Guwahati: Renowned violinist, leadership trainer and music researcher Sunita Bhuyan has commenced her international music and leadership tour with a special invitation from the globally acclaimed consulting firm, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), in the United States.
Widely recognised as a trailblazing violinist and the daughter of veteran violinist late Minoti Khaund, Bhuyan is credited with being the first artist to perform Assamese Bihu music on the violin. However, her work extends far beyond the world of performance.
An accomplished management trainer with nearly three decades of corporate experience, Bhuyan has carved a unique niche by teaching leadership, teamwork, creativity and change management through the medium of music. Her innovative approach has made her a sought-after speaker and trainer across India and abroad.
In Boston, Bhuyan delivered a keynote address on “Music and Leadership” before an audience of more than 450 professionals. She was accompanied by her London-based son, pianist Ronojit Bhuyan, and noted tabla exponent Amit Kavthekar. Earlier this year, Bhuyan was also invited to speak at the NASSCOM Tech Leadership Forum in Mumbai, where her session on “AI vs EI through Music” emerged as one of the conference’s major highlights.
Held at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Seaport Boston, the keynote presentation received an enthusiastic response, with attendees applauding multiple times during the session—an uncommon occurrence at corporate conferences.
Lori Maddams, a senior leader at BCG USA, said Bhuyan’s presentation deeply resonated with the values of the conference and aligned strongly with the organisation’s people-engagement vision.
During her visit, Bhuyan also launched her music therapy programme at the Thoreau Institute of Global Health in Boston, a partner of Kavikrishna Laboratories. She recently joined the organisation as a Professor of Practice in Medical Humanities.
Her longstanding research and work on wellbeing through music, which has reached more than 35,000 children and adults, led to collaborations with the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) Department at IIT Guwahati and Kavikrishna Laboratories, a research facility associated with IIT Guwahati working in the areas of cancer care and therapy.
A curtain-raiser programme on “Music for Healing” at the picturesque Walden Pond campus in Lincoln, Massachusetts, saw Bhuyan and Ronojit Bhuyan engage audiences for nearly two hours. Through lectures and live demonstrations, they explored the universal healing power of music, drawing from Indian classical ragas, jazz, the works of Bhupen Hazarika and Rabindranath Tagore. The event attracted researchers, academicians, healthcare professionals and music enthusiasts.
Before embarking on her international tour, Bhuyan and the Kavikrishna team conducted a series of music therapy workshops in Sualkuchi, Hajo and Mangaldoi. Patients, caregivers, local authorities and community members participated in large numbers to experience the pioneering healing practice.
The next leg of Bhuyan’s tour will take her to VivaTech Paris, followed by a full-day workshop on Leadership through Music at the Porto Business School in Portugal.
From July onwards, she will focus on curating several global collaborations while continuing the next phase of her music therapy interventions for marginalised cancer patients in the remote areas of Assam.