On his 96th birthday, Google expressed gratitude to Assamese playback vocalist Dr Bhupen Hazarika with a doodle. Hazarika, born on September 8, 1926, in Assam’s Tinsukia district and died at 85 in Mumbai, was a writer, composer, actor, reporter, novelist, and movie producer in addition to being an extraordinary vocalist.
Hazarika was also a significant socio-cultural revolutionary in northeast India, where works and songs are renowned for bringing individuals from various walks of life together. Google’s art, created by Mumbai-based guest vocalist Rutuja Mali, honours Hazarika’s efforts to promote Assamese movies and traditional music.
Key takeaways
- Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, born in Sadiya, Assam, in 1926, is a landmark in the intellectual Indian culture.
- He is frequently known as Sudhakantha, Sanskrit, for Nightingale.
- He is a multifaceted artist specialising as a writer, singer, performer, actor, reporter, author, and filmmaker.
- He has been rightfully acclaimed as the heir apparent of the world and culture of North-East India since he is the sole living founder of Assam’s movie business in the Northeast.
- He brought the Assamese and Northeast Indian traditional culture and music to Hindi film, where he was especially well-liked in Bengal and Bangladesh.
- He introduced the Assamese and Northeast Indian ethnic music and traditions to Hindi film, where he was good enough in Bengal and Bangladesh.
- He received a five-year nomination from the Hon.President of India to head the Natya Akademi in 1999.
- In contrast, he obtained numerous other honours, including the Padma Bhushan in 2011 and the Asom Ratna and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards in 2009.
- He got the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, posthumously in 2019.
Who was Bhupen Hazarika?
Bhupen Hazarika’s compositions, though he primarily composed and performed in Assamese, are characterised by humanity and global fraternity. They have been transcribed and performed in various languages, mainly Hindi and Bengali.
Bhupen Hazarika grew up listening to songs and folk stories about daily existence in the Brahmaputra. At the age of 10, he composed his first song.
Hazarika received his preliminary in arts in 1942 and his MA in 1946 from Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Soon after, he moved to New York, where he remained for five years until obtaining his dissertation (Ph.D.) in Mass Communication from Columbia University in 1952.
Early life
Google doodle on Sept 8, 2022, will honour Dr Bhupen Hazarika, an Indian playback vocalist who reached 96. He is an internationally recognised Indian-Assamese musician, composer, writer, artist, and filmmaker who has composed songs for numerous films.
The songs of Dr Bhupen Hazarika, who wrote, and sang them most often in Assamese, are marked by humanism and a sense of global fraternity. They have been done in other languages, with Bengali and Hindi receiving the most attention.
Dr Hazarika grew up in Assam, home to several indigenous tribes, including the Bodo, Karbi, Missing, and Sonowal-Kacharis, accompanied by melodies and oral traditions about life along the strong Brahmaputra River.
A six-decade career
When Hazarika returned to India while completing his studies, he continued to collaborate on songs and movies that successfully made Assamese music on a national and worldwide scale. Hazarika composed various works during her six-decade career. His lyrics told stories of joy and sorrow, togetherness and bravery, love and solitude, and even strife and determination.
He was also the president and chairman of several committees and organisations, including India’s National Film Development Corporation.
Hazarika is the producer of multiple prize films, including ‘Shakuntala Sur’ and ‘Pratidhwani.’ His directing achievements, notably ”Chik Mik Bijuli,’ Lati-Ghati,’ For Whom the Sun Shines,’ and ‘Mera Dharam Meri Maa’ gained extensive acclaim. His work as a music producer on movies such as ‘Arop,’ ‘Ek Pal,’ and ‘Rudaali’ was one of his important accomplishments in Bollywood films. He received the ‘Best Music Director National Award’ in 1993 for his performance on Rudaali, which features the famous song ‘Dil Hoom Hoom Kare.’
The Birthday Tribute
- On Thursday, Google commemorated Dr Bhupen Hazarika, a prominent Assamese playback singer, songwriter, composer, poet, performer, and filmmaker, with a commemorative “Doodle.”
- Fans have known him as Xudha Kontho, who has acted in hundreds of films throughout his six-decade career. Hazarika, who died in 2011, was also a member of the Assam assembly from 1967 to 1972.
- In the occasion-specific Google Doodle, the renowned singer is portrayed playing the harmonium. Rutuja Mali, a guest artist from Mumbai, made it.
- After completing his studies, he began singing at All India Radio in Guwahati. He also used to translate Bengali music into Bollywood and performed them while there.
Bhupen Hazarika is honoured in a Google Doodle
On Sept 8, the tech titan expressed gratitude to Dr Bhupen Hazarika, commemorating his 96th birth anniversary. Google celebrated the acclaimed musician with a Doodle featuring Bhupen Hazarika performing the harmonium. Mutuja Mali, a Mumbai-based artist, composed the artwork.
Songs by Bhupen Hazarika
Bhupen Hazarika composed countless songs over the years of his career, with a propensity for expressing people’s tales via songs—stories of delight and pain, solidarity and courage, love and sadness, and even struggle and perseverance.
Bhupen Hazarika’s songs had become the sound of many souls during the year as he sang songs in blockbuster film films like’ ‘Darmiyan,’ ” ‘Mil Gayi Mujhe Manzil,’ Saj, ‘Daman,” Rudali, ‘Gajgamini,’ and ‘Kyun.’
Achievements
For his tremendous contribution to musical culture, the great musician received numerous important accolades, including the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the Padma Shri, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and the Padma Bhushan. In 2019, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s prestigious award.