Bhupen Da : Amar Bidexi Bondhu

"Akaxi Ganga Bisora Nai,

Nai bisora swarna olonkar,

Nisthur Jiwanar Xongram'ot

Bisaru moromor maat exaar.."

Over our routinely hectic breakfast set to a timer of exactly 5 minutes, someone happened to surf over the only watchable new series at DD News. The Story on Bhupen Da's worsening health really gave a jolt to my thought process today (inspite of all the forward planning going on inside). Without realizing, those 4 immortal lines from his "Akashi Ganga" conitnued to cold resonate within my soul the whole day.

Bhupen Da has been a part our lives since we don't know when. Every song, every melody of his, is so exquisitely lyrically built that one can't help pausing and contemplating on its contents. They are so full of depth, something that is so missing in the world today, with everyone seemingly married to shallowness.

Everything aside, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika is much much more than the greatest cultural icon of Assam. To me, he is synonymous to the state, our motherland. Imagining Assam without Bhupen Da is painful and difficult. I still recall those lines of his that I first learnt to mouth from my father (another great fan) : 

Meghe Gir gir kore,

Gir gir meghe kore..

Bhupen Da's songs and music run thorugh the blood of every proud Assamese. To him personally, life was a great tragedy, a constant search for true love that he never could find. But he never let that come in the way of the everlasting twinkle in his eye and a perpetually ready amusing reply to any question. A warm saturday evening on Natakachal's (the Music School in the Campus I grew up in) Silver Jubilee  comes to mind when Bhupen Da had come visiting. Incidentally he had also innaugurated the school 25 years back. To quote a line of his:

"Ajir dintute Pochis (25) Bosor agote Natakachal'or jonmo hoisil. Aji taai gaabhoru hol.."

I realize any comment on whether Bhupen Da has got his due from us would be hyprocritical on my part, but as he lies on ventilator support today at some far away hospital in Bombay, I wish and pray that he gets well soon and lives on till we are ready for the final departure. Or perhaps he is ready for ours.

Those lines from "Akashi Ganga" sound so meanigful now..




-Palash