Music of Assam

Years ago we had to spend one night in a waiting room of Guwahati Railway Station.. my father with great difficulty procured a little corner for his family of five... we had just arrived after days of travelling in buses, trains et al from a very small Himalayan town to the far eastern plains of Brahmaputra. We had grown up there as Kumaonis... and now after 3 long years of childhood we were excited and very curious about Assam and Goalpara, where ultimately we were to go..

As we camped in the waiting room for the night, we heard sound of a strange language, close to my mother tongue Bangla but their 'स' being 'ह' it sounded exotic. Being away in the Himalayas we were more familiar with Komaoni or Hindi.

We children were very exited to be in a new place. Though growing up in the mountains was very adventurous.. but we being very adventurous children had exhausted all avenues around our Himalayan hamlet..

As night fell and after eating a sumptuous meal of rice and दाल we went off to sleep. It has been days since we left our home of 3 years behind and have been travelling with all our belongings in trucks, buses and trains.. it was one of the longest journey for us. I remember my father being very upset with a group of young men in the waiting room.. he even went to complain about their boisterous behaviour etc. Later in the night as we slept soundly.. I awakened by strain of someone's singing.. a strange tune, sung in a strange exotic language. The tune was lilting and catchy, dramatic... even to my young ears they sounded very different.

It didn't take me much long to know it was the music of Assam.. songs of Bhupen Hazarika!!