Translated by Syed Ahmed Shah
Edited by Syeda Jebeen S. Shah
ISBN: 978-1-887276-69-6 • $ 19.95
Posthumously awarded India’s highest civilian award the Bharat Ratna (2019), Bhupen Hazarika (1926-2011), also known as the Bard of the Brahmaputra—after the river that runs through Assam—was a legendary singer, lyricist, music composer, scholar, artist and above all, a humanist who dared to dream of a classless society. Although fluent in Hindi and English, he wrote over 800 songs in Assamese, his mother tongue. His poetic soul ranged far and wide, from our dependence on nature, history and politics, to visionary rapture. His admirers were well aware that he was including them in his vision, excluding none, for a better world. He remains a source of inspiration for many who have heard his songs. Even now, a huge portion of his songs remain unknown to non-Assamese speaking people. It was only towards the end of his life that English translations of his songs started appearing in print