What happens when Western instruments like Mandolin and the Accordion finds voice in a region deeply rooted in folk traditions?

Join Anusha Borgohain, a Bachelor's student of Mass Communication at Assam Don Bosco University in this special immersive audio documentary that explores the blend of Western sounds into Assam's musical history. Through narrative storytelling, insightful interviews, studio recordings and live performances, this episode aims to uncover a dynamically nostalgic chapter of Assam's local music culture.

The podcast features two of the region's pioneering musicians from distinct musical eras—one rooted in the early post-independence decades when Western instruments first entered Assam’s soundscape, and the other emerging during the vibrant cultural shifts of the 1980s and beyond:

• Dr Siba Gogoi, an octogenarian retired veterinary officer and a pioneer in music carved a permanent space in Assam's musical archives through his lifelong passion for the Mandolin and the Accordion. By featuring his words and live performance excerpts in this podcast, listeners travel back in time to an early decade when these European instruments were slowly and soulfully weaving their way into Assamese musical mainstream. His segment is invaluable for understanding the earliest cultural encounters between Assamese folk traditions and Western instrumentation, long before these sounds became commonplace.
• Mr. Sanjeev Sharma, representing a later era is one of Assam's earliest Mandolin players from the 1980s. With a rich and versatile background in music, he has mastered instruments like Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Banjo, Congo, Bongo, Tabla, Dholak, Clapbox and even traditional Assamese instruments like Dholak. His insights add a deeply nostalgic yet critical layer to the narrative. Mr. Sanjeev’s perspective is crucial in understanding how public tastes evolved, how Bollywood influenced instrumental trends, and how Western instruments are now at the crossroads of extinction and reinvention in the region.

Together, these two voices—separated by decades but united by strings and bellows—offer a rare and intimate glimpse into Assam’s evolving musical identity. This podcast serves not only as a tribute to their contributions but also as a call to preserve and rediscover the forgotten echoes of instruments like the mandolin and accordion.

Anusha Borgohain has produced this audio documentary as part of her Summer Internship with NEZINE.

Photo courtesy Dr Siba Gogoi

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