New age changemakers
AVINIBESH SHARMA writes on some new age careers and the extraordinary young women and men who are excelling at them.
Many alternative career options have arisen in recent years and they are bound to witness further growth in the near future. These lesser-known alter native careers offer better hours and greater personal satisfaction. Individuals who have taken up these careers have shown remarkable passion and commitment to their job. Here are a few who have stood out.
Mridu Moucham Bora: Artist, Manuscript, Conservator-Restorer
Hailing from Dhing in Nagaon district, MRIDU MOUCHAM BORA has been associated with the conservation and reproduction of manuscript paintings as well as the making of traditional masks, terracotta artefacts and wood carvings, as a researcher and demonstrator. He has also designed costumes for Sangeet Natak Akademi and the National School of Drama. Two production centres set up by him that produces traditional masks and costumes have provided livelihoods to several families. Mridu Moucham Bora is particularly known for reviving the Sattriya School of Manuscript Painting.
Monjit Rajkonwar: Collector
MONJIT RAJKONWAR is a news producer and collector from Sivasagar. When he is not in front of the camera, he is engaged in record hunting and in the study of various musical genres. He has assembled together an enviable collection of Assamese, Bangla and Marathi musical records. Based on his research, he also contributes articles to various newspapers and journals. He has carried out incredible research on Assamese gramophone songs recorded between 1924 to 1950 and has worked extensively in the documentation and conservation of such records. The strenuous task of meeting composers, lyricists and singers, and leafing through the dusty archives does not tire him. In spite of his busy schedule, he takes out time to make systematic records of vintage music. He has preserved gramophone songs of pioneers like Prafulla Kumar Borooah, Bishnu Prasad Rava, Purushottam Das, Kamal Narayan Choudhury, Charu Bardoloi, Kirtinath Sarma Bordoloi and others.
Ishita Das: Textile Preserver, Curator and Designer
ISHITA DAS is a fashion graduate from Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore. Ishita is the director of an export company that creates and innovates Assam textiles for the world to experience and the founder of a gender fluid label focussing on Eri aka non-ahimsa silk. This year, she was entrusted with the responsibility of curating the textile gallery and a few other spaces for the Old DC Bungalow, Guwahati, Assam. Ishita is single-handedly bringing about a change to how silk is generally perceived. She is also keen on opening up the world to Northeast India and to the cultures that live alongside hers. She believes that textiles go beyond just a single piece of cloth. It is truly an emotion that needs to be celebrated. Through all the work she creates and executes, she is hopeful that the next generation will be inspired to dabble in the unique crafts of India in their own ways.
Abantika Parashar: Museologist
ABANTIKA PARASHAR is one of the emerging talents in the field of museology. She has already carved a niche for herself through her work as a District Museum Officer in Jorhat, Majuli and Dibrugarh. Parashar has acquired a number of rare antiquities for the Jorhat District Museum, which she is planning to develop as per international guidelines. She is also overseeing the deciphering of the Gandhakoroi Stone Inscription and the construction of the Dakhinpat Satra Museum, which could accentuate the possibility of Majuli being declared as a World Heritage Site. Besides, she has been instrumental in engaging children in the heritage field through various outreach programmes. She is also a prolific writer and has written extensively on ethnographic museums, tangible artefacts and invaluable objects such as the Vrindavani Vastra.
