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.
There is report of fresh clashes in five riot hit districts of lower Assam on Monday where other tribes joining the Bodos in the attack against the suspected Bangladeshi immigrants. All these have led to the increase in the death toll to 53. According to information, one lakh people from both communities have been displaced and 500 houses have been destroyed. Over a 100 people are reported to have been injured. Many people have shelter in the 36 relief camps that have been set up. To bring the situation under control, Army columns are now staging a flag march. Besides, 10 companies of the paramilitary force have been deployed and helicopters are surveying the area.According to information,...
A stunned Assam Government is trying to call the string of violence in Udalguri an ethnic cleansing by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) currently in ceasefire with the government.According to the government sources,its not due to clashes between the Bodos militants and immigrant Bangladeshis, but a systematic ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the NDFB to clear the BTAD areas of the non-Bodos people. The government has already arrested four NDFB cadres on Sunday with weapons saying they were involved in killing a woman and a child in Baksa district. On the other hand, BTAD chief Hagrama Mohilary, who is the coalition partner of the Gogoi government has already smelt role of the...
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogai says the government could reconsider the ceasefire with NDFB if the allegations of masterminding the communal flare up in lower Assam’s Darrang and Udalguri districts and lower Assam.Addressing the media people on Sunday, Gogoi claimed that the situation is under control and has improved a lot. "We have reports that a section of NDFB cadres could be behind the ongoing violence and have directed the authorities to inquire into their possible involvement and if it is proved true, we will go to the extent of getting the ceasefire agreement cancelled," said Gogoi.He said NDFB cadres should be in their designated camps as per the ceasefire agreement...
Udalguri and Darrang districts are still burning on Monday. Its spreading to make the situation more volatile. Three persons died, several others have been injured when police resorted to firing to disperse an irate mob when they were setting on fire three more villages in Bhakatpara area in Udalguri district on Sunday.In yet another sporadic incident of violence on Sunday, two people died, two others have been missing in Naharbari and Murkota villages in Majbat when the miscreants set some houses ablaze. Five more persons were hacked to death at Dimakuchi market by some other miscreants at around 12 noon on Sunday. With this, the toll has gone up to 36.Seven more people have been...
An all party delegation led by Opposition leader Chandra Mohan Patowary is visiting the riot hit areas of Udalguri and Darrang districts on Monday.Assam health and family welfare minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, his colleagues Gautom Bora, Nazrul Islam along with former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, AASU general secretary Tapan Kumar Gogoi AAMSU president Mujamil Haque, state BJP president Ramen Deka, AUDF president Badaruddin Ajmal, ABSU president Ranagaura Narzari, NESO chairman Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya AASU president Sankar Prasad Ray, have visited the violence-hit areas and the affected people in the camps.On the other hand, ABSU, Lions Club, Christian Coordination...
BTAD chief Hagrama Mohilary alleges involvement of third force in the communal flare-up in Udalguri and Darrang district of lower Assam. Talking to a private news channel, Mohilary said the authorities compensate Rs 1 lakh ex–gratia amount each to the families of those killed in the communal flare-up. He further said those rendered homeless would be rehabilitated. Mohilary has confirmed that the authorities will ensure relief materials for the affected people in the camps.Citing the use of arms and ammunition, Mohilary said the involvement of rebel groups like NDFB backed by Bodo peace forum cannot be denied.
In yet another development, media persons who are covering the communal riot in Rowta and its adjacent areas saw a Pakistani flag in Sonaripara and Mohanpur village and took photographs of them.Local television channels also ran footage of the flags. But officials and security forces denied any knowledge of the presence of the flags.Once again there is report of police firing in Udalguri distirct to disperse an irrate mob which has left several others injured on Sunday.
The communal flare up in Rowta that has taken a toll of more than 35, over 150 injured, is spanning out of control as the miscreants are setting hundreds of houses on fire on Sunday.Despite clamping of curfew and army's flag march, more and more areas of Udalguri and its neighbouring Darrang districts, are burning rendering over 60,000 people homeless. At least seven more bodies have been found in the violence hit areas on Sunday morning.Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has rushed four ministers to take stock of the situation and himself is assessing the situation with top ranked police and civil officials.Talking to reporters, the Chief Minister has blamed it all on the district...
The National Democratic Front of Bodoland is stick to the demand for a separate Bodoland if general secretary of the Bodo outfit Govinda Basumatary is to be believed.Talking to a private TV news channel, the Bodo militant outfit said its as simple as that they will not drop the demand and also carry forward the peace process with the Centre. Basumatary said the they have not made this announcement while they were holding talks with the Centre on September 30 and that it was the Centre which stressed the need to expedite the peace process.Basumatary said he was aware of the reports in a section of media that NDFB has dropped the sovereignty question and was quick to term it a conspiracy. He...
The minister of culture of Assam, Bharat Chandra Narah inaugurated a book titled "Asomar Loka-Sankritir Ruprekha (An insight into the folk culture of Assam)" at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati on October 3 which written by eminent personality Umesh Chetia.Photo: Buljit Buragohain
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