While his violin silently weeps...

Photo: Star

Niranjan Bhowmik, a skilled violinist of Muktagacha, keeps his audience captivated with the moving strains of his instrument.
Sixty-five year old Niranjan -- son of late Nripendra Kumar Bhowmick, a renowned violin player at Muktagacha zamindar palace -- believes in regular practice to fine tune his talent.
Niranjan worked as a volunteer for vaccinations at Tufanganj camp in Cooch Behar, India, during the War of Liberation in 1971, and enthralled his comrades with his violin. Niranjan now wants to popularise the instrument among the younger generation.
Early on, Niranjan took lessons from his father. Later, he studied under eminent violin masters, Dyoti Kishore Acharya Chowdhury, Jamini Pal, Bijoy Krishna Bhattacharya, Netai Kundu and Kanchiram Adhikari. He was also trained in the tabla by Punya Chandra Sarker.
The ragas that charm the artiste the most are Megha Malhar, Malkauns, Behag and Jaunpuri.
Niranjan stood first in a violin competition in 1980 in Dhaka Division. He also joined the cultural team of Dhaka University in 1987 while doing his diploma in Library Science from the institution. “Whenever I played the violin at programmes, I received loud applause from the audience,” said a proud Niranjan.
With advancing years, Niranjan has slowed down. However, the moving strings of his violin make him a popular figure at kirtans held at Kirtankhola Temple of Muktagacha.
A retired government employee, Niranjan was also well-known in the district as cricket and football commentator.
Going back to his eventful past, Niranjan said that he was fortunate to be present at the performances of some great classical artistes at the zamindar palace, arranged by Jibendra Kishore Acharya Chowdhury, then a prominent patron of classical music.