ASSAMESE SONGS ON APPLE'S iTUNES:

ASSAMESE SONGS ON APPLE'S iTUNES:

iTunes, the largest media online store in the world, has started putting Assamese songs on its website for worldwide distribution. Now, people anywhere in the world can listen to and download selected Assamese songs at a very reasonable price. This also means the selected songs will be preserved in the music library of Apple's iTunes and will be available for all days to come, that too with the press of a button.

This has been possible through the venture of Rupam Sarmah of California, the CEO and Founder of maZumba, a Global Media Portal, a product of RJ International USA.
The first CD of Assamese songs Sylvan Rhapsodies of Assam is collected and produced by Dr. Dilip K. Datta of Rhode Island. Songs were digitally mastered by Rupam. Sylvan Rhapsodies contain the following songs:

(1) Bore Noir Balite ( Artist: Gayatri Hazarika; Lyrics: Hemen Hazarika),
(2) Kasot Koloshi Hali Jali (Artist: Gyanada Kakati; Lyrics: Rudra Baruah),
(3) O Nawaria sotot nologabi nao ( Artists: Sadananda Gogoi; Lyrics: Ganesh Gogoi),
(4) Moore Phulanite (Artist: Ragini Bhattacharyya Chakrabarty; Lyrics: Kamalananda Bhattacharyya) , (5) Poka Dhanor maje maje (Artist: Rudra Baruah; Lyrics: Rudra Baruah),
(6) Togorore Epahi (Artist: Amiya Mohan Das; Lyrics: Anandiram Das),
(7) Sotore Saparit Sakoiye (Artists: Jotirmay and Gyanada Kakati; Lyrics: Rudra Baruah),
(8) Amar Mon Potharor (Artist: Khagen Mahanta; Lyrics: Keshab Mahanta),
(9) Bohagi Luitar ( Artist: Pulak Benerjee; Lyrics: Umesh Choudhary),
(10) Sotare Saporit Bihure (Artist: Tulika Senapati; Lyrics: Nirmalprobha Bordoloi),
(11) Bhor Duparia (Artist: Zubin Garg; Lyrics: Anandiram Das),
(12) O Nachani (Artist: Rupam Sarmah; Lyrics: Rupam Sarmah),
(13) Kasote Koloshi Loi Jai O (Artist: Bhargavi Rabha; Lyrics: Bishnuprasad Rabha),
(14) Dhunia Dhananir (Artist: Parveen Sultana; Lyrics: Podma Borkotoki).

To download these songs, one must go to www.apple.com/ iTunes and search for Sylvan Rhapsody of Assam.Rupam Sarmah and Dilip Datta's next project is Gems of Bishnuprosad Rabha, a collection of songs in the original voices of Rabha, Priyabala, Prafullabala and others. This collection will include the classic O moor apunar Desh, which was lost for for more than half a century till its discovery by Dr. Datta.

Further, Rupam Sarmah, the CEO and Founder of maZumba, says that maZumba is to be the social community of choice for Collaborative Audio Video Creation and Distribution. We want to provide a platform to musicians, hobbyists, music bands, kids and family to explore their creativity, collaborate with other musicians around the world to compose music, and publish their audio, video, film, documentary worldwide.

Please visit www.maZumba. com to build your community group instantly for free. Some of the features that maZumba offers are:

- Compose, Share and Publish- Publish content worldwide that is available to download to iPhone, iPod and various mobile devices- Share your content with others, make friends to chat, create your own group- Publish and Invite to Events- Post in the Classified section- Build your own profile page- Write blogs- Talent searchand many more.

maZumba would like to work with the record companies, distributors, independent musicians, or anyone from Assam who would like to publish their creative content.To register as a user please visit the site www.maZumba. com. For anyquestions, please send an email to info@maZumba. com.The Talent Search competition for Artists from Assam will start soon. Please visit the site for further details to participate and win cash awards and get a record deal with top music producers.maZumba is a Global Media Portal (product of RJ International) and Apple record label partner since 2006 authorized to distribute audio video content worldwide through various channels like iTunes, iPhone, iPod, AppleTV and others.

maZumba Foundation is focused on promoting arts and culture, and also contributes to Orphanage Centers in India, helping the orphan and abandoned children of the society.

Nathan Brown: A Pioneer in Assamese Literature

Nathan Brown: A Pioneer in Assamese Literature
Aziz-ul Haque

Reverend Dr Nathan Brown played a very significant role in the history of Assamese language and literature. It will be worthwhile to remember him as we celebrate his 201st birth anniversary tomorrow. Nathan Brown attended the Newton Theological Institute in order to prepare himself for missionary work and graduated in 1832. The American Baptist Missionary Union appointed him as a missionary to Myanmar in 1833. Having greatly contributed to the literary and spiritual life of the people in Myanmar within a short period, he headed for Assam on the request of Captain Francis Jenkins, the Commissioner of Assam. With the establishment of the first printing press in Assam, Brown’s arrival ushered in a new literary development in the region. Due to inadequate assistance from the Mission and tribal aggression in Sadiya, Brown had to shift his base to Jaipur in 1839 and then to Sivasagar in 1843. He found Sivasagar to be the most suitable place for his missionary work. There, making his base on the bank of the Dikhow river, he worked until 1855. Towards the end of 1844, Brown travelled on foot from Sivasagar to Guwahati, visiting villages to study personally the characteristics of diverse culture and racial elements of the people. He along with two other missionaries, Miles Bronson and Cyrus Barker, organized and founded the first Baptist church at Panbazar in Guwahati on January 25, 1845. Brown also pioneered in establishing schools in different parts of the State.Brown was a linguist par excellence. Very soon he could master Assamese and appreciated the beauty of this language. He was deeply involved in teaching, translating and preparing books in Assamese. He translated and published a catechism in Assamese. A good number of his translated hymns are still sung in many churches in Assam. In 1848, he published Grammatical Notes of the Assamese Language, which served as the first Assamese grammar book. Brown was a pioneer in writing school books. He wrote books on elementary arithmetic such as Pratham Ganana (1845) and Dutio Ganana (1855), and on geography such as Bhugulor Biboran (1851), which were much superior to Bengali books used in schools at that time. He translated John Bunyan’s famous work Pilgrims Progress into Assamese. Brown’s wife, Eliza, opened boarding school for girls. She was also actively involved in literary work. She translated a dozen tracts into Assamese and wrote arithmetic and story books for children.The magnum opus of Brown was Orunudoi. It was the first news magazine in Assamese published from Mission Press, Sivasagar, beginning from January 1846. Brown was the editor of this magazine till he left for the US. This magazine with illustrative articles on science, geography, astronomy, history and many other topics soon found an encouraging readership among the Assamese intelligentsia and thereby paved the way for Assamese journalism. Many Assamese scholars like Anandaram Dhekial Phukan, Gunabhiram Baruah and Hemchandra Baruah contributed articles to this magazine that became a launching pad in the struggle for restoration of Assamese language. Following the example of Orunudoi, several newspapers and magazines were published in Assam in the second half of the 19th century. Prominent among these were Asam Bilasini, Asom Darpan, Asam Bandhu, Asam Deepika, Jonaki and Assam News.Brown was also a pioneer in the unearthing of old manuscripts and in editing and publishing them. Under his able editorship, Orunudoi published history by bringing out the texts of old chronicles in properly edited form such as Chutia Buranji, Purani Asom Buranji and Kamrupar Buranji. Modern prose style in Assamese literature to a great extent is credited to the work of Brown and other missionaries. The currently prevalent standard of Assamese has its roots in the language of Upper Assam, particularly of Sivasagar. Since the initial printing and literary activities occurred in Upper Asam, this language was introduced in schools, courts and offices, and thus came to be formally recognized as standard Assamese.Due to ill health and certain problems in Home Mission, Brown, after 20 years of successful service, left Assam on February 13, 1855 for the US. His farewell note said: ‘‘One of the hardest partings I ever experienced. If God in mercy restores my health so that I can again be useful, I will return and labour for them till life ends, with all my heart.’’ The people of Assam would ever remain greatly indebted to Brown for his unparalleled contributions to Assamese language and literature at a very crucial time of its history.

(The writer is Pastor, Guwahati Baptist Church) Source: sentinel assam