The Grand Finale of the Sur Sangam – Tea Garden Student Talent Hunt, a state-wide initiative aimed at fostering music talent among students from tea garden communities, is set to take place at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati on February 10. This project, which is a collaboration between The Hans Foundation and the Department of Secondary Education, Government of Assam, seeks to enhance holistic education and empower young people creatively within these communities.
The event will be attended by notable figures, including Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu as the chief guest, and celebrated playback singer Suresh Wadkar, who will also serve as the Guest of Honour. In a significant opportunity for the winners, Wadkar is slated to provide advanced mentorship to the top five contestants at his music academy in Mumbai. The Sur Sangam initiative commenced across 54 Model Schools situated in the tea garden areas of Sonitpur, Tinsukia, and Dibrugarh, as part of The Hans Foundation’s Uttam Xikhya programme. This programme is dedicated to enhancing educational access, quality, and outcomes for tea tribe children and intends to expand to 101 schools by April this year.
This initiative was prompted by a review meeting led by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, emphasizing the importance of structured extracurricular activities, particularly music education, for the overall development of students from tea garden backgrounds. Consequently, formal music education initiatives were introduced across all Model Schools, with qualified music teachers appointed in each location. Since then, over 14,000 tea tribe students have engaged in regular music classes based on a flexible schedule of weekly, bi-weekly, and tri-weekly sessions.
The talent hunt involved three audition rounds in Sonitpur, Tinsukia, and Dibrugarh, followed by a Pre-State Round in Dibrugarh, culminating in the selection of 16 finalists for the Grand Finale. Presently, these finalists are in Guwahati refining their skills through intensive training sessions under the mentorship of experts, specifically tailored to enhance their performances for the final competition. The top five finalists will receive valuable education scholarships, which cover expenses up to the post-graduation level, alongside exclusive mentorship opportunities at Suresh Wadkar’s Ajivasan Music Academy in Mumbai, as well as additional awards and recognitions for their accomplishments.