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Photo Story I Remembering Bhupen Hazarika, the ‘Bard of Brahmaputra’

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Batori24 Bureau
Batori24 Bureau
Batori24 is a Vernacular based Assamese news portal based in Guwahati Assam. We are a dedicated news channel covering news and stories across the globe with special reference to Assam, north-east along with National and International news.

Bhupen Hazarika: Saturday marks the eleventh death anniversary of Bhupen Hazarika, also known as Sudhakantha, one of the country’s most revered musicians. Hazarika, also known as the Bard of Brahmaputra, was born on September 8, 1926, in the Assam town of Sadiya. At the age of 85, the Bharat Ratna recipient died on November 5, 2011, at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai of old age ailments.

Hazarika was born into an artistic family and was the eldest of ten siblings. His mother, who introduced him to Assamese folk music, taught him to sing. With music in his life since childhood, it’s no surprise that Hazarika became a musical prodigy and created his first original piece of art at the age of 13.

Bhupen hazarika
Bhupen Hazarika’s Childhood Photo

Here Few Special Moments of Bhupen Hazarika:

When Bhupen Hazarika was a teenager, he wrote his first song, which drew the attention of noted Assamese lyricist Jyotiprasad Agarwala and artist Bishnu Prasad Rabha. Hazarika’s talent reached new heights with professional and artistic guidance.

Bhupen Hazarika

When Hazarika was a teenager, he wrote his first song, which drew the attention of noted Assamese lyricist Jyotiprasad Agarwala and artist Bishnu Prasad Rabha. Hazarika’s talent only improved with professional and artistic guidance.

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was also awarded the Padma Shri (1977), Padma Bhushan (2001), Padma Vibhushan (2016), and Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1992).

Bhupen Hazarika with Rajiv Gandhi

In 2009, Bhupen Hazarika received the Asom Ratna, Assam’s highest civilian award.

Dr Bhupen Hazarika

In the early 1950s, while studying in New York, Hazarika befriended Paul Robeson, a renowned civil rights activist, whose influence inspired him to compose the famous song Bistirno Parore, based on the imagery and theme of Robeson’s Ol’ Man River, which highlighted the country’s rampant racial discrimination.

bhupen hazarika

Another Indian music legend, Late Kishore Kumar, with Bhupen Hazarika, who also sang on Hazrika’s compositions such as “Nainon Mein Darpan Hai.”

(1974) 'Aarop' - Music composer Bhupen Hazarika rehearsing "naino mein darpan" with Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar.
(1974) ‘Aarop’ – Music composer Bhupen Hazarika rehearsing “naino mein darpan” with Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar.

He completed his Intermediate Arts from Cotton College in 1942, and went on to Benaras Hindu University to complete his B.A. in 1944 and his M.A. in Political Science in 1946. He earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University, New York, USA in 1954.

Bhupen Hazarika and his wife, Priyambada Hazarika
Bhupen Hazarika and his wife, Priyambada Hazarika

Bhupen Hazarika and his wife, Priyambada Hazarika. The musician met her while conducting research in mass communication in the United States.

The budding love of his college junior resulted in marriage. Unfortunately, the bond did not last long and fell apart after thirteen years. Tej Hazarika is the couple’s lone son who emigrated to the United States with his mother following their divorce. Hazarika never married again in his life.

Bhupenda also performed two songs about two significant historical events that occurred in the northeast and the surrounding region. “Joi Joi nobojato Bangladesh, joi joi Mukti Bahini; Bharatiya xonyor xote rosila moitrir kahini” (“Hail newly born Bangladesh, hail Mukti Bahini; you created a chapter of friendship with the help of the Indian army”) is the first song.

The other song was ‘Arunachal Hamara,’ which was written in Hindi to commemorate Arunachal Pradesh’s independence from the British-contoured North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) on January 20, 1972.

The making of Sameli Memsahab – Dr Bhupen Hazarika, a national award-winning film starring Abdul Majid, Nirmalprabha Bordoloi, and Raman B Mehta.

 

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