Bhupen Hazarika: Some random thoughts

Arguably the week in which Bhupen Hazarika( I do not like the tag Dr. before his name)died is the most momentous week in the cultural history of Assam so far. Probably more has been written and talked about him during this week than in the last twenty years.

Most of them are sheer personal reminiscences of some close associates of the great singer and the composer. Insignificant details like what he ate or drank at certain places and so on dominate their musings about the legendary person . These are bound to be heading for oblivion after sometime. We do not know the names of all the soldiers in the battle of Waterloo; neither are they important for us.

But tragically there have been no serious objective evaluation of his works( I am talking of the week only) which is,I feel more important for us and the posterity.

Bhupen Hazarika occupies a unique place in our mind, at least in those who are above forty.But the young generations , specially after the advent of the news channels , tend to remember him as an old and fragile man who sang for Star Cement advertisement.His baritone voice, his lyrics and the perfect blend of harmony with which he cast his musical magic spell upon the sea of humanity who came to see him up close has become a thing of the past.

This is the time to ask ourselves: Why is he great? Why is he one and only?

I am sure many will write about it in the days ahead.

For me Bhupen Hazarika stands out on many counts. some of them, I believe are as follow:

Bhupen Hazarika is the only singer among his contemporaries who could proclaim with unshaken conviction that he is a singer. Listen to his songs:A) Mur gitor hezar shruta tumak namaskar,B)Mur gaan houk bahu ashtha hinotar biporite ek gabhir asthar gaan,C)Samuhor babe git gai gai tumak pahori golu....in all these songs he projects himself as a singer which is not found in any other singers in Assam(and maybe in India). This conviction to claim oneself as a singer and composer is not born overnight. It is a reflection of his deep and years of engagement with music.

There is not a single community or ethnic group that has not found a place in his songs.Be it a tea garden girl(Laxmi nahoi mure naam Chameli) or a Nepali milk man.

His composition embraces all the genres of Assamese music. From Kamrupi lokgit to zikir to Kawali(Samma thakile zaroor zaroor parwana bhi thakibo)to Bihu(Tuk dekhi mur gaa zin zin zaan zaan pir pir paar paar...). In that case his counterpart in literature will surely be Rabindranath Tagore.

Jyotiprasad told about Viswa Nagarik- a global citizen. We are debating Globalization now and many among us who oppose Globalization have taken the maximum benefits from Globalization itself. For them Globalization is synonymous with economics and KFC/MacDonald. But Globalization can have other facets too.Like Globalization of ideas or culture.Listen to his Moi eti zazabor(Aami ek Zazabor in Bangla)and see how wide his vision is. After Jyotiprasad , he is the only one who could transcend the barrier of domesticity and proclaim that he is or he aspires to be a global citizen.

I have listened to many Assamese songs on nature. From Jyotiprasad's Gose gose pati dile phulore sarai to Bishnu Rabha's Bilote halise dhunia podume to Dr.Nirmolprapha Bordoloi's phulore ei melate( Superably alive in Pulak Bannerjee's voice). But these songs are composed from the perspective of viewer only. Nature is just a spectacle. But listen to Bhupen Hazarika's o mur dharitri aai charanote diba thai...here he shows the best relationship between man and nature or in other words between human and non-human world. This is unique. The song was written before our big fuss over deforestation , big dam and peasants'movement. That way he anticipated the future.

A remarkable quality of Bhupen Hazarika was his restraint with which he dealt with the most sensuous. Recall his song dehor randhe randhe tulile sihoron tumar uthor porose.... and see the restraint. Today's singer would have gone into an orgy in such a situation.

Every great singer(or writer) leaves behind a tradition. Had Bhupen Hazarika not listened to Paul Robson's Old man river, he probably could not have composed his timeless song Bistirna parorore...( Unfortunately a TV journalist of the state accuses him of musical plagiarism on this ground. It shows his quality of thought!).

But Bhupen hazarika , so far , has failed to create a tradition. The young generation singers tend to model themselves after some one else rather than this great maestro.

I shall be happy if some one comes soon to sing along his tradition. I shall be happier if it happens in my lifetime.

Bhupen Hazarika , we will miss you.