit says the serial blasts that sent shockwaves across the state is not their handiwork. In statement released by the proscribed outfit hours after the blasts, it said they have been blamed...
The serial blasts that shook the north eastern state of Assam on October 30, 2008 should be condemned by one and all. The inhumane act of injuring and killing the innocent people should be denounced and every act that damages the social fabric and disturbs peace and harmony of the nation should also be condemned. Let us pray for the bereaved families of those who have lost their lives in the incident and hope that communal harmony and peace will be maintained not only in northeast but also in every part of India.Omar Luther KingB-60, Parijat Apts.West EnclavePitampuraDELHI 110034
Deepawali is the festival of lights which is celebrated all over India . It marks the advent of the winter season and signifies peace and prosperity and the victory of truth over evil. This year's Diwali (it falls on 28th October) is a bleak one indeed.As I peer hard through the darkness of hatred and violence, I struggle to find a single ray of bright hope. The atrocities committed by the British Raj on the Indian citizens during its rule in India are now being re enacted by another Raj - the megalomaniac, self styled leader of the Marathas. He seems to be holding the common people to ransom with nary a soul daring to lift a finger against him. The seeds of hatred (between different Hindu...
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