The first time I heard a song sung by Assam Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was in 1948. That song – “Agni jugor firingoti moi…..” captured the hearts of us youngsters so deeply that almost everyone used to either sing, hum or whistle the song all the time. The next year 1949, my oldest brother brought home another Bhupen Hazarika record. The HMV 78 RPM record contained two songs one on each side of the record. The songs were “Tumiye goala priya gaan…” and the other “More ore jibon kori jala kala…” Those two songs were the second and the third Bhupen Hazarika songs that I still remember. Since then, of course, Bhupenda has written, gave tune to the song numerous other beautiful songs over the years. His songs have brought many prestigious awards to him including the latest supreme award “Asom Ratna” from the Government of Assam.
I impressed by his beautiful songs. From my early childhood, I always had a longing to meet Bhupen Hazarika some day in person and for my good luck; so far I have had the opportunity to meet the “Asom Ratna” three times in my life. The following are my recollection of the occasions when I met him along with a few enjoyable episodes that took place during those meeting.
First Meeting: My first face-to-face meeting with Bhupenda took place in September of 1964. It was in Kolkata, Calcutta in those days. I was in Calcutta to arrange for a U.S. visa and necessary foreign exchange for me to be able to go to Atlanta, Georgia in U.S.A. to join Georgia institute of Technology for my Masters degree in Electrical Engineering. At that time Bhupen Hazarika along with Phani Sarma and others were shooting the Assamese film “Moniram Dewan” at the Indrapuri Studios.
One afternoon, after I had taken care of my other chores, we took a taxi to the studio with the hope of getting a glimpse of the celebrities. We did not have any trouble obtaining the permission to go on to the sets. There I saw, for the first, also the last time in my life, a film being shot at a set in a film studio.
During a break in the shooting, we got to meet the cast including Bhupenda. One look at me and he asked “What are you up to, young man?” I first introduced myself and then I said “I am leaving for the U.S.A. tomorrow’’. He again asked “Where to in U.S.A and why?” I replied “To Atlanta, Georgia to enroll myself in Georgia Tech”. At that time Atlanta was not a very notable city in U.S.A. until it became the international airlines hub in the south and later the site for the 1996 Olympic Games. So, when Bhupenda heard that I was going to Atlanta he made only quizzical remarks. “Well, Aboni when you compare Atlanta with New York (He was in New York for his doctorate earlier), you will feel as if you are going for Gauhati (Guwahati of today) to Doomdooma (in Assam). Anyway I wish you good luck.”
I did not know what to say about his remarks. So I simply thanked him and we left.
Second Meeting: The second time I met Bhupen Hazarika was in 1985 in Tallahassee, Florida. Bhupenda was on a tour of several U.S. cities at that time. At the invitation of Abha Baideo (Mrs. Abha Nath), Bhupenda made a detour and stopped by in Tallahassee for two nights. Abha Baideo knew Bhupenda from her childhood through her elder brother Prabhakar Barua of Nagaon (Nowgong) who was Bhupenda’s contemporary in 1940’s.
He arrived around 1pm on a certain day. We the three Assamese families in Tallahassee quickly arranged an impromptu function in the evening of the same day and telephoned and invited every family belonging to the Indian Association of Tallahassee to the function.
The function was to start at 6 pm. But as we all know of Bhupenda’s reputation for being always late, he actually showed up for the function one and half hour behind time. The audience was getting restless and was beginning to taunt us, the Assamese organizers. I asked Abha Baideo, with whom Bhupenda was staying, the reason of his delay. This is what I gathered from Abha Baideo.
After he (Bhupenda) arrived in Tallahassee that early afternoon at the Tallahassee airport, the baggage handlers of the airliner he flew in handled his baggage including his prized harmonium very unkindly. So, Bhupenda was upset and when he got to Abha Baideo’s house, he consumed a quite a few drinks before lunch and then he went to sleep. He just woke up at 6 pm. when he was supposed to be on the stage. Anyway, we managed the situation and function went on.
At our family’s invitation, the next afternoon, Bhupenda was in our house for afternoon tea and some Assamese food. I still remember the highlight of that afternoon food which was goat meat curry, the meat that came from a goat that Mohammed (my Pakistani friend in those days) and myself had slaughtered together that Saturday morning plus the “moidar luchis”.
Now here comes the funny part of Bhupenda’s visit to our house that afternoon. That day, Bhupenda wearing his familiar trademark hat of those days – a Sikkimese hat – which was presented to him by the King of Sikkim during one of his visit to that Kingdom earlier. That hat, if you remember, had on one side the insignias of two crossed khukhris placed on it. Seeing that my little daughter Sunita, who was just a kid at that time and who did not know much about Bhupen Hazarika, asked Bhupenda point blank –” Do you work for the military?” “Why do you ask that question, young lady?” Bhupenda was surprised, “Why otherwise, then you will wear those weapons on your hat” was Sunita’s thoughtful and calm reply. We all had to just laugh at Sunita’s seemingly right reasoning.
Third Meeting: If you have read my second book titled “Aboni Kumar Sharmar Kotha Aru Chinta”, you may have already read the details of my third visit (or encounter?) with Bhupen Hazarika.
It was July 2000. That year the Millennial Assamese Get-Together was held at the Hilton hotel in Cherry Hills, New Jersey from June 30th to July 2nd. I, along with my family attended the convention. Just prior to the convention, a group of Bangladeshi people had arranged a musical tour by Bhupen Hazarika which covered quite a few cities in U.S.A. including Fort Lauderdale in Florida. The Bangladeshi group paid all expense for Bhupenda, his companion Kalpana Lajmi and two other instrument players. Bhupen Hazarika’s tour schedule was such that he was to perform in New York/ New Jersey area towards the end of the tour and then he and the others will fly back to India on June 29th.
The organizers of the Assamese Get-together somehow got the winds of this arrangement and they immediately saw an opportunity to request the Bangladeshis for their approval and Bhupenda for his agreement to stay back few extra days in U.S.A. so that he will be available to entertain the Assamese crowed during the night of July 1st and July 2nd at the convention. My friend Mahesh Kalita Princeton Junction, N.J. who has good command on the Bengali language easily got approval from the Bangladeshi group. Further since Mahesh Kalita and Bhupenda both in their childhood days, grew up at Sadiya in Upper Assam, they knew each other for a long time. Because of the act, naturally, Kalita also took the responsibility to provide lodging for Bhupenda and Kalpana for the extra nights except the night of convention for which arrangement were made in the hotel itself.
Although I saw and heard Bhupenda on the stage during those two nights, that was from a distance only. It was on July 3rd only when I met him very closely at Kalita’s place.
Long before our trip to the convention at Cherry Hills, I had made arrangement with Mahesh Kalita with a request for him to take us to Jackson Heights in New York as I am scared to drive in New York area. We wanted to do some shopping there – especially I had to bye a “daina” – the right hand piece of a pair of tablas. I needed that “daina” to replace my old workout one and because I was scheduled to give a tabla playing demonstration in our Rotary Club.
Accordingly, at about 10-30 am. on July 3, with Aiti (that is Nilima, Kalita’s wife) guiding us, we arrived at Kalita’s place. A half hour later Sanjeev (Kalita’s oldest son) brought in Bhupenda and Kalpana also to Kalita’s place from the hotel.
After initial pleasantries were over Bhupenda finally recognized me. Not for our meeting in 1964, not for his visit to Tallahassee and our house in 1985, but for his familiarity with some of my humorous writing (according him) over the years in Prantik, the most popular biweekly magazine.
Now here come the funny staff, soon after, Kalita, myself and my wife were ready to go to New York for our shopping, I wanted to say bye to Bhupenda and to say that we will meet again when we come back, I found Bhupenda chopping some “tita-kerela” (bitter melon) in Kalita’s kitchen. Surprised I asked “Now what is going on?” He said “you know Sharma, I love “tita-kerela” cooked Banarasi style, the way no Assamese lady can cook. So I am going to prepare the dish myself today and then eat with rice and rahar dali that Aiti is cooking already. “But how did you know that there were tita-kerela in Mahesh’s refrigerator?” my question. His answer “Because I bought those myself when I went shopping in Jackson Heights for a movado watch two days back.” It was true that as a part of his contract the Bangladeshis provided Bhupenda with a chauffeured limousine one afternoon for personal shopping purpose.
My only thought was “Oh how lucky that tita-kerelas are able to ride with Bhupenda in a stretch limousine!!!
We came back from our shopping trip in New York about 5 pm. that afternoon. It had already started drizzling. Bhupenda was sitting on a sofa in the family room still in his loose pajamas but definitely with his trademark hat on. After Bhupenda’s hearty “come in”, “come in” reception in to the house, the first question I asked him was, “Bhupenda how was your lunch with bhat (rice) rahar dali, tita-kerela bhaji and a pleasant nap therafter?” His wry reply was “Nokoba aru (please don’t ask me) Yes certainly I fried those tita-kerela you saw this morning and yes, I had some lunch later on and a nap too, but all without my tita-kerela”. “Why was that?” I asked. What I learnt from Bhupenda was this, soon after the finished frying those tita-kerela with onion and all other good staff – perhaps because of waking up late and enjoying too much the previous night at the function – Bhupenda, all of a sadden, felt very sleepy. So he decided to take a short break (nap) before shower and lunch.
In the meantime, another Assamese couple on their way back to Michigan after attending convention decided to stop by at Kalita’s place just to say hello. But when they came unfortunately none of the family members was at home, Bhupenda was fast asleep in one of the bedroom, Kalpana Lajmi still busy packing her suitcases for their trip next day. Finding nothing else to do, the Michigan couple rummaged through the kitchen. They found the rice, the rahar dali and the tita-kerela bhaji simply too inviting for them. They helped themselves to a hearty lunch with the last piece of tita-kerela bhaji and then went on their way- just leaving a “Thank you” note on the dinning table.
When he woke up, Bhupenda very quickly understood the whole situation. I felt sorry for Bhupenda . But what could I do? I only said – in a lighter vein “Bhupenda do you know that Hindi proverb? “Dane dane pe likha hai khanewale kaa naam.” Bhupenda nodded and said “you naughty boy.”
It was still continuously drizzling outside. Kalita wanted us to stay for dinner. But I apologized and said that our hotel was 60 miles away and further, we were in an unfamiliar place. So we better go. At that point Kalita brought out a bottle of scotch (a 15 year vintage) and said- “Sharma saheb I saved this one for you all this time. So why not we all have a drink together before you leave?”
Accordingly, three of us started on our first drink. While sipping our drinks, I had lot of conversation with Bhupenda on various subjects ranging from some of his old songs, travelling theatres in Assam to old Kamrupiya Jatra Party such as the Moroowa Party and once I got little bolder as the effects of the first peg of the Pinch settled in my stomach I also started talking about his using tunes from other composers in his own songs. He nighters agreed nor disagreed with my comment but simply said “Ok Sharma name some songs as example”. I was ready for that question. I said “Bhupenda, the tune in your “Bistrino parore, asonkhya janare….” Is a copy of the tune of Paul Robson’s song “Old Man River” in the film “River Boat” made in 1936? Again is the tune in your “Manuhe manuhor babe” is taken from Tennessee Ernie Ford’s song “Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley? etc….” Bhupenda did not say anything.
I said, “let me not make the list any longer but Bhupenda, you must admit that the tune in your “Nami aha sardarave sena silpi dal…” is exactly the same as that of “Alke halke chalo sawre pyaar ki mast hawawome…” a song in the film “Tangawala”, the music of which was given by Salil Choudhury, a comrade of yours in the IPTA Indian People’s Theatrical Association ) of the 1950s. Bhupenda listened to me but said nothing. By this time Kalita had filled our glasses with second drinks. All three of us were in high spirits feeling the state of well being.
I realized that it was getting let and it was time for me to say good-bye and “good night” to Bhupenda. He got up from the sofa and began to lead me to the front door.
While all of us were walking through the hallway, I noticed a “lao” (a squash) on top of the kitchen counter. I looked at Bhupenda’s face and said Bhupenda, I know you are well versed in lot of Bangladeshi songs. Do you know their famous “lao” song? No sooner had I said the words then Bhupenda picked up the “lao” and holding it as a “Doog doogie” (a Bangladeshi version of guitar – tokari) started singing, - “laoer aa go khailam, doga go khailam …..sader lao, banailo more boiragi….”
I have mentioned earlier that by that time all three of us were in height of our words, so now when Bhupenda started to sing the lao song, we instinctively held each other by the shoulders and started dancing and prancing to the front door in a Greek Syrtaki dance style which you all may have remembered from the film “Zorba The Greek”. At the front door Bhupenda placed his hand on my head and said “Ashirbad”, Drive safely tonight’’.
That was July 3, 2000, the day of my third meeting (encounter) with Dr. Bhupen Hazarika. Shall we meet again? God only knows.
Abani Kumar Sharma
Orlando, Florida
USA
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