| Bhupen Hazarika[1] | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 September 1926 Sadiya, Assam, British India |
| Died | 5 November 2011 (aged 85) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India[2] |
| Occupation | musician, singer, poet, filmmaker and lyricist |
| Years active | 1939–2011 |
| Spouse | Priyam Hazarika |
| Children | Tej Hazarika |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Bhupen Hazarika (1926–2011) was an Indian lyricist, musician, singer, poet and film-maker from Assam. His songs, written and sung mainly in the Assamese language by himself, are marked by humanity and universal brotherhood; and have been translated and sung in many languages, most notable in Bengali, and Hindi. Known for writing bold lyrics with themes of communal amity, universal justice and empathy, his songs have become popular among all sections of ethnic and religious communities in Assam, besides West Bengal and Bangladesh. He is acknowledged widely in the Hindi film industry for introducing Hindi film to the sounds and folk music of Assam and Northeast India.
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Hazarika was born on 8 September 1926 to Nilakanta and Shantipriya Hazarika in Sadiya, Assam. His father was originally from Nazira, a town located in Sivasagar district. The eldest of ten children, Bhupen Hazarika (as also his siblings) was exposed to the musical influence of his mother who exposed him to lullabies and traditional music of Assam. In search of better prospects his father moved to the Bharalumukh region of Guwahati in 1929,[3] where Bhupen Hazarika spent his early childhood. In 1932 his father moved to Dhubri,[4] and in 1935 to Tezpur[5] It was in Tezpur that Bhupen Hazarika, then 10 years of age, was discovered by Jyotiprasad Agarwala and Bishnu Prasad Rabha where he sung a Borgeet taught by his mother at a public function. In 1936 Bhupen Hazarika accompanied them to Kolkata where he recorded his first song at the Aurora Studio for the Selona Company.[6] His association with the icons of Assamese culture at Tezpur was the beginning of his artistic growth and credentials.
He studied at Sonaram High School at Guwahati, Dhubri Government High School[7] and matriculated from Tezpur High School in 1940. He completed his Intermediate Arts from Cotton College in 1942, and his BA (1944) and MA (1946) in Political Science from Banaras Hindu University. For a brief period he worked at All India Radio, Guwahati when he won a scholarship from Columbia University and set sail for New York in 1949. There he earned a PhD (1952) on "Proposals for Preparing India's Basic Education to Use Audio-Visual Techniques in Adult Education".
In New York he befriended Paul Robeson, who influenced him.[8] His song Bistirno Dupare is based on the imagery and theme of Robeson's Ol' Man River. He was exposed to the spirituals, and a multi-lingual version of We are in the Same Boat Brother became a regular feature in his stage performance. At Columbia University he met Priyamvada Patel, whom he married in 1950. Tez Hazarika, their only child, was born in 1952,[9] and he returned to India in 1953.
After completing his MA he briefly worked at the All India Radio station at Guwahati[10] before embarking for his doctoral studies at Columbia University.
Soon after completing his education, he became a teacher at the Gauhati University.[11]
He was elected the President of the Asam Sahitya Sabha in 1993.[12]
He met Kalpana Lajmi in the 1980s[13] and they made the film Ek Pal (' at the Internet Movie Database) (1986). Since then Lajmi began managing him professionally and personally till the end of his life.[14][15][16]
He was pursuaded by the Bharatiya Janata Party via Kalpana Lajmi to enter the electoral fray as its candidate in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from the Guwahati constituency,[17] which he lost to the INC candidate Kirip Chaliha.
Hazarika was hospitalized in the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in Mumbai in 2011.[18][19] He was admitted to the intensive care unit on 30 June 2011. He died of multi-organ failure on 5 November 2011.[20][21][22] His body lay in state at the Judges Fields in Guwahati and cremated on 9 November 2011 near the Brahmaputra river in a plot of land donated by Gauhati University. His funeral was attended by an estimated half a million people.[23][24]
A young Bhupen Hazarika was noticed by the doyens of Assamese culture, Jyotiprasad Agarwala and Bishnuprasad Rabha , when he had performed a Borgeet at the age of 10 in Tezpur. Subsequently, Hazarika sang two songs in Agarwala's film Indramalati (1939)[25][26]: Kaxote Kolosi Loi and Biswo Bijoyi Naujawan at the tender age of 12. He wrote his first song, Agnijugor Firingoti Moi at the age of 13[27] and he was well on his way to to becoming a lyricist, composer and singer.
Hazarika began close association with the leftist Indian People's Theatre Association soon after returning from the USA in 1953.[28] and became the secretary of the Reception Committee of the third All Assam Conference of IPTA held in Guwahati in 1955.
In the period after the release of Ek Pal (1986) till the end of his life Bhupen Hazarika's mainly concentrated on Hindi films, most of which were directed by Kalpana Lajmi. Ek Pal (1986), Rudaali (1993) and Daman (2001) are major films this period. Many of his earlier songs were re-written in Hindi used as played-back songs in these films. These songs tried to cater to the Hindi film milieu and their social activist lyrics were browbeaten into the lowest common denominator.[29]
As a singer, Hazarika was known for his baritone voice and diction;[30] 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.[31]
| Year | Film | Credited as | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playback singer | Composer | Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | ||
| 1939 | Indramalati | Yes | |||||
| 1948 | Siraj | Yes | |||||
| 1955 | Pioli Phukan | Yes | |||||
| 1956 | Era Bator Sur | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 1958 | Mahut Bandhu Re | Yes | |||||
| 1961 | Shakuntala Sur | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 1964 | Pratidhwani | Yes | |||||
| 1964 | Ka Swariti | Yes | |||||
| 1966 | Lati-Ghati | Yes | |||||
| 1969 | Chik Mik Bijuli | Yes | |||||
| 1973 | Titash Ekti Nadir Naam | Yes | |||||
| 1973 | Aarop | Yes | |||||
| 1974 | For Whom the Sun Shines | Yes | |||||
| 1975 | Chameli Memsaab | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 1976 | Roop Konwar Jyoti Parsad Aru Joymoti | Yes | |||||
| 1976 | Mera Dharam Meri Maa | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 1977 | Through Melody and Rhythm | Yes | |||||
| 1977 | Shimana Perye | Yes | |||||
| 1979 | Mon-Prajapati | Yes | |||||
| 1979 | Debdas | Yes | |||||
| 1982 | Aparoopa | Yes | |||||
| 1986 | Swikarokti | Yes | |||||
| 1986 | Ek Pal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1988 | Siraj | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 1993 | Rudaali | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 1993 | Pratimurti | Yes | |||||
| 1997 | Do Rahain | Yes | |||||
| 1997 | Darmiyaan: In Between | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 1998 | Saaz | Yes | |||||
| 2000 | Gaja Gamini | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 2001 | Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 2003 | Kyon? | Yes | |||||
| 2006 | Chingaari | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 2011 | Gandhi to Hitler | Yes | |||||
| Some relevant photographs | |||||||||
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