Guwahati: Assam’s cultural stage has lost one of its brightest lights with the passing of Hemanta Dutta a playwright, lyricist, director, and actor whose work reshaped the very soul of Assamese performing arts.
The 83-year-old cultural icon breathed his last at the ICU of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Monday, leaving behind an artistic legacy that will echo through generations.
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Born on 24 September 1941 at Kharupetia in Assam’s Darrang district, to Haliram Dutta and Birja Bala Dutta, Hemanta Dutta was the fourth child in his family.
His early education in Mangaldai, followed by higher studies at Dibrugarh’s Kanoi College, marked the fertile ground where his artistic instincts began to bloom.
It was here he met cultural luminaries such as Syed Saadulla, Rajen Gohain, Hiren Gohain, Bhavesh Goswami, and Prince, with whom he formed the “Quivers Band.”
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His first composition found its voice through Brajen Das at the India Club in Dibrugarh a modest beginning to an extraordinary journey.
In 1977, Dutta entered the professional music scene through the film Natun Asha. Over the decades, he wrote more than 500 songs, including enduring classics like Moi Ji Batere Olalu Aji, Ei Akash Bor Bishal, and Tumi Ahisila Senai. His words were immortalised by beloved Assamese singers — Jayanta Hazarika, Charu Gohain, Malabika Bora, Rajen Gohain, Dolly Ghosh, Shanta Uzir, Samar Hazarika, and many others.
His cinematic contributions were equally celebrated, scripting lyrics for films such as Sadari, Son Moina, Jiban Surabhi, Bahagar Duporiya, Sewali, Iman Morom Kio Lage, Ei Morom Tumar Babe, Hiya Diya Niya, and Nayak. In Pita Putra, he crafted the 116-line epic Bondho Koribo Haat, Bondho Koribo Maat, which holds the distinction of being the longest Assamese song ever recorded.
A Visionary of Mobile Theatre
While his songs and scripts were jewels of Assamese culture, Hemanta Dutta’s most transformative contribution was to mobile theatre the uniquely Assamese tradition of taking full-fledged theatre productions to towns and villages across the state.
In an era when this art form risked stagnation, Dutta infused it with innovation, richer narratives, and dramatic staging techniques. His plays — Eta Nasta Lorar Galpa, Path, Titanic, Xendur, Akakhor Dore Mon, Mukti, and Chakrabehu — not only entertained but also challenged audiences with social commentary.
By blending cinema-inspired spectacle with strong storytelling, he turned mobile theatre into a cultural movement that bridged rural and urban audiences, ensuring its survival and growth. Besides writing and directing many plays, he also directed the film Uppath (1980).
Over his career, he was honoured with a constellation of awards: Bhaben Baruah Award (2017), Bhabendra Nath Saikia Award (2018–19), Moon Light Media Award, Assam Natya Sanmilan Award, Atul Chandra Hazarika Award, Natya Sindhu Award, Guruji Adya Sarma Award (2018), and the Sadin-Pratidin Achievers Award.
In life and in art, Hemanta Dutta was a bridge between tradition and modernity, a man who not only kept Assamese theatre and music alive but made them thrive.
With his passing, Assam mourns not just a cultural giant, but the voice that carried its stories to every corner of the land.