Who was Bhupen Hazarika?

Google paid a tribute today to the Indian singer and composer Bhupen Hazarika on his 96th birth anniversary. The Google Doodle features Bhupen Hazarika playing the harmonium and it has been illustrated by Mumbai-based artist Rutuja Mali. 

Who was Bhupen Hazarika?

Bhupen Hazarika was born in 1926 and he spent his childhood in Sadiya, Upper Assam. He was the eldest of ten children and as a child he was inspired by the traditional music of Assam and songs and folktales about life along the Brahmaputra River.

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In 1936,  Hazarika moved to Tezpur along with his family and there he met renowned Assamese lyricist Jyotiprasad Agarwala and filmmaker Bishnu Prasad Rabha who were highly impressed by his musical talent and gave him a chance to record his first song at the age of 10.  

He completed his matriculation in 1940 and then graduated from Banaras Hindu University in 1946 with a master’s in political science. He then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Mass Communications from Columbia University in 1952.

Over the years, Bhupen Hazarika created numerous compositions and some of his famous songs include Bistirno Parore, Moi Eti Jajabor, Ganga Mor Maa, Bimurto Mur Nixati Jen, and Manche Manuhor Babey. 

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Apart from being a singer and a composer, he has also served as the chairman and director of the Indian government’s National Film Development Corporation. He also worked at the All India Radio station in Guwahati for a brief period. 

He served as an MLA from 1967 to 1972 in the Assam Legislative Assembly from Nowboicha Constituency. He also contested as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from the Guwahati constituency. 

In his musical career of 60 years, Bhupen Hazarika received numerous awards and recognitions including the National Award (1975), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987), Padma Shri (1977), Dada Saheb Phalke (1992), Padma Bhushan (2001). He was honored with the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna posthumously in 2019. 

Bhupen Hazarika died from multi-organ failure on November 5, 2011.