Bihu is a set of three important Assamese festivals in the Indian state of Assam – 'Rongali' or 'Bohag Bihu' observed in April, 'Kongali' or 'Kati Bihu' observed in October, and 'Bhogali' or 'Magh Bihu' observed in January. The Rongali Bihu is the most important of the three, celebrating spring festival. The Bhogali Bihu or the Magh Bihu is a harvest festival, with community feasts. The Kongali Bihu or the Kati Bihu is the sombre, thrifty one reflecting a season of short supplies and is an animistic festival.
The music of Assam consists various genres of folk and modern music, drawing its artistic basis from the history of Assam, from Assamese culture and its ancient traditions. In recent times, starting from the late eighties, popular artistes have modernized the music catering to local popular demand.
Indian folk music is diverse because of India's vast cultural diversity. It is sung in various languages and dialects throughout the length and breath of this vast nation and exported to different parts of the world owing to migration.
Bhupen Hazarika was an Indian playback singer, lyricist, musician, poet, actor and filmmaker from Assam, widely known as Xudha kontho. His songs, written and sung mainly in the Assamese language by himself, are marked by humanity and universal brotherhood and have been translated and sung in many languages, most notably in Bengali and Hindi.
Bhabendra Nath Saikia was a novelist, short-story writer, Editor and a Film director from Assam, India. Dr. Saikia received his doctorate in physics from the University of London. He began his career as a reader in the Department of Physics, University of Guwahati. He later played an important role in the publication of college level textbooks in Assamese language during his tenure as the Secretary of the Co-ordination Committee for production of textbooks in regional languages.
The culture of Assam is traditionally a hybrid one, developed due to cultural assimilation of different ethno-cultural groups under various political-economic systems in different periods of its history.
Arun Sarma was a writer of Assam. Arun Sarma was one of Assam's contemporary playwrights and is particularly known for his unconventional plays with some elements of drama. Besides drama, he also authored over six novels detailing the Assamese way of life. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2010 in recognition of his contributions to Assamese literature. He has also been awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1998 for the novel Ashirbadar Rong. He has won the Asam Sahitya Sabha's Best Playwright Award for two consecutive years and also has the rare distinction of having won the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2003 for his contributions to drama and the Sahitya Akademi award in 1998 for literature. He was also the recipient of the Assam Valley Literary Award in 2005.
Borgeets are a collection of lyrical songs that are set to specific ragas but not necessarily to any tala. These songs, composed by Srimanta Sankardeva and Madhavdeva in the 15th-16th centuries, are used to begin prayer services in monasteries, e.g. Satra and Namghar associated with the Ekasarana Dharma; and they also belong to the repertoire of Music of Meghalaya outside the religious context. They are a lyrical strain that express the religious sentiments of the poets reacting to different situations, and differ from other lyrics associated with the Ekasarana Dharma. Similar songs composed by others are not generally considered borgeets.
Rameshwar Pathak was an acclaimed Kamrupi Lokgeet singer from Kamrup, Assam, India. He also worked as a teacher in Arya Vidyapeeth Higher Secondary and Multipurpose School, Guwahati from 1963 to 1996.
Angaraag Mahanta, known by his stagename Papon, is an Indian playback singer and composer from Assam. Papon has also sung in many languages apart from Assamese like Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Marathi. He is the lead singer and founder of the folk-fusion band Papon and The East India Company.
Beauty Sharma Barua is a singer from Assam, India. She is one of the best-known and most respected Assamese folk music, Indian classical music, ghazal and bhajan singers of Assam. More popularly known as The Melody Queen of Assam and Beauty Baideu, she has recorded over a thousand songs for All India Radio, Doordarshan, albums and others. She has sung songs in over six regional Indian languages, though primarily in Assamese and Hindi. Beauty Barua married renowned writer and lyricist Dwijendra Mohan Sharma (1948–2006), called the Man with Melody in His Pen by The Daily Telegraph, in 1976.
Ojapali is a traditional shamanistic type of indigenous folk dance from Assam in the northeastern region of India. Ojapali is believed to have evolved from Kathakata tradition and is performed in a group; it is believed to be one of the oldest art forms of Assam. Originally evolved in the Kamata state the western and northern part of river Brahmaputra later limited to Darrang area under the patronisation of Darrangi King Dharmanarayana. The repertoire of this performance consists of songs, dialogues, gesture, improvised acting and dramatisation etc. The group consists of an Oja, who leads the performance and four or five palies, who supplement the performance with continuously playing cymbal. Among the Palies Daina pali who stand on the right-hand side of the Oja is the active one and he and Oja take the performance forward. Many believe that Shankardev took inspiration from Ojapali to create his Ankiya Bhaona. Moreover he also created his own Sattriya Ojapali. Generally Darrangi Suknanni Ojapali sings the lyrics written by Sukabi Narayanadeva in Padmapurana. Padma Purana covers the story of serpent goddess Maroi(manasa devi). Ojapali is associated with Shakti Puja, including the deities manasa, kali, durga, kesikhaiti, kakogoshani etc.
Kamrupi culture refers to the cultural norms of people of colonial Kamrup district.
Mayukh Hazarika is an Indian playback singer and music director from Assam. He is the frontman of Delhi based band Mayukh Hazarika and the Brahmaputra Balladeers. He is the son of legendary Assamese musician duo Jayanta Hazarika and Manisha Hazarika and nephew of Dr Bhupen Hazarika.
Kalpana Patowary is an Indian playback and folk singer from Assam. She sings in 30 languages and has many folk and popular songs to her credit, while Bhojpuri music has been her most dedicated foray. In his book, Cinema Bhojpuri, Avijit Ghosh lauds Patowary for her "remarkable contribution" to Bhojpuri film music. "Gifted with a rich, powerful and sensuous voice, the singer from Assam is almost considered mandatory for any film's score," he writes.
Simanta Shekhar is an Indian singer, composer and music producer from Assam he has been appointed by GOVT. of ASSAM as the new CHAIRMAN of ASSAM STATE FILM FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. Shekhar's music consists mainly of folk fusion and Indi-pop, and he is well-known for his Assamese single album songs. He had five consecutive hit songs in Assam, and his first recorded mainstream song,'Tora Doi', was a popular hit.
Padmanav Bordoloi is an Indian singer, performer, songwriter, music composer and anchor from the state of Assam. He has sung many songs in Assamese, Hindi, Nepali, Bengali, Marathi and English. He was nominated for Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) Award 2016 for the Best Music Debut Non-Film segment for his first ever Hindi composition Teri Jo Baatein Hain. Padmanav is the second male singer from Assam to be nominated for this coveted title after Angaraag Papon Mahanta.
Archana Mahanta was a renowned folk singer from Assam, India. Archana Mahanta and her late husband Khagen Mahanta had an enormous contribution in popularising and preserving Assamese folk music. The musical couple often performed together, singing many duet hits.
Prabhat Sarma was a folk exponent and flutist from Assam, India.
