History of Assamese Modern Song: from Birth Cry to Jyotiprasad

Abstract

The journey of the Assamese modern song starts after the advent of the Baptist missionaries. The prime intention of it was to propagate Christianity among the people of Assam. Music as a medium of propagation was common in the past. The creations of Vaishnava saints of Assam were examples of it. Though the songs could not influence much, they became the root of Assamese modern songs. Rabindra Sangeet influenced the Assamese nobility, and the Assamese language was thought of as not suitable for modern songs. Taking it as a challenge, some Assamese writers like Benudhar Rajkhowa, Satyanath Bora, Lakshiram Baruah, and Kirtinath Bardoloi started writing songs, and the first book of the Assamese song "Geetawali" was published in the year 1888. Assamese modern songs at that time could not detach themselves from Assamese plays. Later, the Assamese modern song, in its infant age, was nurtured by Ambikagiri Raychudhury, Umesh Chandra Chaudhury, Kamalananda Bhattacharya, etc. Later, Jyotiprasad Agarwala shaped Assamese modern songs based on Assamese folk music, Hindustani Classical Music, and Western music. This paper attempts to trace the journey of the Assamese modern song from its origin to the creation of Jyotiprasad Agarwala.