DR. BHUPEN HAZARIKA'S EFFORT SACRIFICED JOB FOR RADIO STATION IN NORTHEAST INDIA

The setting up of the first Radio Station in the northeast immediately after Independence was made possible by a great personality who put at stake his lucrative government job and sought for his first love and devotion – music and humanism.

It was due to Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s unselfish effort that brought Radio Station in the northeast in 1948, a prized addition in those considering the georaphical isolation that the region is challenged with. The historical anecdote goes thus…

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was fond of Shillong and used to come down here often. After Independence he organized a “Hills and Plains Week” with artist invited from all over the northeast at Shillong. The venue was the lovely Park at Barik Point, now known as Hydari Park, after Assam’s first Governor, Sir Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari.

The then Governor Hydari was much impressed with the zeal of young Bhupen Hazarika and after the weeklong festival of music and cultural show, he invited Dr. Bhupen Hazarika for dinner.

In the course of the discussion he came to know that, not only the young singer was good at music, but was also highly qualified holding a Master’s Degree in political Science and offered him a Government job.

“The Governor said ‘why don’t you take up a Government job,’ to which he (Dr. Bhupen Hazarika) promptly replied ‘please give us a Radio Station for the region instead,’” Bolen Hazarika, brother of the singer, recalled the anecdote here at the Assam Club today.

The Governor was taken aback by the passion of the singer and in a way obliged. Soon a Radio Station was set up in 1948 with two centres, one at Guwahati and the other here at Shillong.

The first announcer of the Northeast service was film star of yesteryears, Jnanada Kakati, who was present at the commemoration of 1^st anniversary of the singer and rose first to light the lamp kept before the singer’s picture, wearing the quintessential smile, trademark cap and Gamocha.

The gathering also formed a human chain and pledged to live by the ideals of the revolutionary singer and visionary. The gathering also rendered one of the most popular songs of the artist Manuhe… Manuhor Babe(people for people.)

There were several other dignitaries, some who knew the singer personally and shared anecdote related to the singer’s love for music and all sections of the society.

“If there were any ‘isms’ he believed in…that was humanism,” an old gentleman said, paying tribute to the singer. Others echoed in similar lines, they said that music was the medium the great singer used to spread his message of universal brotherhood, which the younger generation must emulate to bring peace love and friendship all around.

 “From childhood our parents – Nilkanta Hazarika and Shantipriya Hazarika – inculcated in us to love and respect every individual. So he (Dr. Bhupen Hazarika) was a kind and simple person from childhood and never differentiated between rich or the poor nor had any other classification in his outlook. He looked at everyone as equal human being,” Hazarika said.

Stating that for some people it may seem that the singer’s demise has left a vacuum, but for others his ideals is a constant companion.

“There are lots of youngsters who are following his music and ideals so there are several Bhupen Hazarikas in our midst just because they follow his ideals and approach towards life, which is Manuhe… Manuhor Babe,” Bolen Hazarika said.  

Faith cannot be kept imprisoned in geographical limits

“Faith cannot be kept imprisoned in geographical limits,” eminent journalist, MJ Akbar said while dismissing the idea of nationhood nurtured on the basis of religion.

Akbar said that Bangladesh is a perfect example of doing away with the idea of religion and opting for culture, language and secularism, which are the templates of a modern nation state.

On the other hand, he cited the example of Pakistan, which is in utter chaos. “Bangladesh will not be the cancer, which Pakistan is and has the chance of entering into the modern world…but, there is no hope for Pakistan,” Akbar said, at the four-day "Calm" literary, art and photography festival at Shillong, Meghalaya's State capital in Northeast India.

He said the foundation of Islam is based on “Muslim brotherhood and not Muslim nationhood,” and therefore the faith did not remain confined within the geographical fringes of just Mecca and Medina.

About India, Akbar said that it has the prerequisite of a modern state with its democratic setup, secularism, gender equality and economic equity, although much more is desired.

“There is no corner of India that the evening azan or the peel of the church bells cannot be heard, despite 80 per cent of the population being Hindus. India’s secularism is of coexistence of different faith and even atheists have the right to exist here,” he said.

He said that the idea of India (culture, tradition, integration etc. and fundamentals laid in the Indian Constitution) is much stronger than the Indians themselves, which has evolved over centuries. 

“The idea of India would prevail in the northeast, as it has in Punjab and Kashmir to a large extent. It may take some time, but there is no doubt that this great idea would prevail,” he said.

On gender equality, he said that much more needs to be done, especially when it comes to education in the country, especially of the girl child. He cited the example of Jawaharlal Nehru, when he attributed his effort to bring about gender equality as his biggest achievement.

 Akbar, meanwhile, was scathing in his remark and said: “Indians have contempt of our poor,” adding, that the country must bring about economic equity, so that the poor are a part of the rising narrative of India.

“The poor has a right to demand more, maybe better food and shelter, if not more, so they feel a part of the rising narrative of India…the Naxalites have gone hungry for the past 60 years,” he said about the struggle of the poor.

Akbar said that India was slowly turning into a society, where a few hundred industrialists and 70 odd families are running the economy of the country. “And there is a crisis now, which the young generation would have to find a way out (of the crisis,)” he felt.

DR. BHUPEN HAZARIKA A TRUE ARTIST

Describing the legendry Dr Bhupen Hazarika as a “true artist” worthy of emulation, Meghalaya Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary today said, the revolutionary artist transcended religion and region for oneness and peace through his undying art.

Mooshahary pointed to the phenomenon of the “spectacular footfall of huge multitude of people,” to pay their last respect to Dr Bhupen Hazarika after his demise, being unparalleled in the music world, and goes to prove that the singer “touched people’s consciousness” through his undying art.

The Governor said the quality of a true artist, is in being first and foremost, a peaceloving man, just as Dr Bhupen Hazarika. The Governor said that “unnecessary intolerance” has been created around the world as people do not want to reach each other by simply trying to understand the other person’s point of view. But, a true artist, like Dr Bhupen Hazarika, is someone who believes in reaching out to the masses though the doctrine of peace, integration and learning.

“After the singer’s demise there was an upsurge of emotion and uncountable people visited to pay their last respect. Such a spectacular footfall was never heard anywhere in the music world,” Mooshahary said in his inaugural address at the four-day Shillong Calm literary festival here. The festival would also feature motivational speeches from personalities like Chetan Bhagat, MJ Akbar and others besides art, photography exhibition, etc.

Mooshahary added that “art and culture can help reduce misunderstanding” and the “North East is a treasure house of art, culture and tradition” with “music being its forte.”

Touching on the literary scene of the region, the Governor lamented that the North East has several talented writers in the regional language, who do not get the kind of exposure that writers in the English language gets.

On the overall scenario of the North East, he said some of the problems of the region have accentuated as people believe in living in isolation, due to insecurity of being overwhelmed and exploited by “outsiders.”

“Art and culture,” he stated, has the capacity to liberalise people from this sense of insecurity and take them forward in the path of liberty.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said the Meghalaya Government wants to partner with the people through various modes and the recent creation of the district-level arts and cultural societies is an effort in that direction.

DURGA PUJO, SHILLONG 2012

Durga Puja 2012 Kumari Puja, Shillong

Different Durga Puja Pandals on Mahashtami performed Puja of Goddess Durga here. At the Ramakrishna Mission in Meghlaya's capital city Shillong, the “Kumari” or the virgin Goddess Shakti was worshiped as per rituals.

Amongst the different forms of Goddess Durga, the virgin form is said to be the most dynamic. According to the Markandeya Purana Mother God appears as Virgin-Kumari, to save the virtuous from the evil. Each year, therefore, this form of “MahaShakti” is worshiped during the festivities.

According to Hindu scriptures, Goddess during her annual four-day visit to her parental home on Earth with her four children is worshiped in differnt forms. One of the forms is a virgin girl or Kumari. The ritual of performing Kumari Puja finds mention in all the holy scriptures of the Hindus such as the Veda, Puranas, Tantra and Upanishad.

“Every woman is a manifestation of divine motherhood. And it is most prominent in a virgin. The tradition of worshiping virgin God is therefore age-old,” the Ramakrishna Mission said.

The age of the girl signifies the different form of Goddess Shakti. A one year old is Sandhya form of the Goddess. A two year-old girl is in Sarasvati mould. A child of three years is Tridhamurti, a four-year-old is in Kalika form. A five-year-old child is Subhaga, the sixth year is Uma, on her seventh year she is Malini.

An eight year girl is called Kubjika. Kaalasandarbha is the ninth year. In the tenth year she is Aparajita, on eleventh she is Rudrani. On the twelfth year she is Bhairavi, she is Mahalakshmi on the thirteenth year, on fourteenth she is Pithanayika. In the fifteenth year she is Kshetragya, and she is known as Ambika on her sixteenth year.

The Ramakrishna Mission takes care in choosing the girl to be the Kumaris at the different Missions across the country and abroad. The unmarried young girl has to be “dynamic, pure and serene with a bright disposition” matching the Goddess.

Before the Puja, the girl is given bath and adorned with new clothes, ornaments and floral garland. Vermilion is put on her forehead and the feet is washed and smeared with Alta – a red colouring liquid. She is then seated on a decorated chair and the Puja articles are placed on her feet and worshiped as the divine Goddess.

This year, the Ramakrishna Mission chose a five-year-old girl, Ashmita Bhatacharjee, as the Kumari and was worshiped. The young girl sat for nearly an hour as people watched in reverence with the Maharajs (priests) of the Mission performed the Puja. Later, she was placed at a room at the Mission and people sought here blessings by touching her feet.   

The practice of Kumari Puja started at the Ramakrishna Mission way back in 1902 when Swami Vivekananda performed it at Belur Math, Kolkata. Ever since, the ritual is performed on Mahashtami at the Ramakrishna Mission and also other Temples.