A video CD of borgeets rendered by Jina Rajkumari Goswami was released recently at a solemn function at Guwahati Press Club, amidst an august gathering which hailed the venture as a bold attempt to further popularise among the new generation these songs– which originated in the Satras propagated by the two Vaisnavite saints, Sankardeva and Madhavdeva during the 15th century.

The album of five borgeets, all solo, sung by Jina, was formally released by Nrityacharya Jatin Goswami at the function presided over by artiste Kiran Shankar Roy.

The programme began with the ceremonial lighting of lamps by veteran singer Sudakshina Sarma.

Speaking on the occasion, musicians Anupam Choudhury, JP Das, Kalakshetra Samaj secretary Sabin Rajkhowa and singer Kula Barua stressed on more activities and usage of the Satriya culture. They also expressed happiness at the initiative of Jina and her group in bringing out the VCD titled Koyalu Krishna.

The music direction of the borgeets is by Naren Das, while overall management and editing were by Dibyajyoti Goswami and Parag Barua respectively.

The efforts of the Borluit group towards popularising borgeet, lokageet and bongeet have been hailed as ‘excellent and timely’ by Dr Anjanjyoti Choudhury, Anima Choudhury, Sandhya Menon, Rasananda Gogoi and Queen Das.

Those present on the occasion included Noni Borpujari, Prasanta Banerjee, Naren Das, Rishiraj Sarma, Pranita Rani Baishya, Arabinda Pathak, Manik Ahmed, Utpal Rajkhowa, Dilip Das, Dipankar Dutta, among others. The programme was anchored by photographer Monmoromi Barua.

Earlier, rich tributes were paid in the memory of singers Dilip Sarma and Mohini Rabha, that set the perfect tone for the programme, a unique one at that, for an album of borgeet is a rarity. This trend surely seems to take a turn for the better, ultimately influencing the society positively through our rich Satriya culture.

Folk artiste Jina Rajkumari Goswami is devoted to popularising folk music and dance of Assam and the North East among the masses. Her genuine passion for the folk culture of the region is reflected through the various workshops she conducts and the cooperation she extends to such ventures. Always keen to learn, she has undergone training in various folk music forms under various expert artistes.

An AIR artiste, Jina has lent her voice in different CDs of Kamrupi lokageet, bongeet, Rabha geet, dihanaam, Bihu geet besides songs in documentaries and plays. She has also acted in many TV serials and plays, showing her proficiency in acting.

Moreover, she has also acted, danced and sung in Samanay Yatra, a musical play based on the life and ideals of Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha – shown all over the State recently on the occasion of the versatile artiste’s birth anniversary. She was the director of the folk dances in the Yatra. She is also a Baul artiste, thanks to her love for the finer traits in other cultures.

Simanta Bhagawati