Ethnic Reflections in Bhupen Hazarika’s Lyrics

Pranjal Dutta

(The writer is Assistant Professor & HoD, Department of English, Sarupathar College, Golaghat and can be reached at pranjalduttaspr@gmail.com)

Assam and the entire North East remains enriched with the myriad culture of the many tribes and communities. The musical maestro, Dr Bhupen Hazarika, who wanted to dispel racial discrimination and segregation, used his lyrics for social change following the ideals of African-American singer Paul Robeson. Despite being of extraordinary qualities, Dr. Hazarika could perceive the longings and aspirations of the various ethnic groups and sought to bridge the gulf between them. He earnestly attempted to ingrain brotherhood among the ethnic communities of not only Assam but of the entire North East India. His music draws from the melody and melancholy of those very people who weave these strands, in all its diversity. Sung in many languages and often containing dialects and words of the marginalized sections of society, his uplifting lyrics are an embodiment of the happy heterogeneity that unites people in Assam and the States of the Northeast. His lyrics bear testimony to the simplicity of lifestyles of people in the North East, their traditions and cultures.

The sheer simplicity of lifestyle of the people in the North East, its tradition and culture captivated Dr. Hazrika’s soul. He dreamt of unity among diversity. Such lyrics as “Shillongore godhuli”, “Shillongore Monalisa Lingdoh”, “Lieng Makaw”, “Hey hey dhole dogoreh” deal with mythical legends as well as historical events connected with the Khasi people in Meghalaya, the natural beauty of Meghalaya, the lifestyles, traditions and cultures of the Khasis and the assimilation and unity between the Khasis and the Assamese.

One of his most romantic numbers entitled “Shillongore Godhuli” (The twilight of Shillong) carries deep-rooted meaning bringing alive the beauty of a young Khasi maiden and the beauty of the nature in the hills. The foggy evenings of Shillong were close to his heart. To the lyricist who has been awe-inspired when darkness slowly engulfed the distant Khasi village, it was an impeccable relation with the dream town and the distant Khasi village. His lyric “Shillongore Monalisa”, composed against the backdrop of a separation caused by a political event - the curving out of Meghalaya from “Undivided Assam” in 1972, is a symbolic love song dealing with the love affair between an Assamese youth and a Khasi girl- a plains youth and a hill maiden — a Hindu and a Christian — love that transcends boundaries. It describes the beauty of a Khasi damsel Monalisa Lingdoh highlighting her ability to play guitar, a sign of culturally active people of Meghalaya. He compares the beauty of the Khasi girl Monalisa to that of the immortal creation of Leonardo.

In 1964, when Bhupen Hazarika chose a Khasi love story for his fourth Assamese film ‘Pratidhwani’, he composed the lyric “Lien Makaw” that described the traditional Khasi jainsem as a piece of cloth woven from lightning, an identity of the matrilineal Khasi society. The lyric celebrates the love affair between Manik Raiton, the flute player and his lover Lieng Makaw. The lyric contains several Khasi words like ‘diengsiej’, ‘sharati ‘and ‘khublei Shibun’.

Dr. Hazarika preached the message of racial harmony, tolerance, equality and universal love and tried to weed out the race and caste-related differences between man and man. At a time when linguistic jingoism and radical assertions of upper-caste Hindus had led to a fragmentation of undivided Assam in the 1960s, Hazarika opposed it and sang advocating the unity of Assamese in the plains and Khasis in the Meghalaya: Hey hey dhole dogoreh/ Hey hey hiyar umere/ Nedekha enajorire/ Bandho ami pahar sikhorore mohan Syiem/ Hey hey Cherapunjire/ Hey hey bhija akashere/jenedore barisar rupere amar luitak. The lyric seeks points of cultural intersection between Meghalaya and Assam. It skillfully elevates the flute of a Khasi farmer to Krishna’s flute in Hindu mythology, equalizing the commoners with the ruling class. Similarly, the golden threads of Muga silk of Assam that make up the beautiful Khasi female attire Jainsem find themselves alive in these lyrics. The lyricist tries to find similarities between the Khasi cowboy’s ‘sharati’ and ‘Krishna gorokhiyar banhi’, Khasi god ‘Ublei’ and Nagdhar Shiva. The lyrics of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika demand the society to be casteless, classless and advocated racial harmony and unity. In the lyrics, Dr. Hazarika reiterates it indirectly when he sings: ‘Duioti baanhi/ banhore baanhi/ duio prokashe eketi surok’ (Both the flutes are of bamboos and both express the same tune).

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika sought to bind the diverse tribal and non-tribal ethnic groups of the Northeast through his songs. In the words of Arup Kumar Dutta, ‘Binding the multifarious tribal and non-tribal ethnic entities of the North-east, with a single thread of love has been one of the missions of his life’. His assimilationist stance is succinctly revealed in lyrics like “Arun kiron shiror bhusan”, ‘Tirap simanto, rupor nai anto’, and ‘Siyangore Gaalong, Luitore Khaamti. In such lyrics, one can find allusions to different tribes in Arunachal Pradesh, the serene beauty of the state, cultural assimilation and unity between hills and plains, traditional dresses (like likamani and fanat, jeimceng, khatari) of different tribes. The lyric “Arun kiron shiror bhusan” has always been a special one for the people of Arunachal Pradesh as it talks about the glory of Arunachal Pradesh which was renamed from ‘NEFA’ to Arunachal Pradesh on January 20, 1972. Another beautiful lyric “Siyangore Galong” tells about the lyricist’s cordial relations with different tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, namely, Galong, Khamti, Wangcho, Apatani, Monpa, Idu, Nocte, Tangsa and Sherdukpen and their rich traditions, simplicity, love and affection. The lyric “Moi Kohimare aadhunika Daalimi’ again touches on the theme of assimilation and unity between the Nagas and the Assamese. It narrates the love affair between an Assamese youth and a Naga girl. The lyric is a saga of unity and harmony among the people of Nagaland and Assam. The lyric “Kah Mangaih Sheh” showcases material culture and folk dance of the Mizo people, their lifestyles and traditional costumes (like Puanmekhela, kawrchei, pankpar, lukhum).

The lyric “Diphu hol tumare naam” bringing to light the Karbi people’s love towards humankind is very pleasant. In his songs, we find references to the notable Chomangkan (Chomkan) dance, Samson Sing Ingti, the sculptor of the Karbi tribe, his “Haimu”, the Rongpi people etc. The generosity, true humanity and the sacrifices of the Karbi people are found in this lyric.

Dr Bhupen Hazarika is out and out an advocate of assimilation: he emphasizes the spiritual, cultural and national identity of each ethnic group and lays stress on the collective spirit of the group. What he suggests in his lyrics is the assimilation through assertion. In other words, Dr. Hazarika advocates assimilation without sacrificing completely the cultural and spiritual distinctiveness of an ethnic group.