Assam musician Bibhuranjan Choudhury dies at 71

Renowned music composer Bibhuranjan Choudhury died on Sunday after a prolonged battle with cancer, coupled with other complications, his family said. He was 71.

Choudhury, 71, who was also an eminent singer, lyricist and actor, died at a private hospital in Guwahati, the musician's son Binayak Choudhury told PTI. Apart from his son, the musician-singer left behind his wife and a daughter.

Painter Kiron Shankar, a close associate of Choudhury, said the composer was admitted at the hospital after his health deteriorated following the detection of gallbladder stone.

"Last week, he was admitted. Though he recovered later, the condition started deteriorating and was put under ventilation. He died around 6 pm," Shankar said.

The singer with a baritone voice was also suffering from cancer, for which he was treated outside the state as well.

Choudhury, who composed the music of Guwahati Doordarshan's first serial 'Jibonor Batot', retired as the superintendent of the Assam State Film (Finance and Development) Corporation.

"Bibhu da was the only person when the ASFFDC started. He almost single-handedly built this organisation. Today, this is one of the most important institutions for promoting local filmmakers of Assam," the state-run Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio) Society's chief video incharge, Hirendra Prasad Bhattacharjee, said.

Condolences started pouring in from various quarters, who termed his demise an irreparable loss to the music industry of the state.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condoled the demise of Choudhury and said he enriched the Assamese cultural sphere by contributing immensely, especially imparting training to the youths.

"The entire state will remember him forever. This eminent artiste's death is an irreparable loss for our cultural as well as social life," Sonowal added.

"He was a kind of an unsung musician. He did not get the recognition that he should have got while alive. We deeply mourn the death of this talented singer and it is a void that nobody can fill," theatre personality and filmmaker Sitanath Lahkar said.

Choudhury's first film as music director was 'Sutrapat' in 1987 and the last one was 'Aei Maatite' in 2017. He had composed music for numerous TV serials, stage plays and radio productions in a career spanning over several decades.

The septuagenarian was also associated with the Indian People's Theatre Association and Samahar Natya Gosthee, and composed music for their stage and TV productions.

The music director had also acted in dozens of films, plays, serials in the Assamese language.