Download Bhupen Hazarika: The balladeer passes on

Bhupen Hazarika: The balladeer passes on
Born 8 September 1926
Sadiya, Assam, Indian Empire Died 5 November 2011 (aged 85)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India[1] Nationality Indian Occupation Musician,
singer, poet, filmmaker, lyricist, philosophy and humanist Years active
1939-2011 Notable works Rudaali
Darmiyaan: In Between
Gaja Gamini
Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence
Indramalati
Influenced by Bishnu Rabha[citation needed] Political party Bharatiya Janata
Party Political movement Indian Peoples Theater Association Spouse
Priyamvada Patel (1950-1963) Partner Kalpana Lajmi (1972–2011)
Children Tej Bhupen Hazarika (b. 1952) Awards Padma Shri (1977)
Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1992)
Padma Bhushan (2001)
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (2008)
Asom Ratna (2009)
Signature
was an Assamese born Indian singer, composer,
lyricist, music director, filmmaker, philosopher
and politician from the Indian state of Assam. His
style of music influenced many people throughout
India and in the neighboring countries. His songs
reflected his view on the current situations of
the society, culture, politics, corruption etc. He
composed songs in Assamese, Bengali, Hindi and
English. He played an important role in visualizing
the culture and art of Assam to other parts of
India and worldHazarika was born in Sadiya,
Assam, the eldest child of Nilakanta and
Shantipriya Hazarika[3]. He sang his first song at
the age of 12 in the second Assamese film,
Agarwala's Indramalati (Biswa Bijoy No Jowan), in
1939.[4][5]
He completed his Intermediate Arts from Cotton
College in 1942, and went on to Banaras Hindu
University to complete his B.A. in 1944 and his
M.A. in Political Science in 1946. He earned a Ph.D
in mass communication from Columbia University
in Manhattan, New York City in 1952, submitting a
dissertation titled "Proposals for Preparing
India's Basic Education to Use Audio-Visual
Techniques in Adult Education". He was the
President of the Asam Sahitya Sabha in 1993
As a singer, Hazarika was known for his
baritone voice and diction;[7] as a lyricist, he
was known for poetic compositions and parables
which touched on themes ranging from romance
to social and political commentary; and as a
composer for his use of folk music. Some of
his most famous compositions were adaptations
of
American
black
spirituals
that
he
had
learned from Paul Robeson, whom he had
befriended during his years in New York City in
the early 1950s[8]. He was a name to reckon in
Assam, West Bengal and Bangladesh
Bhupen da had a fantastic send
off. He deserves every minute of the accolade of love and respect
if not more. He was truly a giant among the stars and contributed
more to mankind than he got. The golden age of monumental melody
and beautiful lyrics will however remain unforgetable in the heard
and minds of music lovers throughout the world. Bhupen Hazarika,
the giant among the stars. No one in living memory has contributed so
much in realm of creative music,literature ,the film industry and as a
greatest of the great as an entertainer particularly in Assam and
Eastern India.His memory will remain immortal in the minds of all music
lovers all throughout the world. How deserves a rest and peace among
the lap of G
The Judges Field in front of the Chief Justice's Guwahati residence is
now empty. The pandal erected to cover the glass-topped coffin is
gone. Bhupen Hazarika's embalmed body lay in state here from nine in
the evening of November 7, 2011, till gates were shut at five in the
morning two days later. Estimates vary, but nearly one million people,
young and old, waited for as long as eight hours to have a glimpse of
the man who became a legend in his lifetime. Mothers carried babies in
their arms and grandmothers rode the shoulders of grandsons.
Crowds came pouring in unending streams. There wasn't a single broken
thread till night became day. They came from all parts of Assam, by
train and bus; from all states in north-east. The government of
Arunachal Pradesh declared a holiday in his honour. And the pressure
of
crowds
forced
his
cremation
to
be
delayed
by
a
day.
At the crack of dawn on November 9, his final journey began. Fittingly,
along the Brahmaputra, fondly called Luit in his numerous songs about
the river. At 10 in the morning, guns boomed 21 times as Tej, his son,
lit the pyre. Thousands thronged the arena, but there was no
stampede. Everyone watched silently as flames consumed the last
remains of the balladeer loved by people around the world, not only
Assamese.
The year is 1957 in Calcutta and lights dim on the stage. When they
come on again, the backdrop shows a river and a tiny boat, a lone figure
in silhouette standing still. Then music begins, a voice in Assamese
sings about Rangmon, the fisherman. A storm is on its way and his wife
implores him not to go out fishing. The screen undulates and the figure
standing still explodes in rhythmic movements. The great Uday Shankar
is
dancing
to
Bhupen
Hazarika's
song
and
music.
There would be more surprises. Calcutta would be enchanted by Bhupen
Hazarika's music. Those were the days of musical soirees in winter.
Among many stalwarts of popular music, Hazarika was the only one who
would stand and sing with harmonium on a table. Others, including
Hemanta Mukhopadhaya, would prefer to sit on the floor. People would
rush to listen to his geeti-kathas, a unique feature in Calcutta at the
time.
He would talk about racism in America and burst into Paul Robeson's
songs. He would talk about the nights he spent with Italian fishermen
listening to their songs; an Italian refrain would be followed by a
majhi's song; he would sing mahut bandhu re, the lonely wail of a woman
left
His
behind
Bangla
diction
by
was
flawless.
the
His
elephant-catcher.
music
crossed
borders:
Brahmaputra became Ganga, Luit became Padma; 'Ol' man river'
became first Nishabde nirabe, O burha Luit tumi boya kio in Assamese,
then Bistirno dupare in Bengali or Ganga behti hai kyon in Hindi. His
poetry made his music, he wrote the lyrics for almost all his songs.