The world perhaps found it
difficult to describe Bhupen Hazarika. So, he described himself a ‘jajabor’
(nomad) in one of his immortal songs ‘moi ek jajabor’. Ever since, he has been
the typical gypsy moving around the world with his songs.
A singer, composer, director and actor,
Hazarika’s balladic voice and the themes of social consciousness and love made
his songs immortal. He is credited with showcasing the folk music of Assam to
the world. If his songs touch the hearts, it is because of the folk factor. His
first feature film as a director, Era Bator
Sur (Song of the Deserted Path, 1956), had repertoire of
folk music.
That Hazarika would rise to fame was
predicted even when he was barely a five-year-old boy. Hazarika had then
mesmerised all by his first public performance at the Cotton Collegiate Higher
Secondary School where he studied and his father taught. At 13, Hazarika sang
in the second Assamese feature film ‘Indramaloti’ directed by Jyotiprasad
Agarwalla, whom he idolized.
Born in 1926 to Nilkanta Hazarika and
Shantipriya Hazarika at Sadiya,Hazarika pursued his higher education at the
Cotton College in Guwahati and Benaras Hindu University. He briefly worked with
the All India Radio before quitting it to do a PhD at the Columbia University,
US.
His songs were about people, about the
Brahmaputra, about worldly brotherhood, etc. Hazarika sang a song to
commemorate almost every geopolitical event, which Assam and the rest of the
region experienced. He is truly a people’s artiste.
Dubbed a philanthropist, Hazarika was
exceptionally humble throughout. “I could have been a better singer had I
trained hard and honed my abilities,” he had once said. The legendary singer,
who also donned the mantle of Assam Sahitya Sabha president, was given the
status of a cabinet minister by the Assam government for his contributions to
the world of music.
Meanwhile, Hazarika’s demise has numbed
people across Assam who observed a one-minute silence and lit lamps.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi said it is the
saddest day of Assam. “It is a great loss for the state. I have never seen
someone winning that many hearts worldwide,” Gogoi said and added: “He was a
philanthropist and his heart was as vast as the sea. His songs were for worldly
brotherhood”.
Noted filmmaker Jahnu Barua described
Hazarika as the Dronacharyya of contemporary Indian music. Litterateur Nagen
Saikia said Hazarika himself was an institution and a living legend.
“This is an end of an era,” singer Zubeen
Garg said. “We have lost a guardian,” the All Assam Students’ Union said.
A golden voice of Indian music fell silent Saturday when legendary singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika died of multiple organ failure at a Mumbai hospital, plunging millions of fans across the country, especially those in eastern India, into gloom. He was 85
Hazarika, who was on the ventilator for four months and had been in and out of hospital, passed away at 4.37 p.m. at Kokilaben Hospital in India’s entertainment capital. His long time companion, filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi, his nephews and some well wishers from his home state of Assam were at his side when he died.
“I feel as if I lost my soul. It’s a loss for the entire country. I don’t have words,” Sudakshina Sharma, younger sister of Hazarika, said. She is also a singer and stays in Guwahati. “Not only it is a personal loss, but his demise is surely the end of an era. He would however continue to live forever by way of his compositions,” said the maestro’s younger brother and singer Samar Hazarika.
The singer’s close friend and director Kalpana Lajmi said: “His spirit was great, but what to do, his body gave way. It is a very difficult time for all of us. The doctors did a wonderful job.”
“His loss is a great loss for the country. His music was universal,” said Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
The singer’s body will be kept at the Mumbai hospital till Sunday before being flown to Guwahati for the last rites, a hospital official said quoting Hazarika’s family.
His body will be flown to Guwahati Monday and kept at Judges Field for two days for the public to pay homage, Gogoi said.
The Assam government has taken the responsibility to fly the body from Mumbai to Guwahati and organise the last rites, expected to take place in Guwahati Wednesday or Thursday.
Known for his haunting, resounding melodies like “Dil hoom hoom kare” and “Ganga behti ho kyon”, Hazarika was a Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner. His lyrics and voice lent a special flavour to several Bollywood songs and put the spotlight on music from Assam.
His death cast a pall of gloom over his millions of fans. Many in Assam were grief stricken as news of his death spread.
“The voice of India, especially the eastern region, has come to a halt. But his songs would continue to live with us for generations to come,” said Arunim Das, a Hazarika fan in Guwahati.
The film industry remembered the singer and many paid condolences through social networking sites. Said actor Akshay Kumar: “After Jagjit Singh, India has lost another musical wonder, RIP Bhupen Hazarika. The man who gave us ‘Dil Hoom Hoom Kare’ from Rudaali, truly our hearts recite this song with grief today.”
Jayanta Saha, media relations incharge of the Mumbai hospital, told IANS that after Hazarika developed pneumonia Oct 23, he underwent a minor surgery whereby doctors placed a food pipe into his system.
Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan in his condolence message described Hazarika as a “gift of Assam to the world”.
“Bhupen Hazarika at once brought to one’s mind the image of the beautiful state of Assam, its culture, its rustic life and the Brahmaputra river. With his demise, this voice of Brahamaputra has fallen silent,” Sankaranarayanan said.
“I join the millions of admirers of this great balladeer of India in paying my respects to his loving memory. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” he added.
