A CORRESPONDENT
DHUBRI: A week-long training workshop on Borgeet and Thiyo Naam was held at Madhupur Xatra of West Bengal from February 15. It was conducted by the Cultural Affairs department, Government of Assam.
The Borgeet workshop was conducted by Guru Lata Sonowal of Tinsukia while the Thiyo Naam was conducted by Gurus Kanak Ray and Dhanjit Ray of Bongaigaon.
A total of 30 students of Madhupur near Coochbehar town actively participated in both the workshops and also gave a wonderful performance on the concluding day of the workshop. Earlier, the workshop was inaugurated by Burha Xatradhikar of Madhupur Xatra, Sri Lakhe Kanta Mahanta, in the presence of local people and other members of the Xatra.
The Madhupur Cultural Centre, under the aegis of Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Government of Assam, conducts regular workshops on various Vaishnavite Sankari art forms such as dance, songs and drama as awareness programme and also to train the local children in these subjects, informed Officer-in-charge of Madhupur and Gauripur Cultural Centre, Mrinmoy Das.
Xatradhikar of Madhupur Xatra, Sri Lakhe Kanta Mahanta, while speaking in the concluding ceremony, said that in the future the workshops and other training programmes should be held for at least 20 days so that the participants could fluently learn the basics of the different forms of art taught in the course. Sri Mahanta also praised the initiative taken by the Cultural Affairs department at a place far away from mainland of Assam. He, however, also appealed to the government to depute a full-fledged trainer or teaching staff at the centre as the office remains active only during the days of workshop.
In his address, the Xatradhikar requested the Assam Government to provide necessary musical instruments and other facilities at the centre so that the local children could utilize the time learning to play the instruments at the centre.