‘Dhunu’ from ‘Village Rockstars’ film now in Assam school syllabus

Guwahati: Dhunu, the character of a village girl in the much-acclaimed film Village Rockstars by Rima Das, will now be a subject of study by school children in Assam.

The Assam government has added a chapter on Village Rockstars in the school syllabus so that children are inspired by the story of ‘Dhunu’s guitar’.

Students in Class VII, affiliated to state boards will now get to learn about Dhunu, a young spirited girl, growing up in poverty and confronted by hostile natural calamities dreams of owing a guitar, in their ‘Sunbeam English Reader-II’ textbook.

Village Rockstars swept the National Awards in 2018 and has the distinction of being India’s official entry at the Oscars in 2019.

According to reports, Bhanita Das, the girl who played Dhunu, never dreamt that she would come such a long way from humble beginnings. She was picked up by her neighbour — noted Assamese filmmaker Rima Das — to play the lead role in the film.

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Taking to Facebook, Das wrote: “’Dhunu’s Guitar’ based on Village Rockstars is now a chapter in Class VII English textbook! My father Bharat Chandra Das was founder head teacher of Chhygaon champak Nagar girls high school and my Maa Jaya Das ran a printing press and book store.I was preparing to be a teacher. We’ve been a family that placed a lot of emphasis on education. Of all my achievements, my parents are most proud of this one and this has made me very happy! We all village Rockstars family is very happy ❤️

I would like to thank State Council Of Educational Research, Former deputy director of SCERT Dr Mizo Prova Borah Baidew director of SCERT Nirada Devi Baidew, special thanks to Professor Padmini Boruah Baidew and all the members who initiated with Assam education department.It’s an absolute honour for us Thank you so very much I feel very blessed that the children of Assam will be exposed to new ideas and get a glimpse of my filmmaking journey. I hope to see a new generation of filmmakers from Assam.Many thanks to Toronto International film festival who premiered Village Rockstars and believed in us !”