Asam (The Stellar News): In the 70s, the song ‘Auto-Rickshaw Chalao Ami Duyu Bhai’, written and composed by Sudhakantha Dr Bhupen Hazarika, became immensely popular. It’s a song that bridges the gap between generations, as it continues to be in the hearts and minds of people, both young and old, who know and enjoy it together. The song, produced through HMV’s long playing record, was sung by Dr Bhupen Hazarika along with his brother Jayanta Hazarika. Their wonderful vocals and harmonizing skills complemented each other flawlessly in the song. Most likely that it was one of the most popular songs sung by the singer brother duo.
It’s heartening to see that this yesteryear hit has now breathed new life in the audio-visual format. The song with a universal and enduring appeal has now been directed by Ashok Bora, a budding music video director of the new generation. The song is conceptualized and produced by Pranabjyoti Neog, who greatly admires music maestro and Bharat Ratna awardee Dr Bhupen Hazarika. The audio recording of the song has been recreated under the dexterous direction of noted musician Rupam Talukdar. The new version of the song is rendered by the promising singer Khanindra Hazarika, who has gained a lot of popularity on social media with his unconventional singing style. He is adequately supported by Meghdeep.
The video version of the song was officially launched at the Guwahati Press Club on November 5, where heartfelt tributes were paid to the legendary artist Dr Bhupen Hazarika on the occasion of his 12th death anniversary. The release function was attended by eminent litterateur Leena Sharma, Manoj Saikia, chairman of Assam Livestock and Poultry Corporation, Government of Assam, and vocalist Dr Mausumi Saharia.
A wonderful cover version of the old classic, the music video, aptly titled ‘Dignity of Labour’, impressed everyone in the function. Leena Sharma was completely absorbed by its imaginative direction, beautiful rendition of the two young singers and commendable performances. The song’s music works extremely well with the vibe of the original, giving it an entirely new aesthetic that will win over the hearts of music fans. Speaking on the occasion, Leena Sharma said that Dr Bhupen Hazarika composed this song to inspire and motivate the Assamese educated youths to take up all kinds of work irrespective of their academic achievements, and treat every worker with dignity and respect, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. Beautifully expressed in the melody and lyrics that transcends time, it has to be noted that the song rendered by Bhupen Hazarika with Jayanta Hazarika under the music direction of Bhupen Hazarika became enormously popular.
The video song produced under the banner of Aastha Creations features Achinta Raj Kashyap, Rupantar Das, Runumi Saikia, Boidujya Changmai and Shivraj Debnath. The videography has been done by Prithvi Raj Dutta. The makeup is by Pijumoni Sarma. We hope that more such timeless songs of Dr Bhupen Hazarika will be recreated with innovative storytelling and creative visuals in the audio-visual format in the days to come. The song is currently available on YouTube.
