I have always been apprehensive about reviewing books, it is like judging somebody else’s work. But when I saw Bhupen Hazarika’s picture on the cover of the book, my eyes lit up. Whenever Indian music is being talked about, this man’s contributions cannot be ignored. This book not only gives a detailed account of his love for music and literature but also informs us about very minute aspects of his life including the obstacles that he faced during his journey to success.

Right from his first composition which he did at a very early age of 11, his association with famous musicians, journey as a politician and social activist, his days of struggle, his higher studies at Banaras Hindu University as well as abroad, his various compositions and a lot more has been documented about him, with a different perspective. He was inspired to compose ‘O Ganga tum Bahti ho Kyon’ after his stay at BHU where he saw people from various cultures co-existing together in the University which is located in a city which is blessed with the Ganga in the east bank.

There are some superb vignettes in this book: ‘Please stop, please stop. I have forgotten my dollars, passport and other papers with my father who came to see me off.’ And the pilot obliged Bhupenda by stopping the plane as he was quite popular by then. He was going to USA to pursue his higher studies ‘I want to stay in the heart of the city so as to visit Montmartre and also the Louvre where Leonardo Da Vinci’s Monalisa was kept’, he told his friend who came to receive him as at Gardelio (North Station) in Paris. This book throws light on how he got closely associated with a girl, Priyamwada Patel who belonged to Sardar Patel’s family, and how this association turned into love while Bhupenda was pursuing his Masters Degree and how he turned down her proposal due to his financial limitations and commitments which he had to fulfil after returning to India after the completion of his PHD. Moreover this book also talks about his separation from Priyamwada Patel. His socially tabboed relationship with filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi is also well documented in this book.

A good collection of his interviews is also available inside this book. This book is a great tribute to the music maestro Bhupen Hazarika. Had he been alive today, he would have been very happy to see this English biography hitting the stands.