Floral tributes were paid to the musical icon’s statue at Chandmari in Guwahati. Various programmes have also been lined up for the day to mark the occasion.
Digital Desk: Indian musician and composer Jayanta Hazarika is known for his work on Assamese music. He composed the music for various movies
and wrote the lyrics for a few songs.
Jayanta Hazarika, often known as Rana-da, was the younger
brother of the late Dr. Bhupen Hazarika. He began his musical career by playing
with his brother but eventually established himself as a solo performer and
songwriter. The first Assamese musician to combine Western classical, jazz, and
rock & roll with traditional Assamese tunes to create a new sound was
Jayanta. In his compositions, he was a trailblazer in using a number of western
instruments.
Jayanta Hazarika was born into a well-known Assamese musical
family. He was the ninth of Nilakanta Hazarika's and Shantipriya Hazarika's ten
children. His oldest brother was Bhupen Hazarika, who was 17 years older than
he was. At Mangaldai, Jayanta was born on September 20, 1943. He spent his
early years in a musically rich atmosphere. All of his siblings have a strong
musical background. Jayanta Hazarika, who is nine years old, wrote the music
for a song that his older brother, Nripen Hazarika, had written. Jayanta
Hazarika attended Sonaram High School in Guwahati for his high school
education. In 1962, he failed his matriculation test. After moving to Calcutta,
he recorded two songs with HMV.
Jayanta Hazarika's musical career began with him performing and
recording with his brother Bhupen Hazarika. ‘Aagoli Botahe Kopale Kolore Paat’
and ‘Krishnachura Krishnachura’ were the first two songs he recorded with HMV.
Both songs were immediate hits and launched his professional musical career. In
1963, Jayanta performed his first playback vocal performance for the song Sonar
Baran Pakhire Tor for the film "Maniram Dewan" alongside Shyamal
Mitra. The film's music was directed by Bhupen Hazarika. For this film, Jayanta
and Himangshu Biswas served as assistant music directors.
Thereafter, Jayanta began full-time singing and music
composition. Jayanta Hazarika worked as Assistant Music Director for Bhupen
Hazarika's movies Loti-Ghoti' and 'Chikmik Bijuli'. He played small
roles in two Assamese movies 'Loti-Ghoti' and 'Chikmik Bijuli'.
On the humanitarian front, the contribution of Jayanta Hazarika
is prominent. In 1977, he formed an institution named Xur Bahini. This was
created with the help of people from Golaghat
to help the flood victims of Assam. This group used to sing in the streets and
collect remunerations, which were later donated.
Floral tributes were paid to the musical icon’s statue at Chandmari
in Guwahati. Various programmes have also been lined up for the day to mark the
occasion.
Meanwhile, taking to Twitter, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa
Sarma has penned down a heartfelt note in Assamese as a mark of respect to the
music maestro.
CM Sarma wrote, "Today is the birthday of one of the greatest
people who have enriched Assamese music, our much-respected composer and
singer, Jayanta Hazarika. Rana Da's magical voice and unique melody style have given Assamese music a new identity throughout the ages. I fondly
remember our beloved artist on his birthday.
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