On this day (15/10/77) 29 years ago, Jayanta Hazarika suddenly left us all in tears and left for the Heavenly Abode. Devastated as we were then, today we remember his scintillating personality with great fondness and a sense of loss. Time has proved over and over again that the void left by the sudden premature demise of Jayanta Hazarika (Rana) at the age of 34 on 15 October, 1977, can never be filled. The memories of his face with childlike innocence and the heart, big enough to shower love on everybody, still fill me up when I think of him. Leaving his young wife Manisha and his son – Mayukh at a very early age, he created a big void in his family as well.
With the passing of years – that mellifluous voice and his absence are being felt more and more, particularly, in the context of the present musical scenario in Assam, and we are all left in utter regret imagining the height his achievements could have reached had divine providence let him complete his normal quota of years.
How I remember Rana:
The name Jayanta Hazarika, ‘Pragati Silpi Sangha’, ‘New Art Players’, ‘Kristi Bikash Sangha’ are a sweet memory for all the music lovers of Guwahati like myself. Known as Rana Bhaiti in the family circle, in my mind, he is still the 34 year old the handsome, fair complexioned, young legend and the music icon of yester years. Bhupen da’s moromor Rana Bhaiti.
I remember Rana, with his disarming smile and charming manner. In those days Uzan Bazar and Panbazar were the heart of cultural activities in Guwahati. In 1959, the Diamond Jubilee of Panbazar Girls High School was celebrated with a week long program in the month of May or June (I do not remember the exact month).
Rose Hazarika and Ruby Hazarika were also students of Panbazar Girls High School; so they asked their brother Rana to organize the musical programme for the Diamond Jubilee. We were all excited and practiced every afternoon at 3:00pm for the main chorus with Rana playing the harmonium. I still remember a few lines we rehearsed:
Ro-od jilmil akaxhoti, Daworore dhemalite,
Amar monor nijanoti, Xopone jai umoli,
Ro-od jilmil, Ro-od jilmil, Ro-od jilmil.
Rose Baideu, Ruby, Anjali Baideu (Anjali Medhi), Monti Baideu (Mridula Das), Ramen Choudhury, Dost, Ara Baideu, Niva Choudhury, Pretishree Barkataki—all took part. During the rehearsal period, I remember one day he was crossed with me and Niva and said “Osorot thoka manuhbore xodai derikoi ahe”; we were punctual after that day.
I fell for his voice and his charm since that time. Never missed any of his functions during my teens until I left Guwahati in 1972. On behalf of Cotton College Union Society in 1964, when we invited him to perform during “College Week”, I became close to him. The entire Union Hall was moved by listening to him. He sand the song “Agoli botahe kopale kolore pat” for the first time on that day.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I happened to visit home in the month of September 1977 to attend a family wedding. On that fateful morning October 15, 1977 the sad news was announced on the All India Radio News Bulletin that Jayanta Hazarika had passed away in Kolkata.
We were all shocked. I cried like a little girl. The day his lifeless body was carried from Borjhar Airport to his Nizarapar residence we somehow managed to catch a glimpse of his face in the back of the truck. Standing in tears, at the Panbazar Sukleshar Ghat, we tried to reach out to throw a few flowers at the truck from among the vast crowd of men, women and children.
His thirty-four crowded years of meaningful existence added significantly to uplift the rich culture tradition flourishing in Asom for ages. He followed the prompting of his heart to initiate the formation of the Sur Bahini, a mobile musical brigade which was committed to work selflessly for the welfare of the poor, the helpless and the distressed, especially victims of natural calamities. His artistic excellence and qualities of head and heart set the perfect example of an artiste in the true sense of the term.
Jayanta Hazarika followed the pioneering style of Jyoti Prasad Agarwala of synthesizing the elements of Asomiya folk, Indian classical and Western music to weave out a distinctive form, intimate and recognizably Asomiya in character.
He could play quite a number of musical instruments, e.g., the guitar, the dumra, the mandolin, the accordion, the tabla, and the mouthorgan. His dexterity on the harmonium with his fingers spread over two octaves was an awe-inspiring sight. Standing before his audience with all solemnity coupled with humility, the artist in him could exert influence upon all sections of the people. He accompanied Dr. Bhupen Hazarika to the International Conference on Political Songs organized by the October Club in Berlin on February 1972 and overwhelmed the German audience.
The feelings of culture-oriented music lovers today can be expressed in the following quote: “There have been quite a number of tributes to the legendary artiste through his songs but some of them have been unimaginably careless and irresponsible ventures. There are glaring errors in the lyrics above the mishandling of notations and musical accompaniment. The preludes and interludes deviate to a simplified solo pattern from the superb original orchestrations the background scorings are substandard and the extra doses of individualist treatment only contribute to mar the original excellence”.
Therefore, the Government needs to take serious steps for the preservation of and research into the legendary songs and music of the state. This may be done by constituting authorized panels of personalities connected with the respective form of music, initiating and sponsoring frequent workshops under able exponents and strictly prohibiting imperfect recordings
Last year when I met Mithu bou (Manisha Hazarika) at her residence we were both in tears. In the sitting room, I saw Rana’s old guitar, the one that used to enliven many cultural functions in Guwahati. Each chord has his finger’s touch immortalizing the passionate and mellifluous rendering of Mrityu xaboti xomadhi tolit, Tomar morome mor and Xurat magan. It reminds me of that touching tune of Elton John.
“Now you belong to heaven And the stars spell out your name… Your candles burnt out Long before your legend ever will.”
This year the Jayanta Hazarika Memorial Concert was held at the Nehru Centre (Cultural Wing of High Commission of India) on 18 October, 2006. The invited artists were: Manisha Hazarika, Mayukh Hazarika & Laili Dutta Hazarika.
“A woman will always sacrifice herself if you give her the opportunity. It is her favorite form of self indulgence.” This quote of Somerset Maugham somehow reflects so truly in someone like Manisha Haharika, the wife of late Jayanta Hazarika; she is a woman of substance.
Born and raised in a respectable Bengali family with a rich musical background in Kolkata, Manisha lost her husband at a very young age. In no way did she want to be a pitiable woman; neither did she want to go back to her birth place in to the comfortable and privileged surroundings of her parents’ house. Instead this courageous woman started to begin from scratch striving to survive and made every effort to give the best to the couple’s only child, Mayukh. She has promised herself to keep those memorable songs of her husband alive and make him feel comfortable where ever he is. She is an inspiration and a role model for every women.
Mayukh Hazarika can be easily mistaken for A.R. Rahman by his disarming smile and charming manner. Of course, he was born and raised in the Hazarika gharana – an illustrious family of several gifted artists and doyens of Asom musical world. He saw and heard his family of musicians, most notably his father and uncle Dr. Bhupen Hazarika sing and interact as he grew up. He lost his father when he was only seven year old. His mother taught him to sing those immortal songs with the same depth of feelings and sincerity that his father once sang and became famous with. Mayukh relivens the voice of Jayanta Hazarika once again.
Laili Dutta Hazarika would always wake up to the sound of the swaras. Having herself learned from the legendary Padmabhusan Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, her mother Shikha Dutta took it upon herself to pass on the nuances of the Rampur Sahaswan Gharana to Laili at a very young age. Since then music has been one of the most significant and a religious aspects of Laili’s life. This tradition found further expression when she married Mayukh Hazarika. She is qualified from Bhatkhande Music University, Lucknow as a Bachelor of Music.
The accompanying pictures are Late Jayanta Hazarika with Late Dr. Zakir Hussain, President of India; Manisha Hazarika; Late Dr. Nirmal Prabha Bardoloi, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, Mrs. Ila Bosewith Manisha Hazarika after their wedding; Mayukh Hazarika their only son and Laili Dutta Hazarika – daughter-in- law.
Rini Kakati, London, UK
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