GUWAHATI, Oct 20 - The senior students of Sangeet Sattra organised Sattriya Sangeet Divas to commemorate the death anniversary of Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Rasheswar Saikia Barbayan, here recently, said a press release issued today.
The programme commenced with lighting of the lamp. Suranjana Senapati, Secretary, Board of Education, Assam mentioned Maniram Dutta Muktiyar�s contribution in the field of Sattriya and spoke at length about the timeless dedication and hard work of Rasheswar Saikia Barbayan to teach the art form to the masses outside the sattras. She also lauded the commendable work done by Bapuram Bayan, Guna Dutta Barbayan, Ghanakanta Bora Barbayan and Jatin Goswami in the field of Sattriya. She also praised the daughters of the late Rasheswar Saikia Barbayan Ranjumoni Saikia and Rinjumoni Saikia for carrying forward the legacy of Sangeet Sattra established by the maestro in 1968.
Kathak exponent Bipul Das spoke about his brotherly relationship with the late Rasheswar Saikia Barbayan and expressed his joy with the way the institution has been working and progressing in propagation of the Sattriya art form.
Dr Khagen Sharma, secretary, Sodou Axom Sattriya Shikshak Samaj and retired professor, appreciated the fact that Dibrugarh University and Guwahati University along with some colleges have been supporting studies in the field of Sattriya.
Senior journalist Atulya Madhav Goswami said he was glad that even in the midst of the global pandemic, Sattriya dancers have not stopped their practice and have been using the virtual platform to its fullest to keep the tradition alive.
Ratan Hazarika, project director of Sattriya Kendra, talked about the revolutionary zeal of Rasheswar Saikia Barbayan and his resolve to teach Sattriya to the masses.
The senior students of Sangeet Sattra felicitated their gurus Ranjumoni Saikia, Rinjumoni Saikia, Dhrubajyoti Pathak and Gautam Bayan for their years of time and dedication towards the Sattriya art form and the institution. They also felicitated several other Sattriya dance exponents.
A borgeet composed by Srimanta Sankaradeva was presented under the guidance of Gautam Bayan, who also played the khol. Veteran flautist Bhupen Rajbongshi accompanied them on the flute. A dance under the purusha pradhan nritya category was presented by the young dancers of Sangeet Sattra.
Dhrubajyoti Pathak, a senior faculty at Sangeet Sattra, presented khol badan. The senior diploma holders of Sangeet Sattra performed an abhinaya piece on a borgeet written by Mahapurush Madhavdeb.
The event was well coordinated by Oonmona Das with support from Arunabh Jyoti Malakar, Juri Das and Elizi Ojah.
A moment�s silence was observed in course of the event to pay respect to Gulab Saikia, and ex-examiner at Sangeet Sattra, radio news anchor and borgeet artiste, who had passed away.
