PADMASHRI PRATIMA: A Fragrance of Assam’s Folk-Music

Abstract

There is perhaps no one who has not even listened to Pratima Baruah Pandey’s name and her soul-stirring Goalpariya songs! She lived in a small beautiful town named Gauripur of Dhubri district. The town is situated on the western side of district headquarters Dhubri, Assam. There is a lake on its north-western side named Lawkhowa beel and the north-eastern side on bank of historic Gadadhar River is a small hilltop called Matiabagh Pahar. On which the Palace named Hawakhana made by the Zamindar of Gauripur is situated. The Hawakhana is still trying to keep alive the charm of Zamindary Legacy which the Goalpariya legendary icon Pratima Baruah Pandey used as her home from 1964 to her last breath of life along with her husband Prof. Ganga Shankar Pandey and two daughters Amrita and Alaska. The Hawakhana was the bystander of Pratima Baruah Pandey where she had gone through several ups and downs of life.