The Sangskritik Jagaran Mancha (SJM), a Goalpara based cultural organisation, is going to organise a seminar on the life and musical works of Padmashri Pratima Baruah Pandey on Saturday.
The seminar will be held at the conference hall of the Goalpara Sahitya Sabha at Lachitnagar here. The seminar will focus on many anecdotes of the legend which otherwise remain untold so far.
“We have already received confirmation of participation from at least two of the family members of Pratimaji”, said Sandeep Chamaria, one of the organizers.
Miffed at the dilapidated condition of the Gauripur zamindar palace, where the queen of Goalparia folk music spent most of her lifetime, Chamaria urged the government to preserve the palace as a heritage site.
Fondly known as “Hastir Kanya”, Pratima Pandey Barua (1935-2002) was the niece of legendary filmmaker Pramathesh Chandra Barua and was born into the royal family of Gauripur in the western Assam’s Dhubri district.
From an early age, Barua’s love for music took her to commoners like buffalo herders and mahouts. Sacrificing the privileges of royalty, she gave a distinct voice to the Rajbangshi community through her songs.
The soulful nature and the humanitarian content of the lyrics touched a chord in the state. She was awarded the awarded Padmashri and Sangit Natak Akademi for her pioneering efforts in popularising Goalpariya Lokgeet.
