Childhood of Bhupen Hazarika

Dr Bhupen Hazarika,   who has secured a revered position among the musicians of this country is bestowed with various other facets of talents, which many of us do not know. And apart from being a gifted person he owes much of these talents to his upbringing. In this article you will get to know about the child-hood of the great musical maestro Dr Bhupen Hazarika whom we all love to call as Bhupenda!

Bhupenda's Childhood was amazing! Bhupen da was born to a cultured and eduated family. His father's name (though all fans of Bhupen knows this) is Nilakanta Hazarika and mother is Santipriya. Bhupen da was born in Sadiya a remote place of upper-Assam. (And not only remote Sadiya is a place that is gradually devoured by the mighty Brahmaputra). Anyways Dr Bhupen Hazarika was only two and a half years old when his father had decided to migrate to Guwahati, the cultural hub of Assam.

Interesting anecdote of Bhupenda's childhood is that as an infant he was once lost by his parents and he spent a copuple of days in a tribal family. And he was returned by a young girl of Adi tribe of Arunachal. Once Bhupenda jokingly expressed that he is a true-blue Arunachali because he was breast fed by a Arunachali when he was lost in childhood!!

Bhupenda grew up in a family of several brothers and sisters! Interestingly all his siblings are gifted with musical talents. His brother late Jayanta Hazarika possessed one of the most enthralling and melodious  voices that is hugely popular till date and will remain so. His other siblings Samar Hazarika, Kamal Hazarika, Amar, Hazarika, Sudakshina Sarma(married to another singer Dilip Sharma), Stuti Patel all are gifted artistes of our time.

And it is a foregone conclusion that among all the child artistes the childhood of Bhupena was a really formative period of his life!

Bhupenda's nickname was Bormoina. The family of Bhupenda stayed in their mother's maternal home, which was the actual learning place for Bhupnda and his siblings.

 As a child Bhupen Hazarika's first formal performance was at a school function which was organized to fecilitate Rasaraj Lakminath Bezbaruah( President of Assam Sahitya Sabha). After the performance Lakminath Bezbauah was so overwhelmed that he raised from his position and kissed the little prodigy that is our beloved Bhupen Hazarika.