Few lines from each of a few songs of Bhupen Hazarika.

[ I have no literary or poetic ability. I do not wish in any way to disrespect the genius of Bhupen Hazarika. Even the best of Creative translators will not be able to convey the real meaning and sense of his songs in English or any other language. What I am during is only for my own satisfaction; a private affair, so that if anyone tumbles upon this page, he/she will just get a hint of the mental horizon of the genius. I am also not trying to keep the rhyme of the lyrics (except occasionally). I am only trying to give the meaning in prose and that too with my very limited ability of the English as well as Assamese language.]

1.   (Kahuwa bon mor ashanta mon……)

Each moment is like a precious pearl,

Every moment is like a pregnant vow,

Wasted unused- it never comes back.

(O my troubled heart, why do you fret-

Tomorrow’s sun will bring you a new morning.)

Immersed in early-morn dream (beautiful dream)

I did not see that moment pass by.

The noise of activity in the endless sea of time,

Has woken me up.

[There are so many pleasures of life distracting us in our youth, yet these few moments of Life and Consciousness, in the silent sea of Eternal Time, is precious beyond any measure.]

2.         (Manuhe manuhar babe, jadihe akako nebhabe…..)

            If man do not think for man,

            Who will think for him?

            Tell me my friend.

If the weak crosses the turbulent waters of life,

holding your hand

What will you loose my friend.

Man wants to purchase man,

Man wants to sell man,

If old history is repeated

Will that not be wrong?

If man do not remain Human,

Demons will never become Human.

If Demons do become Human

Who will be ashamed!

Tell me my friend.

3.         (Chira jugomiya dhou tuli, dhou tuli, chira natun pansoi uti jai…)

            Raising everlasting waves

            The forever new ‘Pansoi’ floats by. (Pansoi is a beautiful decorated boat)

            Raising shimmering waves,

Drawing ever new background scenes-

In the river if time, it goes floating by.

O the composer within me,

come and see- there are boundless tunes here.

O the lyricist within me,

Come and see- giving away its heart, who goes there.

Raising shimmering waves,

The ‘Pansoi’ of lotus tunes floats by,

Whose atomised pollinating hopes-

are today floating high?

In the up-floating waters,

In its loving currents,

‘Chitralekhi’ writes history of the times

Using the quill of the ‘Ever Beautiful’.

O the composer within me, come, come and sing

There are boundless tunes here

Raising everlasting waves-

The ‘Pansoi’ of new tunes floats by.

[This was when the young Bhupen Hazarika’s heart was filled with boundless beautiful music. Only some of these possibilities have come to life in his songs.]

4.         (Sagor sangamat katona saturilo, tathapito howa nai klanta…)

            I have swum at the meeting place of oceans so long. (thoughts, cultures)

            Yet I am not tired,

            Still the waters of the pacific of my heart,

            Continue to remain disturbed.

In the bosom of the Pacific of my heart,

there is no end to surging tides today,

Endless trains of waves are bringing in hope       unlimited,

Everyday.

The faith of the deep peaceful ocean of my heart

is getting disturbed by tidal waves.

The creations of great lives along the shores of the Pacific

are under attack.

Therefore the pacific of my heart is restless today.

           

The new demonic forces are trying to destroy civilisation’

Yet the indomitable sprit of peace loving human is giving it challenge.

The peace-force of innumerable creative alive humans

Has given clash to the forces of destruction.

This clash brings to the shores of my pacific

Progress and prosperity’s new horizon.

            I have swam at the meeting place of oceans for so long,

            Yet I am not tired.

 [He wrote this on a ship just after the  Second World War, returning from the USA]

5.         [Nila garal piya, moi nilakantha, tomak bhulaboloi kiman no par. … )

You are a serpent (female), a venomous serpent,

            How long will it take me to charm you?

You are blue poison,

I am Nilakantha (the God who drinks poison)

I am a roving magician

Do not come near me.

Where sun rays cannot penetrate,

Where heart cringes with the centuries old darkness,

I broke open such jungles and entered caves,

I have subjugated so many serpents in so many lands

How long will it take to win you?

[In his youth, with the supreme confidence of the young man.]

6.         (Asta akashote sapon rahan sani, klanta luitare hengulia pani, boi jai, boi jai…..)

            Who is that Shilpi (creative artist), who goes riding his boat of lotus flowers,

            Colouring the waters with the hues of the peacock plumes?

            O Shilpi, if reaching the horizon of beauty is what you desire,

Take your boat to the river bank once,

            You will see the limitless horizon of human life.

            The sun is setting, time is short, time is short………

[To those artists, who seeks abstract beauty, forgetting that real beauty lies with the hopes, and aspirations of the suffering humanity.]

7.         [Boidha ki, aboidha ki, prasna haba..]

What is ethical, what is unethical?

            Question will arise.

            The sky will sleep, the wind shall sleep,

            The horizon will shake,

Time will stands still,

Tears will turn to stone,

Time shall sleep.

If it is a misdeed, why is there desire,

If…….   is bad then, why is there music,

If……. is bad, then why is there ‘pain of separation’

Who will answer these questions?

[For the young mother whose child society calls illegitimate and she is discarded by society.]

8.         (Bistirna parare, asongkhya janore, hahakaar sunio…)

If the individual is ‘self-centered’

and society is without character

Aged river Luit! why don’t you break down (Luit=Brahmaputra)

such a stagnating society.

O Brahamaputra, if you are son of Brahma

Your lineage is meaningless,

Why else you not inspire us!

With the knowledge gained from your mad rush of thousand rainy seasons

Why don’t you covert this listless society

Into an army of progressive strong fighters.

[This song is inspired by Paul Robeson’s song ‘Old man River…’ and is set to the same tune. The scene of the subject has been transposed from the story of the Black people of America to the people of the Brahmaputra valley.]

9.         (Moi ati zazabor, …        )

I am a zazabor (gypsy),

I roam all corners of the wide world.

I do not seek a home of my own.

I carried the old charm of Ellora to Chicago,

I listened to Ghalib’s poetry at Tashkent Minaret,

I talked of Gorky sitting at the cemetery of Mark Twain

I find people on my route becoming my own

Again and again.

Therefore I am a Zazabor.

10.       (Moi ai matire lora, hoisilo oghori matir moh ari…)

            I am the son of this land,

            Left my home forgetting the love of my lands,

            Played comic part in theatres.

            O Mother, I am making a vow now,

            To the land burnt ochre by the fire of famine

            I will bring back its green luster.

[For the young men in villages, who saw rosier life and income in towns and cities, but was never happy away from their land.]

11.       (Prasonda dhumuhai prasna korile mok, tomar kamya ki kowa..)

            O great Storm, give me your Strength

            O Thunder, give me your Fearless Strong Voice,

            O Sky, give me your Whole Expanse.

Storm gave me its Strength

Thunder gave me its Fearless Voice

The Cosmos gave me Far Sightedness.

And the Logic born of courage.

With their strength, I will sing and reverberate the horizon.

Even in the society of Demons, I shall sing the song of Humans,

Steeped in the true tune of my heart

That I can show the ‘Electric of Life’

To the clueless lost human, even so little,

            I offer my thanks to the sky, the Storm and the thunder.

And bow down before them a thousand times.

The world at large outside India and specifically outside Assam, in the North Eastern corner of India, do not really know the phenomenon named Bhupen Hazarika. Even for us it is difficult to answer that question, for we do not find words or language to describe the depth of emotion and love that is evoked in us by the very mention of his name. All his life he has been working for betterment of Assamese culture. By dint of his tireless expression of the hopes, aspirations, pain and neglect of all the myriad tribes and cultures inhabiting this small corner of the earth, he has become our identity, ambassador to the world and our rightful pride. Bhupen Hazarika had this great ability to connect direct into the hearts of all people, even though he mainly sang in his native Assamese and the neighboring language Bengali; which is a sister culture. He could also sing in the particular dialects of a many tribes of the Brahmaputra Valley and the hilly Arunachal Pradesh, when he was amongst them.

He was a composer, singer, lyricist and litterateur- each of highest standard and in equal measure. He was a true humanist, not recognizing any boundary between men and always fought against injustice, neglect, hypocrisy ridden social norms, insensitivity, political arrogance, for democracy and everything that we humans should value. He was a great lover of nature and beauty. His tunes emanate from his love for his motherland and all human beings. He was also a film maker, painter, social reformer. He also was music director and singer in number of Assamese, Bengali and Hindi films. There is a long list of prestigious honours conferred upon him, by Government, Film World, Non-Govt and Literary organizations, including International organizations. It is not possible to speak of all the different facets and talents, in a short space. I am not qualified for that too, with my limited knowledge.