{"id":53383,"date":"2025-09-08T21:01:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T15:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=53383"},"modified":"2025-09-10T10:34:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T05:04:45","slug":"bhupen-hazarika-99th-birth-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/08-09-2025\/bhupen-hazarika-99th-birth-anniversary","title":{"rendered":"99th Birth Anniversary of Bhupen Hazarika"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: Miscellaneous<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, the Prime Minister of India penned a heartfelt tribute on the occasion of Bhupen Hazarika\u2019s 99th birth anniversary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Dr. Bhupen Hazarika<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Early Life and Education: <\/strong>Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, also known as the <strong>\u2018Bard of Brahmaputra\u2019<\/strong> and <strong>\u2018Sudhakantha\u2019<\/strong>(the Nightingale), was born on <strong>September 8, 1926<\/strong>, in <strong>Sadiya, Assam<\/strong>, to Nilakanta and Shantipriya Hazarika.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Later, his family later moved to Guwahati, Dhubri, and Tezpur, where he was introduced to the <strong>world of music and cinema.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By 1936, he had recorded<strong> his first song<\/strong> in Kolkata and sung for <strong>Agarwala\u2019s film Indramalati.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 1949, he secured a scholarship at Columbia University, completing his <strong>Ph.D. in 1952<\/strong> on audio-visual techniques in adult education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Multifaceted Career<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Teaching and Early Career: <\/strong>Hazarika briefly worked at <strong>All India Radio, Guwahati,<\/strong> and later as a <strong>lecturer at Gauhati University.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He composed the <strong>university\u2019s anthem Jilikaba Luitare Paar<\/strong> before moving to Kolkata to pursue music and cinema full-time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Music and Cultural Contributions: <\/strong>His music reflected <strong>nature, love, and fraternity<\/strong>, drawing richly from Assamese landscapes and tribal traditions.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Songs like <strong>Bistorno Parare (inspired by Robeson\u2019s Ol\u2019 Man River)<\/strong> and <strong>Xoixobore Dhemalite<\/strong> captured both local beauty and universal struggles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He composed in Assamese, Hindi, Bengali, and several other languages, spreading messages of unity and peace.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cinema: <\/strong>Notable Assamese films include Era Bator Sur (1956), Shakuntala (1960), and Siraj (1988).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>His influence reached Hindi and Bengali cinema with films such as Rudaali (1994) and Simana Periye (1978).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He created documentaries like Through Melody and Rhythm (1977) showcasing Northeast India\u2019s folk culture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Political and Social Engagement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He was elected to the<strong> Assam Legislative Assembly in 1967<\/strong> and served as <strong>President of the Assam Sahitya Sabha in 1993.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He worked to bridge diverse communities, promoting fraternity across Northeast India\u2019s many tribes and cultures, through Indian People\u2019s Theatre Association (IPTA).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Awards and Recognition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dr. Bhupen Hazarika received numerous national and international honors:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1992);<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Film Award (1975)<\/strong> for <em>Chameli Memsahab;<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Padma Shri (1977), Padma Bhushan (2001), Padma Vibhushan (2012, posthumous), Bharat Ratna (2019, posthumous);<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Muktijoddha Padak (2011, Bangladesh, posthumous).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He was honored with commemorative postal stamps and the naming of the <strong>Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Setu<\/strong>, India\u2019s longest river bridge.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Legacy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dr. Bhupen Hazarika <strong>passed away on November 5, 2011,<\/strong> in Mumbai. His life embodied the spirit of Assam and the Northeast, weaving music, poetry, and cinema into a unifying cultural force.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>His songs, sung across borders and generations, remain timeless testaments to humanity, fraternity, and the beauty of life.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bhupen Hazarika\u2019s journey epitomized the spirit of <strong><em>Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat<\/em><\/strong><strong>. <\/strong>Through his art, he gave Assam visibility on the national stage and shaped its modern cultural identity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/a-tribute-to-bhupen-da-his-life-teaches-us-the-power-of-empathy-of-listening-to-people-10236309\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: IE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Recently, the Prime Minister of India penned a heartfelt tribute on the occasion of Bhupen Hazarika\u2019s 99th birth anniversary.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Multifaceted Career<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Teaching and Early Career: Hazarika briefly worked at All India Radio, Guwahati, and later as a lecturer at Gauhati University.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">He composed the university\u2019s anthem Jilikaba Luitare Paar before moving to Kolkata to pursue music and cinema full-time.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Music and Cultural Contributions: His music reflected nature, love, and fraternity, drawing richly from Assamese landscapes and tribal traditions.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Songs like Bistorno Parare (inspired by Robeson\u2019s Ol\u2019 Man River) and Xoixobore Dhemalite captured both local beauty and universal struggles.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/08-09-2025\/bhupen-hazarika-99th-birth-anniversary\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":53448,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bhupen-hazarika-99th-birth-anniversary.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53383"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53434,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53383\/revisions\/53434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}