Virtual folk concert to raise funds for Assam’s artistes

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 USD 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.
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.
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.”
Kalpana Patowary, a renowned folk singer from Assam, said, “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.”