Sudakshina Sarma (1934–2023) was an Indian singer associated with Assamese music. During his eight decade long career, Sarma recorded songs in various classical and modern genres in Assamese music including Borgeet, Kamrupi folklore and Goalpariya folklore. He played an important role in popularizing Jyoti Sangeet and Rabindra Sangeet. She is known for giving voice to the evergreen Assamese songs Kotha Aru Shoor, Jetuka Bolere and Sharatkalor Rati. She was the sister of famous Assamese singer Bhupen Hazarika. He died on 3 July 2023 due to age-related ailments.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Sudakshina Sarma was born as Nirupama Hazarika on Wednesday, 8 August 1934 (aged 88 at the time of death) in Guwahati, Assam Province, British India (now Guwahati, Assam, India). His zodiac sign was Leo. His paternal family was from Nazira, Assam. Growing up in a culturally inclined artistic family with 9 siblings, Sudakshina first experienced music while listening to her mother sing lullabies and Assamese folk songs for her children. His passion for music was later enhanced by his singer-brother Bhupen Hazarika. In an interview, he recalled listening to Bhupen’s songs on the radio in his childhood and said,
There were only two radio sets in the area – one at the house of Tarun Ram Phukan and one at the residence of MP Rohini Chaudhary. Whenever, Bhupenda told us, we would go to one of these houses to listen to his songs. But sometimes it was frustrating because while performing the initial formalities at his house, we would usually miss the first part of the song.
She accompanied Bhupen to his concerts in Dhubri, Tezpur, Sonitpur and Mangaldoi, exposing her to artistic and cultural activities in Assam. During this time, he had the opportunity to interact with stalwarts of Assamese culture like Roopkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwal, Bishnu Prasad Rabha, playwright Phani Sarma and others. She used to listen to gramophone records of Pankaj Malik, Sehgal and Kanan Devi in her childhood. She did her schooling from Panbazar Girls High School, Guwahati. His mother was an active member of the Assam Territorial Mahila Committee. Sudakshina used to accompany her mother to the committee meetings, where she met various freedom fighters and activists like Chandraprabha Saikiani, Amalprava Das, Begum Abida Ahmed (wife of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed) etc. They married in 1954, when she was about to appear for him. BA Final Examination at Handic Girls College, Guwahati.
Physical Appearance
Hair Color: Gray
Eye colour: black
Sudakshina Sarma performing with her son Rishiraj Sarma
Family
parents and siblings
His father, Neelkanth Hazarika, was a musician and ACS officer. His mother, Shantipriya Hazarika, was an active member of the Assam Territorial Mahila Samiti. Sudakshina was the fourth among ten children of her parents. The eldest child of Sudakshina was his brother Bhupen Hazarika (1926–2011), widely known as Sudha Kontho, a renowned playback singer, lyricist, musician, poet, actor, artist, editor, film producer from Assam. , was a professor and politician. Bhupen was eight years older than Sudakshina.
Bhupen Hazarika
His brother Samar Hazarika is a playback singer and employee in the Food Corporation of India. He had a sister named Sushma Hazarika. His younger brother, Balen Hazarika, was a cultural worker and educationist. He was the Music Secretary of Cotton College and retired professor at St. Anthony’s College, Shillong. His brother Jayant Hazarika (singer and composer) was the ninth of 10 children. The name of one of his brothers is Nripen Hazarika.
Samar Hazarika, brother of Sudakshina Sarma
Jayant Hazarika, brother of Sudakshina Sarma
Sudakshina Sarma’s brother Balen Hazarika
Nripen Hazarika and Sudakshina Sarma
husband and children
In 1954, she married singer and musician Dilip Sarma, son of Dinanath Sarma, founder and editor of the Assamese magazine Awaan.
Dilip Sarma and Sudakshina Sarma
Dilip first became acquainted with Sudakshina in 1943 in Calcutta, where she was recording Kalaguru’s song Nahor Phule Nusuvai Tagar Phule Suvabe under Senola Records. Recalling his first meeting with Sudakshina, Dilip said,
During one such program at Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir in Uzan Bazaar, Uday Shankar presented a unique dance drama with his troupe members performing robotic artistic movements. That night, she (Sudakshina) also performed a beautiful classical dance number.
The couple had two sons, Rituparna Sarma and Rishiraj Sarma, and a daughter, Rijushree Sarma Majumdar. Both his deceased sons, Rituparna Sarma and Rishiraj Sarma, were prominent singers. Rishiraj Sarma was also a lawyer. His daughter Rijushree is married to famous writer Parmanand Majumdar.
Sudakshina Sarma giving a musical performance with her son Rishiraj Sarma
Rituparna Sarma, son of Sudakshin Sarma
Rijushree Sarma Majumdar with her husband Parmanand Majumdar
Caste
She belonged to the Jaliya Kaibarta family, a dom fisherman caste of Assam. Historically they were considered an untouchable caste. The Doms are listed as a Scheduled Caste for reservation in India.
livelihood
His career spanned eight decades, beginning in the mid-1940s. In 1944, when she was just 10 years old, her guru Bishnu Prasad Rabha accompanied her to Kolkata (then Calcutta), where she recorded the songs Nahar Phule Nushuvai and Biswar Chande Chande with Assamese actor and music director Kamal Narayan Choudhury. Composed by Bishnu Rabha, the songs became an instant hit. The same year, he recorded two more hit songs, Duronir Hou Rini Rini, written by Anandiram Das, and A’ Moina Ketiya Ahili Toi, composed by his father Neelkanth Hazarika. In 1946, Sudakshina got the opportunity to sing “Ee Joy Raghur Nandan” for Mahatma Gandhi in front of a huge crowd at the Jubilee Garden in Guwahati, which she considered one of the greatest moments of her life. Recalling this in an interview, he said,
I can never forget that special moment in my life. Gandhiji wanted to hear an Assamese bhajan. Then Gopinath Bordoloi asked me to sing a song, and Bishnu Rabha suggested Ee Joi Rogunandan.
Another important moment in Nirupama’s life was when after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi his ashes were ceremoniously flown into the Brahmaputra at Shukreshwar Ghat. He sang the song Prithviraj Shirot Bajrapat Porile composed by his elder brother Bhupen Hazarika on this important occasion. He also acted in plays and participated in folk dance performances. In 1948, she became an artist of All India Radio when its unit was opened in Guwahati. Her marriage to singer and composer Dilip Sarma in 1954 opened new doors for her artistic career. The duo recorded great albums together and gave hit songs like Moyu Bane Jaao Swamihe, Nahar Phule Nushuvai, Kamalkuwari More Praneshwari, Rati Puvelare Kuruvai Pare Rao and Ur Ur Ur Neel Akashat.
Cover of a music album of Dilip Sarma and Sudakshina Sarma
Apart from folk and classical music, she worked as a playback singer in a set of three LP records on plays including Prabin Phukan’s Maniram Dewan, Sarbeshwar Chakraborty’s Piyoli Phukan besides Vishnu Shakti and Lakshyadhar Chaudhary’s Rakshya Kumar. She lent her voice to several Assamese films, including Chik Mik Bijuli (1969), Pargat and Abuj Bedona (1993), directed by her husband Dilip Sarma. He also presented the Assamese version of Rabindra Sangeet – Arup Tomar Bani. His other audio cassettes with music labels HMV, Columbia and Senola Records include Jautijugiya, Aparup Tomar Bani, Geet Gaao Ekelge, Sirsundera Sanskriti and Nijra Parar Sur. The legendary singer is credited with preserving Assamese music by lending her voice to various genres like Borgeet, Kamrupi, Goalpariya, Bongeet, Biyanam and Bihunam. Later, he also served as a cultural ambassador. Even after retiring from singing in public, Sudakshina continued to teach music until old age put a halt to her abilities. In 2020, Sudakshina Sarma collaborated with her son Rishiraj Sarma to sing the song “I-O-I”.
I-O-I by Sudakshina Sarma and Rishiraj Sarma
Death
Sudakshina Sarma was admitted to the ICU of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on June 23, 2023 as she was suffering from pneumonia and bed sores. Later his condition improved and he was shifted to a cabin. His health deteriorated again on the night of 2 July 2023 and he died on 3 July 2023 at 8.25 am. His mortal remains will be taken to his residence for the last darshan of his family and well-wishers. Sudakshina had donated her eyes and body for medical research to Ellora Science Forum, a Guwahati-based NGO that promotes organ donation. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his grief on social media and wrote,
I am saddened to hear the news of the demise of Sudakshina Sharma, the shining star of Assam’s cultural world and prominent musician. He enriched the world of music with heart-touching songs and his demise is a great loss to the cultural and social sectors of the state.
Sudakshina Sharma in her last days
Facts/General Knowledge
- She was nicknamed Rani in her childhood. Early in her career she was known as Queenie Hazarika. It was only after she married famous singer and composer Dilip Sarma in 1954 that she changed her name to Sudakshina. Her sister-in-law Manisha Hazarika (wife of Jayant Hazarika) revealed that the name Queenie was given to her by Bishnu Prasad Rao. Famous Assamese artist and revolutionary poet. After marriage, her father-in-law Dinanath Sarma named her Sudakshina.
- Interestingly, Nirupama’s childhood desire to become a nurse was inspired by a book she read about Florence Nightingale. However, his ineptitude in mathematics prevented him from pursuing studies in science.
- In 1943, he rehearsed for the role of young Shankardev for a play directed by Bishnu Rabha for a half-hour program on Assamese culture, to be broadcast by All India Radio (AIR). However, she could not act in the play as she was suffering from typhoid.
- Sudakshina and Dileep were active members of the Assam unit of the Indian People’s Theater Association (IPTA) (or Gananatya Sangh). The couple was known for their proficiency in Rabindra Sangeet and dedicated their lives to various forms of music including folk, classical, light classical and modern. During the fifties, he presented Jyoti Sangeet (songs written by Assam’s cultural icon Jyoti Prasad Agarwal) in China under cultural exchange programmes. In 1990, he started running Jaijayanti Kala Kendra, a music college and art school, affiliated with the Center for Ancient Arts, Chandigarh and the Sarab Bharatiya Sangeet o Sanskriti Parishad, India. He also founded the Dilip Sarma-Sudakshina Sarma Cultural Academy.
- In 2002, Sudakshina Sarma and her husband, Dilip Sarma, received the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for their contribution to the research and practice of folk music and Jyoti Sangeet of the state. This was the first time that a couple was given this honor together.
- In 2022, he underwent leg surgery at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) after falling in the bathroom. Earlier she had undergone hip joint surgery.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn