Legendary singer, composer Bhupen Hazarika passes away

www.mangaloretoday.com

Mumbai, Nov 5, 2011: Legendary singer-composer Dr Bhupen Hazarika, undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mumbai, has passed away. He died at 4.37 p.m. at the Kokilaben Hospital.

Dr Hazarika was on dialysis after both his kidneys failed.

Dr Hazarika was admitted to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. His health deteriorated on October 23 after he developed pneumonia. He had to undergo a minor surgery in which doctors inserted a food pipe into his system.

The 86-year-old Padma Bhushan winner was undergoing treatment at the hospital since June 29 after he complained of breathlessness.

A balladeer who composed his own lyrics and music, Dr Hazarika lent his voice to the film Gandhi To Hitler, where he sang Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan, Vaishnava Jana To.

Dr Hazarika produced, directed, composed music and sang for Assamese films such as Era Batar Sur (1956), Shakuntala (1960), Pratidhwani (1964), and Lotighoti (1967).

He composed the music for several outstanding Bengali films, such as Jiban Trishna, Jonakir Alo, and Chameli Memsaab.

Dr Hazarika, who had a genius for weaving a magical tapestry out of traditional Assamese music and lyrics, was regarded as one of the greatest living cultural communicators of South Asia. A multifaceted personality, he was a poet, journalist, singer, lyricist, musician, filmmaker and writer.

This year he celebrated his birthday, sadly, in the ICU of the hospital on September 8.

Courtesy: NDTV