Finding Her Forte

Northeast is home to talented musicians but it is not always easy to pursue music as a career, however pianist Promiti Phukan has found a way.

There is a saying that everyone in the Northeast knows how to play an instrument, guitar being the most common one, and even though this may be a slightly exaggerated statement, it does throw light on the region’s close connection to music. For years, this region has produced some of the most talented artistes in the country but they haven’t always found commercial success, which is why a lot of musically gifted youngsters do not want to pursue music as a career. For Guwahati-based pianist Promiti Phukan, her love for the instrument started early on, but it was only when she was offered the post of a piano teacher in Maria’s Public School that she found a way to pursue her passion wholeheartedly. Now, she is not only helping ignite the love for piano among young children, but she is also helping Guwahatians rediscover their love for music through Cadenza, a musical event that she has been hosting for close to six years that focuses on providing a platform for renowned and aspiring pianists from the region.

Early Notes

Promiti learnt the piano at an early age. ‘I must have been around 4 and a half hour years old when my father took me to my teacher Rajeshwar Bardoloi’s house. We didn’t have a piano then. I started learning on his little keyboard. My father was a big music aficionado. Due to academic pressures, my grandfather did not allow him to pursue music in any form. As a young college student, he decided, that his offspring, if and when he had one, should take up the piano.’ One of her fondest memories of the piano is when she woke up one afternoon and heard the sound of a real acoustic piano resonating in her house. ‘I was completely fascinated and in awe of the instrument.’