Neelim Akash Kashyap (neelimassam@gmail.com)
Assam wakes to another silence
After losing Zubeen Garg and Syed Sadulla, the state has now lost yet another heartbeat of its music—Dipak Sarma, the flautist whose breath once carried Assam’s soul to the world.
Born in the quiet village of Panigaon-Garemara in Nalbari district, Dipak Sarma’s journey began far from fame. After earning a commerce degree from the Guwahati-based Karmashree Hiteswar Saikia College, he chose not profit but passion. He chose the flute—a piece of bamboo that became his language, his prayer, his destiny.
He completed his postgraduate degree in international music at the Rabindra Bharati University of Kolkata and soon made history as the first Assamese flautist to earn the B-High grade in classical music from the All India Radio. From then on, the flute was no longer an instrument; it was an extension of his soul. In Mumbai, under the legendary Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Dipak Sarma mastered the art of silence between sounds.
The world began to listen
His first international performance came in 2000 in South Africa. Since then, he has performed in several countries, carrying the sound of Assam across oceans. In the year 2004, the George Washington University of the USA honoured him with an Honorary Doctorate for his contribution to world music.
Legendary singer Zubeen Garg once wrote about Dipak Sarma: “After Prabhat Sarma, the next name to rise in flute is Dipak. With one flute, he conquered the world. He was my brother in music, my companion in every struggle. We began together in Mumbai—dreamers carrying Assam wherever we went.” Those words echo painfully today—for both voices have now fallen silent. Two spirits of the same melody, gone within weeks of each other.
Dipak Sarma’s last years were spent in a silent struggle. A liver transplant brought brief recovery, but fate was unkind. Yet even in illness, his courage never faded.
From his hospital bed, he whispered an appeal that still breaks hearts: “If you can, just ask about me once. You are my reason to live.” But, alas, on November 3, that voice stopped. But his flute still breathes in the wind—in the bamboo groves, in the river breeze, in the pulse of every song that remembers him.
Between September 19 and November 3, Assam lost three musical souls—Zubeen Garg, the storm; Syed Sadulla, the calm; and Dipak Sarma, the breath of melody.
Three months. Three losses. One wounded state in music.
Dipak Sarma’s life was never about fame—it was about faith. He believed that when music is honest, it becomes prayer. And though the flute rests now, the music remains—eternal as the wind that once carried his song. The flute may fall silent, but Assam will forever hear its echo.