Bhupen Hazarika

Bhupen Hazarika (right) at the 1972 Berlin Festival of Political Songs (left: Hartmut König )

Bhupen Hazarika ( Assamese : ভূপেন হাজৰিকা , Bhūpen Hājarikā ; born September 8, 1926 in Sadiya , Assam ; † November 5, 2011 in Mumbai , Maharashtra ) was an Indian poet , composer , singer , actor , film director and journalistic author .

In addition to Assamese, he mainly worked in the languages Bengali and Hindi . He was one of the pioneers of Assamese film and was considered one of the most important cultural workers in the Indian Northeast .

Life

Bhupen Hazarika made his first film appearance as a child actor in Jyotiprasad Agarwalas Indramalati (1939). After graduating from Banaras Hindu University in 1946, he founded the first provincial committee of the Indian People's Theater Association (IPTA) in Assam with Agarwala, Bishnu Rabha and Phani Sarma . With the song Mahatmer Mahaprayam he published his first vocal recording in 1948. He began working for Assamese film as a songwriter and actor for Rabha and Sarma's film Siraj (1948). He then went to the USA for postgraduate studies, where he was inspired by the singer Paul Robeson . In 1952 Hazarika graduated there with a doctorate from Columbia University with a thesis on the role of mass communication in Indian adult education. After returning to India, Hazarika taught at Gauhati University until 1955 . Since then he has worked exclusively in the film and music industry.

Hazarika's directorial debut Era Bator Sur (1955) is about the love between a scientist and a young flute player for the same woman. The film builds heavily on the cultural traditions of the workers in Assam's tea plantations and their folk music. With this film Hazarika pursued his goal of establishing the Assamese film within the Indian film industry by getting both the actor Balraj Sahni and the singer Lata Mangeshkar to participate. His films are known for their popular music and the use of renowned singers; Khagen sang Mahanta in Shakuntala (1961), Talat Mahmood in Pratidhwandi (1964) and Asha Bhosle , Kishore Kumar and Mukesh in Chik Mik Bijuli (1969) . Hazarika's own musical commitment beyond film music was aimed at preserving the cultural identity of his home region. He sought the performance of folk and religious music and toured in 1960 with the group of Hemango Biswas through political uprising areas of Assam . In the role of a cultural ambassador for his country, he participated as a delegate at conferences on music, performing arts and film in all parts of the world. In 1972 and 1973 he performed at the Festival of Political Songs in the GDR, where he performed his songs for the liberation of Bangladesh .

Bhupen Hazarika in later years

In 1976 Hazarika Mera shot Dharam Meri Maa in Hindi - the first color film production in the newly founded state of Arunachal Pradesh . From 1982 his life partner and former assistant Kalpana Lajmi Hazarika's career management and involved him in her television and film productions, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s. On behalf of the Ministry of Information in Delhi, he produced the 18-part documentary Glimpses of the Misty East in 1997 about the development of the Indian Northeast in 50 years of state independence. Hazarika had previously appeared several times with documentaries about musical and other cultural traditions of the region.

Tribute to the laid out Bhupen Hazarika (Nov. 2011)

Bhupen Hazarika wrote columns for the magazine "Amar Pratinidhi" (1963-80) and from 1964 to 1967 published the art magazine "Gati". He has published several volumes of essays, short stories and collections of his songs. In 1993 he was President of the Assamese Writers' Assembly .

As an independent candidate, Hazarika was a member of the regional parliament in Assam for the constituency of Naobricha from 1967 to 1972 . In the all-Indian election in 2004 , he ran in the Assamese constituency 7-Gauhati for the BJP , but was not elected.

Awards (selection)

Bhupen Hazarika has received numerous awards from the Indian central and regional governments for his musical, cinematic and other cultural contributions.

• 1976: National Film Award as best composer for Abdul Majids Chameli Memsaab
• 1977: Padma Shri
• 1987: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to Indian folk music
• 1993: Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his life's work in Indian film
• 2001: Padma Bhushan
• 2008: Appointment as a Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademi
• 2012: Padma Vibhushan (posthumous)
• 2019: Bharat Ratna (posthumous)

Filmography (selection)

composer

• 1955: Pioli Phukan
• 1955: Era Bator Sur
• 1956: Asamapta
• 1957: Dhumuha
• 1957: Kari-o-Komal
• 1957: Jiban Trishna
• 1958: Jonakir Alo
• 1959: Mahut Bandhu Re
• 1959: Kecha Sone
• 1959: Puwati Nishar Sapon
• 1960: Dui Bechara
• 1961: Shakuntala
• 1963: Maniram Dewan
• 1964: Pratidhwandi
• 1964: Ka Swarati
• 1966: Lati Ghati
• 1969: Chik Mik Bijuli
• 1971: Ekhane Pinjar
• 1974: Aarop
• 1974: Bristi
• 1974: For Whom the Sun Shines (documentary)
• 1975: Chameli Memsaab
• 1975: Khoj
• 1976: Dampati
• 1976: Mera Dharam Meri Maa
• 1976: Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Aru Joymati
• 1976: Palasor Rong
• 1977: Banahansa
• 1977: Through Melody and Rhythm (documentary)
• 1978: Banjoi
• 1979: Mon Prajapati
• 1979: Chameli Memsahib
• 1979: Chhat Maiya Ki Mahima
• 1980: Akan
• 1981: Nagpash
• 1982: Aparoopa
• 1982: Apeksha
• 1985: Angikar
• 1986: Sankalpa
• 1986: Ek Pal
• 1986: Swikarokti (short film)
• 1988: Siraj
• 1988: Lohit Kinare (TV series)
• 1992: Rudaali
• 1993: Pratimurti
• 1994: Sopan
• 1994: Gajamukta
• 1994: Papeeha
• 1995: Boumoni
• 1996: Mil Gayee Manzil Mujhe
• 1997: Saaz
• 1997: Do Rahain
• 1997: Darmiyan
• 2000: Gaja Gamini
• 2001: Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence
• 2003: Kyon?

Director

• 1955: Era Bator Sur
• 1958: Mahut Bandhu Re
• 1961: Shakuntala
• 1964: Pratidhwani
• 1964: Ka Swariti
• 1966: Lati Ghati
• 1969: Chik Mik Bijuli
• 1974: For Whom the Sun Shines (documentary)
• 1976: Mera Dharam Meri Maa
• 1976: Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Aru Joymati
• 1977: Through Melody and Rhythm (documentary)
• 1979: Mon Prajapati
• 1986: Swikarokti (short film)
• 1988: Siraj

Singer

• 1939: Indramalati
• 1948: Siraj
• 1948: Sati Behula
• 1955: Pioli Phukan
• 1956: Era Bator Sur
• 1961: Shakuntala
• 1973: Titash Ekti Nadir Naam
• 1979: Debdas
• 1986: Ek Pal
• 1988: Siraj
• 1992: Rudaali
• 1997: Darmiyan
• 2000: Gaja Gamini
• 2001: Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence
• 2006: Chingaari

literature

• Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Paul Willemen: Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema , pp. 105 f.

Web links

Commons : Bhupen Hazarika  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Bhupen Hazarika in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Filmography at citwf.com
• http://www.bhupenhazarika.com
• The song of Bhupen Hazarika's life in The Times of India from October 19, 2002

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Acclaimed singer Bhupen Hazarika dies at 85
2. ^ Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Paul Willemen: Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema , p. 105
3. ^ Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Paul Willemen: Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema , p. 340
4. ↑ Festival participants 1970-1990. musikundpolitik.d, accessed on February 22, 2019 (English). 
5. ↑ I don't need 'wife' tag to prove my love for Bhupen: Kalpana. February 20, 2009, archived from the original on June 10, 2011 ; accessed on February 22, 2019 (English). 
6. ↑ http://asamsahityasabha.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=67  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ^ Assam Legislative Assembly - MLA 1967-72. Legislative Assembly of Assam, accessed on February 22, 2019 . 
8. ^ Election Results - Full Statistical Reports. Indian Election Commission, accessed on December 22, 2018 (English, election results of all Indian elections to the Lok Sabha and the parliaments of the states since independence). 
9. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated February 16, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
10. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from October 29, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.