Dr
Bhupen Hazarika – Poet in Melodies
When
I went my home in Puja, I purchased 2 CDs of vintage evergreen collections of
the maestro. In late night when everything falls quite, I used to listen some
of these old songs which immediately transported me to my childhood days when
these songs used to waft down from a distance from the Puja Pandals during
Durgapuja. Not only listening “Manush Manusher Jonoye (Manuho Manuher Bare)”,
“Aj Jibon Khuje Pabi” or “Dola” is a pleasure on its own – but it rekindles the
long-lost childhood days of innocence and a pain in one corner of the heart for
something that will never come back.
But
the song I liked best amongst his eternal numbers was an underdog “dug dug dug
domboroo, meghe bajaye dambaroo”. Not only the melody, the haunting interludes
in guitar, but the entire lyrics of the song immediately paints a picture in
the canvas of a dark stormy night in rural Assam with lightning and thunder in
sky (a pair of beautiful piece of lyrics in between compared the silvery fishes
in the ponds seems to reflect or hold the flashes of bright lightnings – I have
rarely came across such poetic allegory in modern Bengali songs – never
nowadays, rarely earlier as well). And with its poetic lyrics the song actually
passes on a strong protest and statement against petty casteism of Indian
society which prevents relationship between upper and lower cast boys and
girls. Its portrayal of a lover couple fleeing fearlessly in the deep darkness
through the village of Assam in a stormy night (with fireflies providing them
light, the stormy nights providing them the auspicious “mantra” of marriage and
such allegories), solely on the basis of the strength of their love and
trampling away the decaying narrow-minded social structure and all other
barriers that come on their way, I believe it was his one of the gem, one of
the best.
And
no one remembers today Late Mr Shibdas Mukhopadhaya – it was this wonderfully
gifted lyricist, who translated all of his gems from Assamese to Bengali
without compromising on the quality and nuances of the original lyrics. This
gifted lyricist was an inseparable gem sharing the glory of the maestro’s
creation. With his masterful lyrics, the night of Assam came alive in this
song.
My
memory of 12 years in stay in Assam with extensive travelling (sometimes in the
dead of night and often in stormy nights) from Siliguri to Guwahati by road,
from Guwahati to Pobitora / Mayong / Tezpur and onwards towards both sides
Balipara to Arunachal, to Numaligarh, Dibrugarh, Sualkuchi, Hajo, Goalpara,
Dhubri, Darrang, Mangaldoi etc and the close social interaction that me and my
family (my wife belongs to N-E) keeps on hauntingly coming back as I read Dr
Bhupen Hazarika’s obituary and listen his numbers. Deep down at one corner of
my mind there is an agony of eternal loss, losing the maestro and with him,
losing the pristine picture of Assam that was. May be one day even if I ever go
back to Assam, will it be the same green pristine emerald of a state – or will
it be transformed into a monolith of concrete by then?? Guwahati is already
being converted into a Mall-City. Already Assaemse-Rock Videos and Albums were
the only sustainable means for many Assamese artists when I left Guwahati this
year. Assamese movies are not having markets. The modern ambassador of Assamese
culture is Zubin Garg (Ya Ali famed). Is the rich culture of Assam is also
going the Bengali way??
Leave
it – for the time being, let the memory of the eternal number prevail. I only
wish more would have contributed to your topic.
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