Songs that created an emotional bridge between the tribes of Arunachal and the people of Assam

Itanagar, November 6, 2011

People pay homage in front of a statue of legendary singer Bhupen Hazarika in Guwahati on Saturday.

Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday mourned the demise of noted singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika, who was emotionally attached with the state in its cultural evolution, with Chief Minister Nabam Tuki describing him as a “great friend and guide”. […]

Arunachal Pradesh Literary Society (APLS) also expressed shock on the demise of Hazarika who had composed many songs reflecting the true natural beauty of the hill state. […]

Hazarika had produced, directed, and composed the music for the state’s first Hindi feature film in colour ‘Meri Maa Mera Dharam’ in 1977.

He also directed a colour documentary for the Arunachal Pradesh government on tribal folk songs and dances entitled ’For Whom The Sun Shines’ in 1974.

In 1977, the state government had awarded him a gold medal for his outstanding contribution towards tribal welfare, and uplift of tribal culture through cinema and music.

His songs like the ‘Siangor Galong’ (1961) and ‘Tirap Himantor’ (1966) created an emotional bridge between the tribes of Arunachal and the people of Assam.

Source: The Hindu : Arts / Music : Arunachal Pradesh mourns Hazarika’s death
Address : http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article2603749.ece?homepage=true
Date Visited: Sun Nov 06 2011 13:49:17 GMT+0100 (CET)

Born in 1926, in Sadiya, Assam, Hazarika studied in Guwahati and Banaras Hindu University before going on to receive a Ph.D in mass communications at Columbia University in New York in 1952. His thesis was on the use of cinema for mass education – he had himself sung for Jyotiprasada Agarwala’s 1939 film, Indramalati, as a child – and it was to the movies that he returned. Closely associated with the emergence and flowering of Assamese cinema as a singer, composer, producer and director, Hazarika also strived to encourage the arts throughout the North-east.

Read more in The Hindu, MUMBAI, November 5, 2011:
The unsung genius of Assam’s balladeer – Bhupen Hazarika (1926-2011) >>

 


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