American, Canadian Assamese raise funds for folk artistes via virtual concert

GUWAHATI: With folk artistes sitting back home since the pandemic hit our country and live shows becoming a thing of the past, 17 North American and Canadian Assamese residents came up with a plan to help them through these difficult times.
These NRIs have come together and formed a solidarity group called “Shilpi Sewa” to address problems of around 150 such artistes from Assam and organised a first-of-its-kind virtual musical concert to raise funds for them. The show started at 11pm on Saturday and the three-hour-long programme included mesmerizing Bihu dance performances and folk songs. Shilpi Sewa coordinated this fund-raising campaign with stars like Zubeen Garg, Joi Barua, Kalpana Patowary and Barsha Rani Bishaya.
With most funds coming in from the online registration of the event that started two weeks ago, “Shilpi Sewa” managed to raise $20,000 till the end of the stream. Rachna Nath, one of the leading members of the group, on Sunday night said after the overwhelming success of the fund-raising event that was witnessed by people from across eight countries live, they are receiving more funds to assist the folk artists and artisans of Assam who have been striving to make a living.
“Assamese people are known for their hospitality, grace, and big hearts worldwide. Even during the pandemic, our people in the United States and Canada have not lost their ethnicity, love, and gratitude that they feel towards their motherland. Contributions and donations for this event were received from people across the globe, including Australia, UK, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, USA, Canada, and India. The entire amount collected will be distributed among the folk artistes and artisans who were selected through a rigorous interview process,” Rachna added.
Speaking about the reasons behind this event, she said, “Through the fund-raiser, we pay back our debt to the folk artistes and artisans for showcasing Assam’s culture in regional, national, and international platforms and their contributions in upholding the traditions of folk music and artistry in our society.”
Anjana Bordoloi from Maryland opened the show, explaining about initiative and introducing the team to the audience. This was followed by the Indian national anthem sung by kids and a thank you note by Dil Deka from Houston.
“It is a unique situation where people has come forward for the artistes hit by the pandemic. Being an artiste myself, I am indebted to the Shilpi Sewa team for their thoughtfulness and patriotic feeling towards their homeland, even though they stay so far away from home,” Barsha Rani said.
Applauding the initiative, singer and heartthrob Zubeen Garg, who performed in a virtual setting for the first time, said, “It’s time to stand together to help our fellow artistes from Assam. This was the first time I performed in a virtual setting like this and it was an amazing experience to be able to give back to the community.”
Kalpana Patowary, a renowned folk singer from Assam, said as a folk artist, she was glad to support her compatriots. “I am happy that North America-based Assamese brothers and sisters have come forward with a fund-raising initiative to financially help our folk singers,” Kalpana added.
Joi Barua, too, felt honoured to have been invited by the Assamese community for this noble initiative and said, “Life gets more beautiful once we start giving back.”