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.
Media organizations on Thursday boycotts the All Assam Minority Organization for three months. The decision was taken when the media organizations held a meeting in Guwahati press club where the recent attack on media people by a section of AAMSU workers on Tuesday was condemned. The press club has restricted the entry of AAMSU leaders and workers for three months. Notably, several media people injured on Tuesday when a section of AAMSU workers sprang upon them.
The Assam government on Thursday hints at strict action against bandh calls a day after it banned this culture.Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that band calls have crippled the state on all state and that it won’t tolerate the organizations who often call bandh to make their presence felt.
A major string of blasts has been averted in Dibrugarh district when police seized three powerful grenades on Thursday. The grenades along with an improvised explosive devices were seized during a joint search operation by police and army in Kakopothar area in the morning. Notably, a group of hardcore ULFA militants are remaining active in the district. Recently, ULFA militants exploded a powerful blast near a police station but nobody was injured as it missed the tagets.
An AGP delegation visited Merapani on amid the simmering Assam-Nagaland border row. The seven member delegation comprise Padma Hazarika, Phani Bhushan Chaudhury and Atul Bora along with four others who took stock of the situation prevailing in the disputed areas. Nrmalcy has returned to Merapani area on the Assam-Nagaland border of Golaghat district where people of both the Gaud Basti village of Assam and Mikirang Basti village of Nagaland have arrived at a truce and the Gaud Basti people have returned to their tilling fields on the southern bank of the Selseli River on August 23.
People from Assam, who fled from are back to the southern city. BJP leaders claimed that this was due to a goodwill mission undertaken by the party to restore the confidence of the people that they would be safe in Andhra Pradesh. The BJP national committee had sent a delegation to Assam to reassure people who had abandoned their studies and employment in states like AP, Karnataka and Maharashtra. BJP leader Ramachandar Rao, who was in the delegation, said that now they are returning. He said the BJP delegation interacted with all sections of people and found that there was discontent that Bangladeshi infiltrators were disturbing the social and economic balance in the northeast.
More Central Reserve Police Force jawans are ready to rush to Assam to help the state get rid of the violence.
CRPF Director General K Vijay Kumar said at the Central Training College campus near Kurudampalayam that if needed more personnel will rush to Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts to quell the ongoing violence. Vijay Kumar added that a fresh review of the ground situation in the north east was done on Tuesday and they were awaiting fresh orders for deployment of personnel in the region.
Social activist Akhil Gogoi on Wednesday said that the Bodoland Accord must be revisited to ensure land rights to indigenous people in BTAD areas. Talking to reporters in Guwhati, he said that the accord signed did not ensure land rights to the indigenous people and thus should be revisited to provide them their demands. He said that the National Registrar of Citizens should also be updated within two years and inner line permit enforced to ensure there is no influx.
AIUDF has alleged that both Delhi and Dispur have failed to efficiently deal with the law and order situation in violence-hit areas.
Talking to reporters in Guwahati on Wednesday, General Secretary Aditya Langthasa said that Dispur has lost control over the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area and the Centre has also not done enough. He said that armed miscreants were able to act with impunity and without any challenge from the government and security forces.
Bandh calls would be off for the one month. Courtesy Dispur. The Assam government on Wednesday declared all bandh calls as illegal. The decision against bandhs was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. According to the government, Ninety per cent of violence in the state was due to frequent bandh calls which have also crippled the economy.
Several media persons’ organizations have expressed their concern at the increasing trend of unprovoked attacks on journalists on duty in Assam. They were unanimous while condemning the attacks and threats on the media persons during the day long Assam Bandh on August 28, 2012, called by All Assam Minority Students' Union and other organizations, which turned violent in various places.
The dawn-to-dusk Assam Bandh, which was followed by another 12 hour long general strike called by Bajrang Dal on the previous day, demanding President’s Rule in Assam resulted in the clashes between the supporters and general people. Moreover, media persons on duty were targeted by the...
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