Pratima Baruah Pandey | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Pratima Barua Pandey at Chanmari,Guwahati | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1934-10-03)3 October 1934 |
| Died | 27 December 2002(2002-12-27) (aged 68) |
| Genres | Folk song and regionalfilmiplayback |
| Occupations | Singer, Song writer |
| Instrument | Vocalist |
Pratima Barua Pandey (3 October 1934 – 27 December 2002) was an Indianfolk singer from theroyal family ofGauripur inWestern Assam'sDhubri district. Barua Pandey, a national awardee, best known for herGoalpariya (Koch Rajbongshi / Kamatapuri / Deshi) songsHastir Kanya andMur Mahut Bandhure, was the daughter of Prakritish Chandra Barua (Lalji) and niece offilmmakerPramathesh Barua ofDevdas fame.[1]
Barua Pandey was born on 3 October 1934, inCalcutta.[2] She pursued her early education in the city's Gokhale Memorial School, after which she came toAssam to study at the Girls’High School,Gauripur, home of theroyal family. She mostly spent her early years in between the din ofCalcutta and the soothing environments of riverside "Gadadhar" at hometownGauripur. Although she learnedRabindrasangeet atschool, but she never took any formal training or teaching in music except the encouraging words from her father Prakritesh Chandra Barua (Lalji). The most crucial point in her life came whenDr. Bhupen Hazarika visitedGauripur in 1955 and attended ajalsa organised on a social occasion, the shy young Pratima, though tongue-tied with fear, let her voice and thelyrics of thelokageet inGoalpariya dialect flow in tune with the strings andrhythms of thedhol,junuka,dotora,darinda,dhuluki andBashi which aremusical instruments inGoalpariya culture. Dr. Hazarika was highly impressed and predicted that this voice would definitely takeGoalpariya lokageet to great heights. Indeed, he first presentedGoalpariyafolk song in hisfilmEra Bator Sur. Besides the mahout songs, Barua Pandey used to sing the evergreen hitWe Are in the Same Boat, Brother[3] in stage shows. She married Ganga Shanker Pandey, a retiredprincipal of theGauripur P. B. College. She was inspired from the old family traditions of elephant captiving in their family. The mahouts who catch the elephant use to sing a form of song which she refined and polished to give the form ofGoalpariya lokageet. This can be found in her song "O Mor Mahut Bondhu re".
Pratima Barua Pandey was awarded thePadma Shri[7] andSangeet Natak Akademi for her pioneering efforts in popularisingGoalpariya lokageet.
A documentary film made on her life and works by noted filmmaker Prabin Hazarika,Hastir Kanya, wonNational Film Award for Best Biographical Film in1997, earned great appreciation and created waves at the South Asian film festival in 1998. FilmmakerBobby Sarma Baruah started filming a full-length feature film based on Barua Pandey's life in late 2015, titledSonar Baran Pakhi. Co-produced byASFFDC and BB Entertainment, the film was released in December 2016.[8]
1.The Times of India, 27 December 2002.[full citation needed]
2.The Telegraph, India, 28 December 2002.[full citation needed]
3. Sharmah, C.The Telegraph, India, 22 December 2006.[full citation needed]
4. Barua, N.The Telegraph, India, 22 January 2005.[full citation needed]
5.Jyotirmoi Prodhani,Life as lore: the art and time of Pratima Barua Pandey[permanent dead link]