Bhupen Hazarika

(Brief life)

One of the most important cultural figures of north-east India, Bhupen Hazarika, who has died aged 85, used music, cinema and the written word to stitch political ideology and ancient traditions into the fabric of popular culture. His distinguished career as a film-maker, singer, lyricist and political activist spanned 70 years. He won many major awards in India and leaves an impressive body of work that includes more than 1,500 songs. The eldest of 10 children, Hazarika was born in the village of Sadiya, Assam. He said his musical talent came from his mother, Shantipriya: "Although listening to the rhythms of tribal music growing up developed my love for singing, I inherited my voice from my mother, who regularly sang lullabies to me as a child." His father, Nilakanta, a teacher, instilled in him from a young age the importance of education. By the time he was 10, Hazarika was writing songs and a year later gave his first performance on the hugely popular All India Radio. In 1939 the youngster became a star after delivering a song in the Assamese language film Indramalati. Instead of capitalising on his newfound fame, Hazarika was drawn towards India's struggle for independence. He surrounded himself with intellectuals including the Assamese poet and film-maker Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, who had directed Indramalati, and soon found the connection between education and freedom. "I would attend secret meetings with those who wanted a free India," he said. "Somewhere down the line, the revolutionary in me was born. My music and, later, my film scripts portrayed that ethnic anger I suffered from." Hazarika went to Tezpur high school and Cotton college in Guwahati in 1942, before studying at the Banaras Hindu University for a BA (1944) and MA (1946) in political science. Despite immersing himself in his studies, he carried on singing. "I remember once after a college music concert where I sang a song, one of the institute's patrons called me over and gave me a 50 rupee note," said Hazarika. "He said, whatever you do, never stop singing." After a brief stint working as a producer for All India Radio, Hazarika left for the US in 1949 to study for a PhD in mass communication at Columbia University, New York. He wanted to see other places on the way, so he sailed via France. "I had a strong desire to meet Picasso," he said. "An elderly guard informed me that if I managed to get up at 4am, I might catch Picasso taking a walk with his friends. I did what I was told and, to my surprise, I actually saw Picasso. I went up to him and said, sir, this is the best day of my life." In New York, he met and married Priyambada Patel; their son Tez was born in 1952. He was also befriended, and heavily influenced musically, by the singer Paul Robeson. Apart from soaking up American folk music, Hazarika joined Robeson on civil rights rallies. He returned to Assam and began teaching at Gauhati University in 1953. The next big turning-point came when Hazarika went to Mumbai to work in the Indian People's Theatre Association. He managed to arrange a meeting with India's biggest singing star Lata Mangeshkar. "I wanted her to sing a song for my first film as a director, Era Bator Sur [Song

from the Deserted Path] and she did it. The minute she sang for my film, distributors clamoured to buy my film." Hazarika put Assamese cinema on the map in the decades that followed that initial 1956 hit and in 1992 he was given India's highest film honour, the Dada Saheb Phalke award, for his immense contribution. He was named best composer in India in 1977 for his music for the Assamese film Chameli Memsaab. He was a prolific and popular songwriter; his songs connected with the masses because the lyrics often touched on important social issues or promised a bright future. He received the government awards Padmashree in 1977 and Padma Bhushan in 2001. Estranged from his first wife and son, Hazarika met Kalpana Lajmi in 1971. He helped her become a critically acclaimed film-maker and delivered songs for her movies, mostly notably the 1993 hit Rudaali (Weeping Woman), for which he won a best music award at the AsiaPacific film festival. He also composed for television, wrote books and made a name for himself as a poet. He refused to retire and earlier this year sang for the experimental Bollywood movie Gandhi to Hitler. Hazarika is survived by Lajmi and his son. Bhupen Hazarika, singer, songwriter, film-maker and political activist, born 8 September 1926; died 5 November 2011