Guwahati: Internationally acclaimed Prashanna Gogoi has been conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution in folk music and dance.
Gogoi, a veterinarian by qualification, is also the director of the North East Zone Cultural Centre at Dimapur.
Prashanna Gogoi was conferred the title of Bihu Guru by the Ministry of Culture in 2003, and was recognized as an Ethnomusicologist and Master Craftsman in making musical instruments by Sangeet Natak Akademi.
The folk musician has represented India to Spain at Vadya Darshan – an exhibition of Indian musical instruments, in the University of Valladolid.
Regularly Gogoi conducts lecture-demonstrations on music and musical instruments crafting along with dances of Assam.
He was the Choreographer of Bihu Dance with 250 artistes from Assam at the inaugural cultural ceremony of 1st Afro-Asian Games held at Hyderabad in 2003. His team was declared as the Best Cultural Team by the organising committee.
Gogoi was awarded Junior Fellowship in the field of Folk Music by the Ministry of Culture in 2005 and he crafted a 25 stringed fiddle instrument- Hansha Bin.
In 2014, Gogoi was awarded Senior Fellowship by the Ministry of Culture.
He is also the recipient of the prestigious Delphic Laurel Award in Traditional One or Two String Musical instrument and Bronze Medal winner in Double Reed Traditional Wind Instrument at 3rd Delphic Games, held at South Korea in 2009.
Gogoi presented Assamese folk music and dances in nearly 30 countries across the globe.
