Bid to retain purity of borgeet at Duliajan fest

Jorhat, Dec. 19: The Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva is organising a one-day festival on borgeet at Duliajan in Dibrugarh district on Sunday in a bid to retain the "purity" of the songs.

Gopiram Barbayan Oja, 92, who will perform at the xamaroh. Telegraph picture

The organisation's president, Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, said Xankardeb had composed 240 borgeets in 25 ragas considered to be a new school of music like Carnatic and Hindustani but over the years people stopped adhering to these ragas and mixed other elements and the "purity" had been distorted.

"Our organisation's mission is to spread the philosophy of equality and ideals of Srimanta Xankardeb. Hence, we are organising this xamaroh, where several borgeet singers will show the correct way to sing these classical songs," he said.

"Of the 240 borgeets composed by Xankardeb, the original content of only 35 survived after a fire destroyed the others. Xankardeb and his famous disciple, Madhabdeb, rewrote several borgeets and now 191 exist," Borkakoti said.

He said such an event was being organised for the first time in Assam.

"Every borgeet will take 20 to 30 minutes to render in "pure" style. Nilakanta Burabhakat of Bhogpur Xatra, Majuli, Gunindra Nath Oja of Barpeta Xatra, Gopiram Borgayan and Upen Borgayan, both of Uttar Kamalabari Xatra, Majuli, Shobhan Baruah, Narayanpur, Pabitrapran Goswami, Jorhat, and Ranjit Bora, Golaghat, will perform and speak about borgeet," he said.

The event will start with a performance by Ranjan Bezbaruah of Nagaon, who has earned a name by translating some borgeets into Sanskrit.

Renowned dancer Mallika Kandali will perform a Xattriya dance based on a borgeet in the valedictory function.

At Duliajan Club, the venue of the xamaroh, there will be an exhibition of paintings on xansi paat (bark of xansi trees) by those trained in the art in three workshops conducted by the Society in the past year.

There will also be a display of aharya - the masks, costumes and other accessories used in bhaonas and puranas.

Borkakoti hailed the move of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who had recently visited Madhupur Xatra in Cooch Behar, West Bengal, and announced protection for and reclamation of encroached xatra land after discussions with the Bengal government.

"In 2014, we had held a national seminar at the site. Experts from both the states had participated in it," he added.