Early life Bhupen Hazarika born on 8 September 1926 to Nilakanta and Shantipriya Hazarika in
Sadiya, an interior town of
Assam on the bank of river
Brahmaputra. His father was originally from
Nazira, a town located in
Sivasagar district. The eldest of ten children, Bhupen Hazarika (as well as his siblings) was exposed to the musical influence of his mother, who exposed him to lullabies and traditional
Music of Assam. His father moved to the
Bharalumukh region of
Guwahati in 1929, and in 1935 to
Tezpur.
Education and career Hazarika studied at Sonaram High School at Guwahati, Dhubri Government High School His song
Bistirno Parore which is based on the tune, imagery and theme of Robeson's ''
Ol' Man River. This song is translated in various Indian languages, including Bengali and Hindi and sung by the artist himself, and is still popular. Being inspired from some other foreign ones, he also composed several other songs in Indian languages. He was exposed to the Spiritual, and the 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, and he returned to India in 1953. His famous songs include (in
Assamese): •
Bistirno Parore (বিস্তীৰ্ণ পাৰৰে) •
Moi Eti Jajabor (মই এটি যাযাবৰ) •
Ganga Mor Maa (গংগা মোৰ মা) •
Bimurto Mur Nixati Jen (বিমূৰ্ত মোৰ নিশাটি যেন) •
Manuhe Manuhor Babey (মানুহে মানুহৰ বাবে) •
Snehe Aamar Xoto Shrabonor (স্নেহে আমাৰ শত শ্ৰাৱণৰ) •
Gupute Gupute Kimaan Khelim (গুপুতে গুপুতে কিমান খেলিম) •
Buku Hom Hom Kore (বুকু হম্ হম্ কৰে) • Sagar sangamat (সাগৰ সংগমত) • Shillongore Godhuli (শ্বিলঙৰে গধূলি)
IPTA years Hazarika began close association with the leftist
Indian People's Theatre Association soon after returning from the US in 1953 In 1967, Hazarika got elected as a member of Assam Assembly from
Naoboicha constituency. ;Social Struggle From early in his life, he was at the forefront of a social battle against the entrenched forces of casteism that sneered at a member of the
Kaibarta community making it as a musician of note and kept him away from the upper-caste
Brahmin woman he had loved. Eventually, when the spirited Hazarika did marry, it was to a Brahmin woman, his revenge of sorts against a
caste-ridden society.
Later life He was introduced to
Kalpana Lajmi in the early 1970s by his childhood friend and India's top tea planter
Hemendra Prasad Barooah in Kolkata. Her first feature film
Ek Pal with music score by Hazarika was produced by Barooah. Subsequently, Lajmi began assisting him professionally and personally till the end of his life. In the period after the release of
Ek Pal (1986) until his death, Bhupen Hazarika mainly concentrated on Hindi films, most of which were directed by Kalpana Lajmi.
Ek Pal (1986),
Rudaali (1993) and
Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence (2001) are major films of this period. Many of his earlier songs were re-written in Hindi and 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. He served as an
MLA (Independent) during 1967–72 in the
Assam Legislative Assembly from
Naoboicha Constituency. He contested as a
Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in the
2004 Lok Sabha elections from the
Guwahati constituency, persuaded by
Chandan Mitra via
Kalpana Lajmi which he lost to the
Indian National Congress candidate
Kirip Chaliha.
Death Hazarika was hospitalized in the
intensive care unit of Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in
Mumbai on 30 June 2011. He remained there for the rest of his life, and died of multi-organ failure on 5 November 2011. His body lay in state at Judges Field 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. ==Legacy and influences==