Music buffs, in particular the
fans of legendary American poet, singer and composer Bob Dylan celebrated his
birthday at Guwahati.
A gala show of lively music
marked the event of Dylan's 72nd birthday where the audience was treated to by
enthralling performances by individuals and band groups, both vocal and
instrumental.
The annual event commemorated
Bob Dylan with a concert featuring the music icon's best renderings.
The audience at the event
ranged from all walks of life and ages - young and old alike - who saluted the
famed and versatile artiste.
Apart from locals, among the
participant artistes on the stage were groups from the neighbouring states of
Nagaland and Meghalaya, students, university dons, police personnel and even
top bureaucrats of the Assam state government.
They presented a wide range of
Dylan's compositions and eternally popular numbers sung by him.
"Various artists are here
young and old from Guwahati as well as some very old instrumentalists, one
person called Shantanu Thakur who is the Commissioner of Agriculture, he has
also come and played on the mandolin and we have the main band named Purple Fusion
from Nagaland. They will be performing for one and a half hours Dylan songs and
some numbers of the '60s," said organiser Amlandeep Das, who was also a
performer on the stage.
Incidentally, it was for the
fourth successive year that this event echoing assorted tunes was held at this
venue, a popular club in Guwahati.
This year's function also had
an additional attraction of hues in the form of visual arts as painters
presented their artistic creations on the big and mini canvas at the venue
Strumming on a guitar and
playing one of Dylan's greatest songs, Prateek, young fan of Bob Dylan confided
that it was the famed musician's mastery in lyrics that had inspires him right
from the beginning.
"I have always been a big
fan right from my childhood. Bob Dylan is very special, because I am a
songwriter myself so I am always very fond of Bob Dylan.
By and large, the people
hailing from the northeastern states of Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and
Manipur are ardent lovers of music, be it vocal or instrumental.
A well-known musician, Low
Majao of Shillong in Meghalaya state, has been celebrating Dylan's birthday for
the last 30 consecutive years.
There are many fans of Dylan
and other rock stars in Shillong and India's north-east, where the locals like
to say music runs through their veins.
Bob Dylan was born in the year
1941, (May 24).
Dylan's early years were
dominated by poetic, anti-war songs, including the folk classic 'Blowing in the
Wind'. (Source)
