Bhupen Hazarika was a multi-faceted artist with far-reaching impacts on Assamese music, cinema, and literature. Through his music, he popularized the ideals of unity, communal harmony, and universal brotherhood and helped develop Assam’s culture and folk music in the national forum. He worked as a music director in Hindi and Bengali cinema; and was an influential author and journalist.
Significant Contributions:
• Music and Cinema
He was a lyricist, composer, music director, and film director, and contributed to the work of Assamese and Hindi cinema. He was the direction and the producer of “Era Bator Sur,” “Shakuntala,” and “Pratidhwani.” He was the music composer in Hindi films like Rudali, Daman, and Ek Pal, for which he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Music Director.
• Literature, Journalism, and Writer
He was a reputed poet, writer, journalist, and editor which benefitted Assames literature. Furthermore, he was elected president of the Asam Sahitya Sabha, the collective of Assamese long writers.
• Social and Cultural Activist
His songs also questioned the conditions of social justice, the coexistence between communities, and the marginal communities of Assam. He ventured social abstractions into his lyrics of unity among peoples, communities, and region, especially in the context of Assam.
• Preserving, Promoting, and Performing Assamese culture
He was an important actor to introduce to national audiences, cultural traditions and folk music of Assam, as he was the important conduit to present the folk songs and dances of northeastern India to an international audience through documentaries and with his own music.
Awards and Recognition:
Dr. Bhupen Hazarika received numerous awards and honors, including the Padma Shri (1977), Padma Bhushan (2001), Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1992), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987), and the Bharat Ratna (posthumously in 2019).
