Ghana Kanta Bora

🪔 About

Bayanacharya Ghanakanta Bora Borbayan, born in 1950 in Majuli, Assam, India, is a renowned Indian classical dancer, choreographer, musician, and guru of Sattriya dance. His early life was deeply rooted in the Vaishnavite culture of Majuli, where he was initiated into the Kamalabari Sattra at the age of four. He began his formal training in Sattriya dance and music at six under esteemed gurus including Maniram Dutta Muktiyar Barbayan (the first Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee for Sattriya), Maniram Gayan Muktiyar, Kamal Chandra Bargayan, and Raseswar Saikia Barbayan. Bora excelled in Khol-playing, a percussive art central to Sattriya, and was conferred the prestigious title "Barbayan" by the Kamalabari Sattra. His career as a teacher began at the Kamalabari Sattra as an "Adhyapak." He later served as a teacher of Sattriya dance at Bishnupur Kala Kendra in Shillong in 1971, and at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Cultural Institute in New Delhi from 1974 to 1975. Returning to Guwahati in 1975, he joined Sangeet Sattra and, in 1980, became a teacher at the State Music College, Assam. He currently serves as the Head of the Department of Sattriya Music and Dance at the Luit Konwar Rudra Barua State College of Dance and Music, Guwahati. To further propagate Sattriya, Bora founded his own institution, Sattriya Kala Kendra, in 1987, and has since established over 25 training schools across Assam. He is also the Honorary Director of Maniram Dutta Muktiyar Sattriya Kala Kendra, Guwahati, and a trustee of Srimanta Foundation for Culture and Society. His contributions extend to scholarly documentation, having authored books like "Mati Akhora" and "Khol Sikhsa." He has trained generations of students, including notable disciples such as Dr. Anwesa Mahanta, Srijani Bhaswa Mahanta, and Aparajita Dawka Buragohain. Bora's significant contributions to Sattriya dance have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001, the Padma Shri in 2013, and the Ninth Rasheswar Saikia Borbayan Sattriya Award in 2017. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2001), Padma Shri (2013), Ninth Rasheswar Saikia Borbayan Sattriya Award (2017), Barbayan (title conferred by Kamalabari Sattra), Bayanacharya (honorific title).