Sunday, August 25, 2013

Reliving the musical heritage of Assam - The Sacred Scriptures of Monikut.

Kalpana Patowary with Trilok Gurtu in Studio for recording of
The Sacred Scriptures of Monikut.
Source@ TNN | Nov 24, 2012, 11.05 PM IST

Kalpana Patowary recording
The Sacred Scriptures of Monikut.
GUWAHATI: Her crackling voice makes her fans and admirers feel alive. After working for almost a decade in Bhojpuri and different other Indian languages, Kalpana Patowary is now working on a musical documentation based on traditional endangered Assamese musical instruments and on the "naam kirtan goxha" to help create awareness among people, and also as a tribute to Assam.
Trilok Gurtu with Trilok Gurtu.
Inspired by the legendary Sankaradeva, Madhabdeb, and Bhupen Hazarika, Patowary decided to embark on such a musical documentation as an initiative to do something for her beloved state and its people. "I was working on a musical documentation based on Bhikari Thakur. In Assam we have a rich musical heritage but slowly some are getting extinct. Instruments like the 'kaalia' and 'sarindar' are facing extinction and some efforts need to be initiated to help its regeneration." said Kalpana Patowary.

"When I was young I used to listen to my mother chanting the traditional hymns from the 'kirtan gohxa'. The project which will be a narration will also include this aspect as well. I have been working on it for the past nine months and it will be completed within three months. The 'Legacy of Bhikari Thakur' was quite popular among the people of Mauritius and I was invited there." added Patowary.

In Mumbai she had to go through a struggling phase to get her first break. She sang in different languages before Bhojpuri musicians and lyricists took note of her crackling voice. She has more than nine thousand songs to her credit sung in different Indian languages.




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