Jonaki Mel

Parvati Prasad, after graduation, joined his uncle’s Sarusorai T.E. which was situated near Jorhat in Upper Assam. When he was there, he wrote the books, Sonar Soleng and Lakhimi.

In the same year, 1929, during a full moonlit night, the first jonaki mel took place at the tea garden bungalow. In his youth, Parvati Prasad used to dream of a musical soiree under the canopy of twinkling stars of an autumn sky which he called Saradi sandhiyar jonaki mel. It was a gathering of like-minded souls where the first and foremost rule was that there were no rules. Whoever came to the jonaki mel could come on to the stage with an entertainment item like a song, a dance item, a poem, a joke or a talk. An imaginative item of cultural entertainment was always welcome.

When he was alive, he held several memorable jonaki mels in Sonari Paam, Shilong, and Guwahati which found place in the annals of cultural history of the state. Today, in Assam, the jonaki mel epitomizes Parvati Prasad’s creative spirit. Initially, his family members, but now, the Assam Sahitya Sabha, the premier socio-cultural organization of Assam upholds this tradition. The Sabha celebrates jonaki mel every year on the poet’s death anniversary, June 7th. In fact, the Sabha celebrated his birth centenary in different parts of Assam from August 19, 2003 until August 19, 2004.