Bhupen Hazarika has made an unprecedented contribution to the world of Indian music with his songs. Bhupen Hazarika is known not only as a lyricist, musician, but also as a poet, film producer and writer of his native language Assamese. Bhupen Hazarika illuminated many serious issues of society through his films and music. He used to compose music and sing with his own hands. That is why Bhupen Hazarika is considered the magician of pen and voice. Bhupen ji has also sung Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite bhajan “Vaishnav Jan”.
| Short Bio | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Bhupen Hazarika |
| Famous Name | Xudha Kontho |
| Date of Birth | 8 September 1926 |
| Birth Place | Tinsukia, Assam |
| Name of Father | Neelkant Hazarika |
| Name of Mother | Shantipriya Hazarika |
| Name of wife | Priyamvada Patel |
| Age | 85 years old |
| Occupation | Musician, Poet, Writer, Singer |
| Death | 5 November 2011 |
| Place of Death | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Siblings | A brother |
| Children | One |
| Awards | Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Shri, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Bhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Asom Ratna, Friends of Liberation War Honor |
Early life and Birth of Bhupen Hazarika
Bhupen Hazarika was born on 8 September 1926 in Sadiya, Tinsukia district of Assam. His father’s name was Neelkant and mother’s name was Shantipriya. He was a music lover since childhood. Music was settled in his heart. His love for music was due to his mother, who taught him traditional Assamese music in the form of Heritage. At the age of 12, he also worked for the second Assamese film Indramalati.
Wedding of Bhupen Hazarika
Bhupen Hazarika completed his early education from Guwahati. After this, he completed his graduation in Political Science from Banaras Hindu University. In 1949, he was sent to study at Columbia University on a scholarship. Where he met Priyamvada Patel. After which both of them got married in 1950. But due to his financial constraints, he could not stay with his family for long. After that he decided to dedicate his life to the world of music.
Career journey of Bhupen Hazarika
While studying at Columbia University, he read and learned about films. It was here that he met filmmakers Robert Staines and Robert Joseph Flaherty. Later Bhupen Hazarika also got a fellowship from the University of Chicago and continued to study folk music. Bhupen Hazarika was jailed for seven days for learning to sing with American Negro singer Paul Robson. Actually, Paul Robson was an activist fighting for the rights of blacks. Such was the influence of this man on Bhupen that he composed ‘Manuhe Manuhar Babe’ on his song ‘Old River Man’ in 1964, offering the Brahmaputra River.
Journey as a singer, Writer, Poet and Actor
The proletariat is the main character in the creation of both, which was the dominant ideology of that time. Apart from his native language Assamese, Bhupen Hazarika gained popularity by singing in many other Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali. Bhupen Hazarika has written about a thousand songs and 15 books in his life. Bhupen Hazarika’s literary form brings a different sweetness to his music. His journey in Hindi films started in 1974. Bhupen Hazarika breathed his last on 5 November 2011.
Awards and Honours
Bhupen Hazarika has also been awarded many awards.
- Bhupen Hazarika was awarded the National Award for Best Regional Film in 1975.
- In 1992, he was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Samman, the highest award in the world of cinema.
- He was awarded the Asom Ratna in 2009 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the same year.
- In 2011, Padma Bhushan was honored with this prestigious award.
- In 2011, the Government of Bangladesh honored him with the Mukti Yoddha Award.
- In 2019, he was posthumously announced as the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest honor.
Hit song of Bhupen Hazarika
This song is sung by Bhupen Hazarika and Lata Mangeshkar in the 1993 film Rudali. The song is by Gulzar. Music has also been given by Bhupen Hazarika.
Dil hun hun kare ghabraye..
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