Bhupen Hazarika – The golden voice of Assam

Bhupen Hazarika, one of the renowned personalities of Assam was a multifaceted genius; a great poet, singer, music composer, actor, author, journalist, and film-maker of the utmost status. He was the founder of Assam film industry in the Northeast, and has been therefore, rightly summoned as the uncrowned king of North-Eastern India’s cultural world. His contribution towards the cultural heritage of Assam is noteworthy and in the year 2012, he was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan, which is the second-highest civilian award of India.

Padma Vibhushan - Bhupen Hazarika

Born on 8th of September, 1926 in Sadiya, Assam to Nilakanta Hazarika and Shantipriya Hazarika, Bhupen Hazarika was eldest among his 10 siblings. He along with his siblings were exposed to the folk music of Assam by his mother and in the year 1929, his father in search of better opportunities moved to Guwahati and settled in the Bharalumukh region. Further, in the year 1932, his whole family moved to Dhubri and in the year 1935, they moved to Tezpur, where he met the first Assamese Filmmaker, lyricists and play writer, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala together with Bishnu Prasad Rabha a prominent Assamese artist and revolutionary poet. With his performance, he made them spell bound, where he sang Borgeet taught by his mother and at a very tender age of 12, he accompanied Jyoti Prasad Agarwala to Kolkata to record his first song at the Aurora Studio. A genius since childhood, he sang his first song Biswa Bijoy No Jowan in the second Assamese film by Agarwala named Indramalati.

In the year 1942, he completed Intermediate from Arts stream from Cotton College with flying colors and went on to pursue Bachelor in Arts from Banaras Hindu University. After completion of B.A. degree in the year 1944, he completed M.A. in Political Science in the year 1946 and left for United States. In the year 1952, he got his Ph.D degree in Mass Communication from the Columbia University for his issertation titled "Proposals for Preparing India's Basic Education to Use Audio-Visual Techniques in Adult Education". , during his time at Columbia University, he was a friend of Paul Robeson, the great black American singer, actor and civil rights activist, who a passionately campaigned for social justice and black pride infused Bhupen Hazarika’s worldview. Inspired greatly by the powerful interpretation of Robeson’s song "Ole Man River”; Hazarika created his own verse on the Brahmaputra, the lifeline of Assam.

Dr Hazarika married Priyamvada Patel, who belonged to the family of renowned Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, and has a son named Tej Hazarika. He met Priyamvada in America where they fell in love  but due to the opposition from his family to marriage, before returning to India, he married her; however, they were separated after 13 years of tying the nuptial knot.

Bhupen Hazarika was the one to establish the first state owned film studio in Guwahati and in the year 1977, he produced, directed, and composed music for the first Hindi feature film in color named "Mera Dharam Meri Maa" of Arunachal Pardesh. Besides this, he produced, directed, composed music and sang for 32 films in different languages, namely Assamese, Hindi and Bengali.  His remarkable popularity made his way to the legislative Assembly as an Independent member between 1967 and 1972. He has won the President's National Award for the best film maker thrice for Shakuntala in 1960, Pratidhwani in 1964, and Loti Ghoti in 1967. In the year 1977, for his outstanding contribution towards Tribal Welfare, and Upliftment of Tribal Culture through cinema and music, he was awared Gold Medal by the Arunachal Pradesh Government. He also won the National Award as best music composer in India in the same year for the Assamese film Chameli Memsaab. While he was studying in USA, he was awarded a Gold Medallion in New York as the best interpreter of 'India's folk songs' by 'Eleanor Roosevelt'.

In 1977 Bhupen Hazarika was awarded the Padamshree award and in the same year he also got two awards in West Bengal for the best music director for the film 'Dampati' from The Bangla Chalachitra Prasar Samity and the Bangla Chalchitra Purashkar Samity. In 1978 he won two awards from Bangladesh as the best music director for the film 'Simana Periye and the Gramophone Company of India bestowed on him the Gold Disc for his outstanding contribution towards Indian Music. Apart from this he received more than 100 awards for his contribution in different fields. In 1987,  he also won the Sangeet Natak Academy award for his outstanding contribution towards Indian music. In 1999, he has been appointed by the Honorable President of India as the Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi for a period of five years. In 1987 he won "Assam's Man of the Year" award. Same year the Government of Assam bestowed its highest award the 'Shankar Dev Award' for his contribution to Assam's culture. His biggest achievement is 'The Dadasaheb Phalke Award', which is considered as 'India's Oscar', and the year 1993 he was awarded the lifetime achievement award for his contribution to development of Indian cinema. On November 2001, he was honored with the Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) from the Tezpur University.

On 5th June, 2011, he left for his heavenly abode Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in Mumbai owing to multi-organ failure. His death was mourned not only in Assam but all over the nation. With his death, Assam lost its golden voice; however, his contribution towards upliftment of the cultural heritage of Assam is something that cannot be ever forgotten. He is still remembered and honored by every Assamese and his voice will always remain immortal in the heart of not only the people of Assam but of the whole nation.

Image Courtesy - The Hindu