Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha

A multifaceted genius, who was a revolutionary poet, a writer and a great classical icon of Assam, Bishnu Prasad Rabha was born on 31st January 1909 in Dhaka, Bangladesh to Gopal Chandra Rabha. Popularly known as Kalaguru, he was a great artist, dancer, a singer and a composer, who has contributed towards the culture of Assam.
 

Bishnu Prasad Rabha was born in a middle class family, whose father worked in British Army as a police officer. He had spent his childhood in Dhaka, where he started with his primary education and after completion, he along with his family moved to Assam and settled in the town of Tezpur, which is known to have given birth to several great personalities of the state. He was enrolled in Tezpur Government High School from where he completed his high school and moved to Kolkata for pursuing higher studies. He then joined the St. Paul's Mission College of Kolkata from where he completed his intermediate and later joined the renowned college Ripon College in Kolkata from where he completed his graduation.
 

In the year 1930, he joined the freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi soon after completion of his graduation. During this time, he wrote many slogans against the British and owing to this British Police issued a non-bailable warrant against him. He was a revolutionary by nature and a true patriot. After this incident, he left for Tezpur, which became his den for all the revolutionary activities against the British Government. Here he joined hands with other freedom fighters of the state and gave away all the land that he owned to the poor farmers of the state. He was highly influenced by the leftist ideologies and joined the Communist Party of India. During the 2nd World War, when Germany attacked Soviet Union during Second World War and the Indian communists decided to work with the British government, a section of the party favoured a different approach to oppose British imperialism and Fascism simultaneously. So a split happened in the communist party and in 1945 he finally joined the Revolutionary Communist Party of India. After the death of Jyoti Prasad Agarwala in the year 1951, he was elected as the president of the Indian People's Theatre Association of the Assam branch.
 

Besides being a revolutionary he was also a brilliant academician and researcher. Due to participation in freedom struggle he was forced by the British Governmentt to leave Rippon College of Kolkata and transferred to Victoria College in Coch Behar. However, he could not pursue with his formal studies owing to frequent foray of British forces in the hostel where he lived and was compelled to give up his formal educationa. He was a great freedom fighter but for him freedom did not mean freeing the nation from British rule; rather it meant freeing the country from wage slavery, capitalism, poverty and social evils. He dedicated his whole life towards bringing about renaissance in the country so that India will be free from all the social evils, poverty, etc and become a developed nation.
 

Bishnu Rabha wrote several books, named Axomiya Kristi, Mukti Deol, Axomiya Kristir Somu Abhax, etc. and worked towards promotion of the Neo-Vaishnavate religion started by Srimanta Shankardeva. He wrote several Assamese songs and became the best Borgeet singer of Assam. He also acted in several Assamese films as well as in several plays written by him and other eminent play writers of Assam. He also contributed towards the Assamese film industry as a music director, director, dancer as well as a versatile actor. He was counted among the finest dancers of Assam, who was trained in the famous Tandav Nritya of Lord Shiva. The songs that were written by him came to be known as “Rabha Sangeet.” He was awarded the title of “Kalaguru” by Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan at Varanashi and in the year 1969 on 20th June, this great personality of Assam breathed his last. On this day, Rabha Divas is celebrated every year to commemorated the great person, who has contributed immensely towards the culture of Assam.