Pall of gloom descends on Nizarapar

GUWAHATI: The Nizarapar residence of Bhupen Hazarika wore a gloomy look on Sunday as his family members, friends, neighbours and well-wishers mourned his demise at a Mumbai hospital.
Since morning, people were seen coming to Hazarika's residence in large numbers and most of them recalled their experience with the maestro. Babori Hazarika, the bard's niece, remembered him as a father-figure full of love and compassion.
"I lost my father at a very young age. It has been Bhupen bordeuta who was there for me always. They were 10 siblings and Bhupenda was the eldest. I would always take his advice on personal and professional problems," she said.
She added, "He was very stylish and full of life. He had the energy of a young man. But gradually his health began to deteriorate and he had to be admitted to hospital. When I went to see him in Mumbai, I couldn't believe that he was the same man I had known all my life. He looked feeble and was struggling to survive."
There are also people who like to remember him as someone very enthusiastic and would love to dress up and apply his favourite cream and perfume.
Prabhat, Bhupenda's friend and confidante, said, "I came from Patsala when I was only seven years old. Since then, dada has become a part of my existence. He would take my advice on what to wear for concerts and I would arrange his clothes and other essentials before every show. He was very fond of applying a cream which he would specially order from Kolkata."
He added, "Such was our connection that he told me that he would never ask me what he wants. He told me to look at his face and understand it himself. Since childhood, I saw a lot of artistes like Pratima Panday and Shashi Bordoloi coming to his house. I would watch them from a distance and he would call me and ask me to sit near him. He taught me to ride a bicycle and this memory is still freash in my mind."
Sumitra Hazarika, Bhupen Da's sister in-law, recalled how he would ask her to prepare his favourite dishes like behar bengena, mati mahor daali and xoru maas. She said though theirs is a large family, Bhupenda was more close to her and tell about his favourite dishes only to her.
" Maybe because I was the only Assamese buwari he could relate to me more closely. He was like my elder brother and his loss is irreparable," she said.
She added, "On Saturday, after Bhupenda's demise, Kalpana Lajmi, his friend and companion, had called me from Mumbai and said that dada wanted to see me for the last time and I should have been there. I wish I could see him for the last time."
MLA Robin Bordoloi and actress Chetana Das, who were also seen paying tribute to the singer, said this was a loss which cannot be expressed in words. "He was very close to my father and we used to live in Shillong back in 1947. He would ask him to sing and we would all listen to him mesmerized. His idol was Bishnu Rabha and he had a sof corner for the poor. He would always do things for them in his own way," added Bordoloi.
Chetana Das, whose association with the legend dates back to several decades, said "Unlike others, I would not say he is gone. He would always live in our hearts and the youngsters should learn from him and remember his contribution."