It was early seventies, and a Hindi was being played at the radio, "naino mein darpan hain…" from the film Aarop. Although I could not follow the complete lyric of the song, the tune was very familiar. And why not, it is the same tune in which Dr Bhupen Hazarika has sung "Tomar uxah kohua komal…" I was in school at that time, and my Dad was posted at the far-flung area called Tirap – some kilometers farther from Margherita. At Tirap we have not had any auditorium, the place was mainly inhabited by people of Nepali community, a sizeable numbers of Buddhist people and the Army base there. And we could not see Aarop then. I saw the song much later on TV.
The other day a colleague of mine asked, "Is there any romantic song by Dr Hazarika?" to which I replied that Dr Dilip Dutta has long time ago written a book on Dr Bhupen Hazarika where he categorized songs of Bhupen Hazarika and there one can find songs of all genres composed and sung by Bhupen Hazarika. (I am feeling at odd to mention his name as Bhupen Hazarika hence hereafter I will address him the way million others address him irrespective of their ages - 'BhupenDa'.)
I had the good fortune to meet BhupenDa a couple of times – although all were chance meetings. The first time I met him was at a wedding in Guwahati. He too was there, but he decided to sit with my ex-editor whom I accompanied to the wedding. I met him a couple of times during the Children's Film Festival held in Guwahati. Jaya Bachchan, lyricist-poet Gulzar too was there. Rudali was being premiered at Guwahati. I received a handwritten invitation from BhupenDa. Not that he knew me personally, but because at that time I used to write a regular column in an Assamese daily on film & theatre and all the invitations were issued by BhupenDa himself. We were there at little early, more to meet who's and who. BhupenDa greeted us as "My daughter is being married today. Thanks that you people had come."
A couple of years later he was performing at India Habitat Centre, Delhi. A classical signer was also to perform after BhupenDa. I was in the last row. Former Prime Minister Mr I.K. Gujral was also there in the audience. I still do remember, while singing his famous song "Ganga behti ho kyon…" at one point of time he got very agitated. He is like that only. Be it the Burha Luit (Brahmaputra) or Ganga – he always gets agitated asking again and again the same question, "Why are so silent?" The next day The Sentinel of Guwahati carried my article with the headline "Bhupen mesmerizes Delhi". When I phoned BhupenDa at the India Habitat Centre, he thanked me for the write-up and asked, "The other day most the people left just after I finished, huh?" I said, "Yes BhupenDa. They were there mainly for you." "But that is not right. The other singer is also equally talented, and people should respect that."
BhupenDa has sung songs of all kinds. If agnijugor finingoti moi… is a revolutionary song, tuamr henu naam patralekha… is a romantic song, and manuhe manuhor babe… is a song for mankind. He is a balladeer. Yesterday only while reading an article of my journalist friend Kishalay Bhattacharjee I learnt that BhupenDa was also a war correspondent. And today, another friend Gayatri, told me that it is during his days as war correspondent that he saw some 57-dead bodies of Indian soldiers at Tawang, and after coming down to Guwahati he sang that song that still sends goosebumps to me, koto jowanor mrityu hol, kar jeewon jaubon gol, hei mrityu oporajeyo, tene mritok noholu moi kiyo… at All India Radio without any rehearsal.
BhupenDa was a humanist. He was (I don't know if the word 'was' is appropriate since musically he will always be there!) a poet, a lyricist, a composer, what not! He had a special capacity to captivate the audience. He always used to talk to the audience.
Every individual, not only in Assam but in Bengal too, has something or the other to say about BhupenDa. Each of them does not need to know BhupenDa personally, but they are all influenced by him by one way or the other. I do remember, when I was in Class Four and we were staying at Lahowal Block, Mama used to say, "If BhupenDa makes a round of our block, by the time he finishes his round – he will be ready with a song." He had that capacity. The koto jowanor mirtyu hol… is an example to that.
As Gulzar Saheb has said, "To understand Bhupen Hazarika's music one has to listen to his original Assamese songs." I can never get tires of listening to his songs. Almost everyday, during lunch time, I play his music at my workstation. Sometime I listen the same song in Assamese, Bengali and in Hindi too.
BhupenDa fought for humanism. His songs, Dola he dola…, Manuhe manuhor babe, aamai ekjon saada manush dao jar rokto saada… are all for humanism. And who can forget his famous Bengali rendition Sarat babu, khula chithi dilam tumar kaase…With BhupenDa gone, I don't think a great musician, a great composer has gone. Because I don't know who will now sing a song like 'we are in the same boat brother'! He left us orphaned.
