Drona Bhuyan
An Assam performer and guru of Suknani Ojapali and Deodhani dance who trains artists at his home, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2024.
Drona Bhuyan is a leading exponent of Suknani Ojapali, a sung and danced storytelling tradition of Assam, and of Deodhani dance. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of art, from Assam [1].
A start in theatre
He was born on 1 January 1956 into a poor family in Satgharia village, Sipajhar, in Darrang district, and had to leave school after primary classes for lack of money [2]. At seven or eight he began going with his father to prepare jatra theatre shows and was praised for his acting [2].
His father then sent him to learn from Ratneswar Bora, a master of Suknani Ojapali, and he later trained under Chandra Kanta Nath [2]. He is also known as a drummer [2].
Guru
Bhuyan performed Suknani Ojapali and Deodhani in Delhi as early as 1972 [2]. A regular artist on All India Radio, Guwahati, he has led workshops in Assam and at the National School of Drama and Tezpur Central University [2]. In 2009 the Ministry of Culture recognised him as a guru under its teacher-student programme, and the same year he opened a training centre at his home, now known as the Traditional Performing Art Centre [2].
Honours
He has received Assam’s Bishnu Rabha award (2021) and the Assam Gaurav award (2023) [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2024: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2024: citation for Drona Bhuyan — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
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