Bishnu Prasad Rabha was born on January 31 1909 in Dhaka and he is considered one of the forefathers of Assamese art and music. He is popularly known as Kala Guru by assamese people. He was a versatile artist and revolutionary singer, who sometimes is considered the revolutionary artist of Assam. His music is now known as ‘Bishnu Rabha Sangeet.
Bishnu Prasad Rabha took an active role in the battle for independence from an early age. He was under the influence of left wing ideas and then developed close contact with the communist party of India. He spent his life not just fighting for independence. His concept of independence is not only independence from British rule. It skillfully involved independence from capitalism, independence from wage-slavery, independence from poverty, and independence from all social evils. As he expressed himself “I have been fighting to get rid of the realm of necessity, and to attain the realm of freedom.” He is known not only as an illuminating man of arts but also as a revolutionary socio-politician.
He donated an entire ancestral estate of 2500 bigha land given to him by the British government to the peasantry. He was also active at home, as his wife Kanaklata died of illness without adequate treatment because there wasn’t enough money to afford it. Yet a firm Rabha didn’t compromise. His slogan was “Haal Jaar Maati Taar”, meaning “he who cultivates has rights to the land”. The university of Tezpur exists on land it acquired from him.
In 1951, after Jyoti Prasad Agarwala’s death, he assumed the presidency of the Assam chapter of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). However, his political struggle toward oppression in Assam was never motivated by the desire for individual power. Those who cared for power in Assam delegated power to the masses. In his political life, Bishnu Rabha was also engaged in parliamentary politics, having been elected an M.L.A for one term in 1969 from Tezpur.
He was closely connected with the theatre movement in Assam. There were several performances at the Ban Theatre in Tezpur, which is explicitly linked with Bishnu Rabha. The theatre (Ban Stage) where numerous plays by Bishnu Rabha staged is designed by noted architect, Mr. Upendra Kr. Baruah. He was a notable actor both in the stage as well as in the celluloid. He was also reputed as a film director, music composer (Siraj), and actor (Era Bator Sur). He was an actor nonpareil. In celluloid, Bishnu Prasad Rabha was memorable in the role of Syem in Bhupen Hazarika’s ‘Pratidhwani’. However, he never used this talent for commercial purpose. Despite maintaining very good relations with the art scene of Kolkata and Bombay, he never left Assam for commercial success in acting. He also assisted in the making of the first Assamese film Jaymati, by Jyoti Prasad Agarwala. He was also a acknowledged film director.
Bishnu Prasad was a multi-faceted genius. His dancing performances captivated the audience. He was conferred the title Kalaguru by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan at Varanashi after the performance of the Tandava dance there. He was the personification of the Nataraja and the legacy of Assam. So, the concept of Nataraja is one of the contributions of Assam to Indian civilization. There has not been a better dancer of the Tandava dance than Bishnu Prasad till now. Even Uday Shankar was struck by his performance and wanted to learn it from him. The concept of Tandava was as if in-built into Bishnu Prasad. He wanted to destroy every negative thing in the society which is the message of the Tandava dance. Bishnu Rabha was also recognized for his music, and acting in films like Siraj and Era Bator Sur. He is still recognized for his evergreen songs like ‘Xurore Deulore’ or ‘Bilote Halise’. He was also a serious academician. In fact, he was the first anthropologist of Assam. His Bano-Kobang is a lovely anthropological filed study. The observations and the collected materials in it are still an invaluable source of information about the numerous ethnic groups in the state. Some of his other works include Mising Coneng, Sonpahi, Axomiya Kristir Samuh Abhash, and Atit Asom.
Apart from being a well-known poet, dramatist, musician, dancer and actor from Assam, Bishnuprasad Rabha owns great pride in fact in being an eminent fighter of Assam too. Sonpahi, Asomiya Krishtir Somu Aabhas, Mishing Koneng, etc are some of his literary works displaying his extreme talent and calibre.
Bishnu Rabha passed away in 1969. He laid his life for Assam, for it’s people. His contributions to the whole Assamese society will be remembered forever. 20th June of every year is celebrated as ‘Bishnu Rabha Divash’ in Assam commemorate this great personality of Assam.
Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha Bota : There is an award given in his honour for achievements in the cultural/music world of Assam by the state government.
The Bishnu Rabha Smriti Udyan has been set up as a memorial park in his honour. It is located on the banks of the Brahmaputra near Tezpur in a plot adjacent to the Bhairabi temple. The park is a result of the hard work of his middle son Mr. Hemraj Rabha who took the initiative to pay tribute to his father and started the construction
