Reported by Farhana Ahmed
North Lakhimpur: Muhibur Rahman, one of the last practitioners of Assamese Sufi folk culture in its oral tradition and a noted exponent of Zikir and Zari songs, passed away on Tuesday evening at his native village of Sensowa in Assam’s Lakhimpur district. He was 105.
Fondly known as Bhadiya Kai, Rahman was widely regarded as a custodian of the traditional Assamese Sufi musical heritage associated with the teachings of the 17th-century saint Azaan Fakir.
Born in 1921 in Sensowagaon, Rahman spent his early years working as a cattle herder to support his family. During that period, he learned various forms of folk music from fellow herders amid the wetlands and grazing fields of his village.
He later travelled to the dargah of Azaan Fakir at Saraguri in Sivasagar district, where he learned Zikir and Zari songs in their traditional oral form. Over the decades, he dedicated his life to preserving and performing these Assamese Sufi musical traditions.
Rahman was known for his mastery of several traditional forms, including Bhakatiya, Deh Bisar and Bairagi Geet. He was also proficient in a range of Assamese folk genres such as Bihu songs, Bangeet, Dihanaam, Tokari Geet, Aai Naam and Salita Loguwa Naam.
Based for many years at the shrine of Deka Fakir’s Mazar in Bilatiyagaon, North Lakhimpur, Rahman became an important source for researchers and scholars documenting Assamese Sufi music. Eminent litterateur Syed Abdul Malik collected several Zikir and Zari compositions from him while compiling Asomiya Zikir Aru Zari, a landmark work published by Gauhati University. Zikir exponent Rekibuddin Ahmed also documented a number of songs from Rahman during his career.
In recognition of his contribution to Assam’s folk heritage, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) conferred the Pratima Pandey Memorial Award on him in 2012.
His janaza was performed at the Dhakuakhania Anchalik Kabarstan in North Lakhimpur on Wednesday.
Rahman is survived by two sons and three daughters. His death has been widely mourned by cultural organisations, folk artists and residents across Lakhimpur district.