legendary singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika, who wove a

magical tapestry out of traditional Assamese music and lyrics,

died here today following a prolonged illness.

It was a multi-organ failure. The end came around 4.30 pm, Jayanta Narayan
Saha, in-charge of media relations at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital here,
told PTI.

The 86-year-old Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner was undergoing treatment at the
hospital since June 29, after he complained of breathlessness. Since then he was
confined to the hospital bed.

He had an infection and was on medical support and dialysis.

Hazarika's health deteriorated on October 23, after he developed pneumonia. He

had to undergo a minor surgery whereby doctors placed a food pipe into his system.

The balladeer who composed his own lyrics and music last lent his voice to the film
Gandhi To Hitler, where he sang Mahatma Gandhi's favourite bhajan Vaishnav
jan'.

Hazarika was regarded as one of the greatest living cultural communicators of

South Asia. He had been a poet, journalist, singer, lyricist, musician, filmmaker and
writer. The Padma Bhushan awardee had celebrated his birthday this year in the
ICU of the hospital on September 8 when he cut a cake and fans sang his favourite
numbers.

Bhupen Hazarika, the bard of Brahmaputra' whose ability to weave magic out of
traditional Assamese music gave us songs like Dil hoom hoom kare' and O Ganga
behti ho', swayed and inspired millions across generations with the power and
passion of his voice.

A poet, music composer, singer, actor, journalist, author and filmmaker, the self-
proclaimed jajabor' (wanderer) took the rich folk heritage of Assam and interpreted
it beautifully for the world through his songs.

With his death, the country has lost not only one of its few balladeers but also one
of its greatest cultural icons, cherished in Dhaka as much as in Guwahati.

Born in 1926 in Sadiya into a family of teachers, the academically-talented Hazarika

completed his basic education from Guwahati in 1942, BA from Banaras Hindu
University in 1944 and MA (Pol Sc) in 1946. He did his PhD in Mass Communication
from Columbia University. He also received the Lisle Fellowship from Chicago
University, US to study the use of educational project development through
cinema.

During his stay in the US, he met the legendary black singer Paul Robeson, whose
famous number Old man river' was successfully transformed to the megahit
Bistirno parore' (O Ganga behti ho' in Hindi), a virtual anthem for generations of
pro-Left activists.

In an interview to a national daily many years ago, he attributed his singing to tribal
music.

As a child, I grew up listening to tribal music - its rhythm saw me developing an

inclination towards singing. Perhaps, I inherited my singing skills from my mother,
who sang lullabies to me. In fact, I have used one of my mother's lullabies in
Rudali', the Dadasaheb Phalke winner had said.

He sang his first song Biswa nijoy nojowan' (in the second Assamese film
Indramalati) in 1939 at the age of 12.

In addition to his native Assamese, Hazarika composed, wrote and sang for
numerous Bengali and Hindi films from 1930s to the 1990s besides other songs. He
was also one of the leading author-poets of Assam with more than 1,000 lyrics and
several books on short stories, essays, travelogues, poems and children's rhymes.

He produced and directed, composed music and sang for Assamese films like Era
Batar Sur, Shakuntala, Loti ghoti, Pratidhwani, Chick Mick Bijuli,
Swikarokti and Siraj.

His most famous Hindi films include his long-time companion Kalpana Lajmi's
Rudaali, Ek Pal, Darmiyaan, Daman and Kyon, Sai Paranjpe's Papiha and
Saaz, Mil Gayee Manzil Mujhe and M F Husain's Gajagamini.

You paint through your songs. But I can't sing with my paintbrush. It's up to you to
fill this lacuna in my artistry. That's why I've taken you, Husain apparently told
Hazarika after chosing him for the music score of Gajagamini.

Last year, Hazarika featured in his first music video - Our Northeast, Our Star' with
music and lyrics by 3 Idiots duo Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire.

He also lent his voice to this year's film Gandhi To Hitler, where he sang Mahatma
Gandhi's favourite bhajan Vaishnav jan'. He came to Mumbai to work in the Indian
People's Theatre Movement (IPTA) with Salil Chowdhury, Balraj Sahni and other
Marxist intellectuals.

He soon made the city his second home. The generous city and its people have
welcomed me, accepted me, and given me my second home since so many years. I
admire its people for its willingness to allow people from the rest of India to earn a
living and prosper, irrespective of caste, creed or colour, he once said about his life
in Mumbai.

He received the National Award for Best Music Director in 1976 for Chameli
Memsaab and President's medal for his films Shakuntala (1960), Pratidhwani
(1964) and Lotighoti (1967). He was a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly
from 1967-72 and was awarded the Padmashri in 1977 and the Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award in 1987. He was the chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi from
1999-2004.

He was also a member of Assam Film Development Council and the Central Board of
Film Certification. In 2003, he was appointed member of the Prasar Bharati Board.
In February 2009, the All Assam Students Union felicitated Hazarika by erecting a
life size statue in the heart of Guwahati. It was unveiled by Hazarika himself.

Bhupen Hazarikas last rites: Sea of

humanity sheds tears
A 21-gun salute was offered by the Assam Police with doctors and forensic experts
taking the foot impressions of the man for posterity

It was the end of an era as the mortal remains of the bard from Assam, Bhupen Hazarika, went
up in flames Wednesday with his son Tej lighting the funeral pyre amid sobs and wails from a
sea of humanity. Heartrending scenes were witnessed at the Gauhati University campus, close
to the banks of the great Asian river Brahmaputra. As the funeral pyre was lit at 10.26am, chants
of Bhupen Hazarika amar raho (Long live Bhupen Hazarika) rent the air and people broke
down, with some crying loudly and others barely managing to hold back their tears.

An overwhelmed Tej pleaded with the surging crowd to control themselves and maintain calm
even as Hazarikas companion of 40 years, Kalpana Lajmi, cried inconsolably, unable to check
her emotions. I am speechless with the overwhelming response and love for my father, an
emotional Tej said after performing the last rites of the 85-year-old legend. An estimated
1,00,000 people were present at the funeral site, some atop trees, and others trying witness the
last rites from every possible vantage point available in the area. A 21-gun salute was offered by
the Assam Police with doctors and forensic experts taking the foot impressions of the man for
posterity. Among those present at the funeral were Governor JB Patnaik and Chief Minister
Tarun Gogoi. Also around was leader of the opposition in Parliament and senior Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj, besides a galaxy of celebrities and eminent citizens.
 The final journey of one of Indias oldest performing singers began around 7am with a multitude
of people following the cortege from the historic Judges Field to the funeral site at the Gauhati
University campus. It was a tearful last journey of the bard whose baritone voice enthralled and
mesmerised fans. Lajmi and 60-year-old Tej accompanied the flower bedecked hearse to the
funeral site.

Hazarika died Saturday at a Mumbai hospital following a prolonged illness. Estranged wife
Priyamvada Patel, 82, who stays in Toronto in Canada, said she was saddened by Hazarikas
death. I am saddened to hear about the death of my sons father. I am down with some knee
ailment and so could not come, Priyamvada said over the phone. I spoke to him on the phone
some 10 years ago when he was unwell.

The last rites were to be performed Tuesday, but the government had to postpone the ceremony
to Wednesday following a massive public demand. Thousands came out of their homes to pay
their last respects to Hazarika whose coffin was kept at Judges Field since Sunday night.

Hazarika began singing when he was just 10 years old and churned out hit after hit, numbering
more than 1,500 songs until his health failed about two years ago. At 13, he sang about building
a new Assam and a new India the lyrics were his own, very powerful and contemporary.

A Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner, Hazarika was born in 1926 in one of Assams remotest
corners Sadiya in the eastern district of Tinsukia. He grew up in the northern town of Tezpur
and later went to Banaras Hindu University and completed his graduation and post-graduation
in political science. He studied with an aim to pursue a career as a lawyer in Assam, but destiny
made him a mass-based singer. In 1948, Hazarika went to the US on a scholarship to study
Mass Communication at Columbia University, New York. It was there that he got soaked in
American folk music and later on that influenced him to bring in the folk elements in his songs
although he mostly sang the folk tunes of Assam.

wikiHow to Speak Confidently in Public

Five Parts:Preparing to SpeakHoning Your MessageSpeaking in PublicSample Persuasive SpeechesSample Informational

SpeechesCommunity Q&A

Speaking in public is a fear for a lot of people, whether it's giving a speech, a toast at your
friend's wedding, or being called on in class. Fortunately, you can make speaking in public less
anxiety inducing by following some of these types. It may never be your favorite thing, but you'll
be far less likely to throw up in front of your audience.
 Part 1
Preparing to Speak
1.

1
Know your subject. Part of making yourself a comfortable and dynamic public speaker is to
make sure you know what you're talking about and you know it well. Lacking knowledge can
make you anxious and uncertain when you're speaking and that will come through to your
audience.[1]

o Preparation is key. Take your time when you are planning your speech to make
sure that it flows naturally and logically. You'll also need to make sure that you know how you're
 coming across while giving the speech and heighten your good qualities while downplaying the
less good qualities.
o Even if public speaking is something like having to answer a question in class,
you will still need to make sure that you know your subject. This can help you feel and present
as more confident, which will make a good impression on your listeners.

2
Train your body. While speaking in public isn't like running a race, there are still things you can
do to make sure that your body cooperates with you. This goes beyond not shifting your weight
from foot to foot while you're talking (hold your toes still and you won't find yourself doing this). It
has to do with breathing, with projecting and making sure you're speaking properly.[2]
o Speak from your diaphragm. This will help you to project clearly and loudly so
that your audience can hear you without seeming like you're straining or shouting. As an
exercise, stand up straight and put your hand on your abdomen. Breathe in, and breathe out.
Count to 5 on a breath and then 10 on a breath. You'll feel your abdomen start to relax. You
want to be breathing and speaking from that relaxed state.
o Modulate your tone. Figure out what the pitch of your voice is. Too high? Too
low? Going into registers only dogs can hear? Relaxing, standing in a comfortable (but upright)
position and breathing properly will help you find a more comfortable and more pleasant tone.
o Avoid throat breathing and upper chest breathing, as these both can add to your
anxiety and tighten up your throat. In consequence, your voice will sound more strained and
uncomfortable.

 3
Practice pacing. People speak a lot more quickly when they're just having a conversation, but
that sort of speech doesn't work when you're speaking in front of a group. Your audience needs
to be able to follow along with what you're saying and be allowed time to process the speech.

o Try to speak more slowly and more carefully than a typical conversational tone.
Make sure that you allow for pauses between different ideas, or especially important themes, so
that your audience has time to understand and reflect on what you just said.
o Practice proper articulation and pronunciation. Articulation is when you're
pronouncing sounds. Focus especially on enunciating these sounds: b, d, g, dz (j in jelly), p, t, k,
ts, (ch in chilly). For pronunciation, you want to make sure you know how to pronounce all your
words and that you've practiced pronouncing the more difficult ones.
o Eliminate the 'um's and placeholder words such as "like." When public speaking,
these words make you sound as if you don't know what you're talking about. If you need to
gather your thoughts, you can always pause doing so will appear deliberate.


4
Know your speech. Knowing your speech is just as important as knowing the subject you're
giving the speech on. There are also different ways of giving speeches, so you'll need to pick the
way that works best for you.

o To give a speech, you'll need to either have some sort of note cards or outline. Or
you can do it from memory, if that is something that you do well (don't try this if you aren't super
confident you can do it).
o You don't need to write down every single thing on your note cards (leave a little
room for improvisation), although it can be helpful to make notes of things like "pause after this
information" or "remember to breathe" so that you actually remember to do those things.


5
Memorize your speech. While you don't necessarily have to memorize your speech or talking
points, it can be a great way to help you appear confident and easy in your subject matter. Make
sure that you have enough time set aside to do this, however.[3]

o Write out your speech over and over. This method helps you to remember the
speech. The more you write it out, the easier it will be to recall it. Once you've written it multiple
times, test yourself on how well you remember it. If there were parts you couldn't remember,
write those specific parts over and over again.
o Break your speech down into smaller parts and memorize each of those parts. It
is really hard to memorize an entire speech in one go. The best thing to do is memorize it in
 small chunks (start with each bullet point, and then move up to memorizing your 3 different main
points, etc.)
o Use the loci method. Break down your speech into paragraphs or bullet points.
Visualize a picture for each bullet point (like imagining a Harry Potter if you're talking about J.K.
Rowling's influence on children's literature). Determine a location for each of the points (like
Hogwarts for Rowling, a meadow for Stephenie Meyer, etc.). Now you'll progress through the
locations (you fly on a broomstick from Hogwarts to the meadow, for example). If you have
multiple things to say about each specific point, then put them in specific places around the
location (like a point about Harry Potter's popularity in the Main Hall, or the effect she had on
revamping the genre in the Quidditch field).

6
 Know your audience. You need to know who you're giving your speech to, because things that
might go over well with one type of audience are going to anger or bore another type. For
example: you wouldn't want to be informal during a business presentation, but you might be
informal with a group of college students.

o Humor is a great way to loosen yourself and your audience up. There's usually a
type of humor that fits most public speaking situations (but not always!). It's good to start off with
a little humor to lighten the atmosphere and give the impression of confidence. Telling a funny
(and true) story can be a good way to do this.
o Figure out what it is you're trying to get across to the audience. Are you trying to
give them new information? Rehash old information? Are you trying to persuade them to do
something? This will help you focus your speaking around the main point that you want to get
across.

 7
Practice. This is hugely important if you want your speaking in public venture to go well. It's not
enough to know your material and what you're trying to get across. You need to have done it
enough times that you feel easy in it. It's like breaking in shoes. The first few times you wear
them you're going to get blisters, but soon they'll be comfortable and fit you well.[4]

o Try to visit the space you'll be speaking in and practice there. This will give you
greater confidence because you're more familiar with the area.
o Video your practicing and find your strengths and weaknesses. Although it can be
daunting to watch yourself on video, it's a great way to see where your strengths and
weaknesses are. You'll notice what your nervous physical tics are (shifting from foot to foot,
running your hands through your hair) and you can work on eliminating them or keeping them to
a minimum.
 Part 2
Honing Your Message
1.

1
Pick the right type of speech. The 3 types of speeches are informative, persuasive,
entertaining. While there can be overlap between the different types, they each have a specific
function that they fulfill.[5]

o An informative speech's main purpose is to give facts, details, and examples.

Even if you are trying to persuade your audience, it is still about the basic facts and information.
o A persuasive speech is all about persuading your audience. You will employ
facts, but also emotion, logic, your own experiences, etc.
o The purpose of an entertaining speech fulfills a social need, but often uses some
of the aspects of an informative speech (like a wedding toast, or an acceptance speech).

2
Avoid a rambling opening. You've definitely heard the speech that opens with "when I was
asked to give this speech, I wondered what to say..." Don't do it. This is one of the most boring
ways to start a speech. It rambles all over the place through the presenter's personal life, and is
almost never as entertaining as the presenter thinks it is.

o Start your speech by giving your main, overarching idea, and the 3 (or so) main
points you have to support and elaborate on it. Your audience is going to remember your
opening and your closing better than they remember any other part of the speech.
o Open it in a way that gets your audience's attention right off the bat. This means
offering up a surprising fact or statistic, or asking a question and blowing your audience's
preconceptions out of the water.

3
Have a clear structure. To avoid having a speech that ends up all over the place, you will need
to construct a clear format. Remember, you're not trying to overwhelm your audience with facts
and ideas.[6]

o Have one overarching idea. Ask yourself what are you trying to get across to the
audience? What do you want them to take away from your speech? Why should they agree with
 what you're saying? For example: if you are giving a lecture on national trends in literature,
consider why your audience should care. You don't want to just spit facts out at your audience.
o You'll need several main points that back up your overarching idea or point. The
best number is usual 3 main points. For example: If your overarching idea is that national
children's literature is becoming more diverse, have 1 point showing the new trends, have a
second point showing the reception of this new diversity by the public, and a third point talk
about why this new diverse children's fiction matters.

4
Use the right language. Language is incredibly important in writing and in giving a speech.
You'll want to stay away from lots of really big and unwieldy words, because no matter how
 smart your audience is, they're going to lose interest quickly if you're hitting them over the head
with the dictionary.

o Use striking adverbs and adjectives. You want to enliven your speech and your
audience. For example: instead of "Children's literature offers a range of diverse perspectives"
say "Children's literature offers a new range of exciting and diverse perspectives."
o Use images that make your audience sit up and take notice. Winston Churchill
used the phrase "the iron curtain" to describe the secrecy of the Soviet Union. Striking images
linger in your audience's consciousness (as seen by the fact "the iron curtain" has become a
household phrase).
o Repetition is also a great way to remind your audience why your speech is
important (think of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I had a dream..." speech). It hammers home your
points and makes it so they can't forget the overarching theme.

 5
Keep it simple. You want your audience to be able to easily follow your speech and to
remember when you're finished. Not only does that mean having striking images and surprising
facts, it means that it needs to be simple and to the point. If you meander into the quagmires of
tangentially related subjects, you're going to lose your audience.

o Use short sentences and short phrases. These can be used for great dramatic
effect. For example the phrase "never again." It is short and to the point and packs a powerful
punch.
o You can also use short, pithy quotes. Lots of famous people have said funny, or
powerful statements in a very short amount of space. You can Try to make your own or utilize
ones that are already in place. For example: Franklin D. Roosevelt said "Be sincere; be brief; be
seated."
 Part 3
Speaking in Public
1.

1
Deal with your anxiety. Pretty much everyone gets a little anxious before they have to get up in
front of people and talk. Hopefully, you're already prepared with your speech and you know how
to give it. Fortunately there are some ways to make those jitters more manageable.[7]

o Before getting up and speaking, clench and unclench your hands several times to
deal with your adrenaline rush. Take 3 deep, slow breaths. This will clear your system and get
you ready to breathe properly during the speech.
o Stand confidently in a relaxed and upright posture, with your feet shoulder's width
apart. This will trick your brain into thinking that you're confident and make it easier to give the
speech.

2
Smile at the audience. Smile at them as they come into the room (if you're out there) or smile
when you get up in front of them. This will make it seem like you're confident and ease the
atmosphere both for you and for them.[8]

o Smile even if you feel like hurling (especially if you feeling like hurling). This will
help trick your brain into feeling confident and at ease.


3
Give a performance. Speaking in public, of any kind, is all about performance. You can make
your speech interesting or boring depending on the performance you give. You need to have an
onstage persona that you use while you're speaking.[9]

o Tell a story. Part of your performance is giving the speech or speaking like you're
telling a story. People love stories and it will make it easier for them to connect with you, even if
you're talking about something factually based. use your overarching theme or subject as the
basis of the story. Why should the audience care about your topic? What's the point?[10]
o Try to have a balance between your rehearsed speech and some spontaneity.
People don't want to sit there and watch you mumble through your note cards. It's a good idea to
 give yourself space to expand on your subject free of the note cards and to add a few side
stories to give interest.
o Use your hands to help you make points. You don't want to be flailing about
onstage, but neither do you want to be standing stock still while you talk. It's good to use
controlled gestures to make points as you speak.
o Vary your voice while you're speaking. Your audience will be asleep in 10
seconds flat if you only speak in one long monotone. Get excited about your subject and show
that in your inflections.

4
 Engage the audience. You want to make sure your audience is in your power, which means
engaging them in the material no matter what it happens to be. This comes down to being an
interesting speaker more than it comes down to an interesting topic.[11]

o Look at your audience. Mentally split your room up into sections and make eye
contact with one person in each section on a rotational basis.
o Ask your audience questions during your speaking. You could open up each
different section of your speech with questions that you have people Try to answer, before you
show them your information. It will make them feel as if they are part of your speech.

5
 Talk more slowly. One of the things people fail most frequently in while trying to speak in public
is by talking too fast. Your normal conversational speed is a lot faster than the speed that you'll
be using for your speech. If you feel you're going too slow, you're probably going just right.

o Take a drink of water if you find yourself whipping through your speech. It will
help give your audience a second to catch up and it will let you take a moment to slow down.
o If you do have a friend or family member in the audience, arrange a signal with
them so they can let you know if you're going too fast. Glance their way occasionally throughout
your speech so that you know you're on track.

6
 Have a good closing. People remember the beginning and the ending of a speech, they rarely
remember the middle bits. Because of this you want to make sure that you have an ending that
they will remember.

o Make sure that your audience knows why this subject is important and why they
should have this information. If you can, end with a call to action. For example: if you're giving a
speech about the importance of art classes in schools, end by giving your audience something
that they can do about the fact that art electives are being cut.
o End with a story that illustrates your main point. Again, people like stories. Give a
story of a way this information benefited someone, or the dangers of not having this information,
or how it specifically relates to your audience (people are more interested when things are about
them).