Eminent Assamese musician, flautist Prabhat Sarma dies

Renowned flautist, composer and singer Prabhat Sarma died here on Tuesday, family sources said.

He was 85.

His daughter Tarali Sarma, a National Award-winning singer, said her father woke up at 4:30 am and then went to sleep after talking to his wife.

"When my aunt came to wake him up at 6 am, he was no more," she told PTI sitting beside the mortal remains of the doyen of Assamese folk culture at his home in Ambikagiri Nagar area of Guwahati.

Sarma is survived by his wife, three daughters and grandchildren. Expressing grief over Sarma's demise, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, it is an irreparable loss to the cultural arena of the state.

Political parties and several organisations also condoled the death of the leading musician.

Recipient of innumerable honours, the flautist had received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2003 for his contribution to folk and traditional music of Assam.

Sarma who had a collection of musical instruments, including a few that are now obsolete, built a museum in a miniature form, and later gave life to the obscure instruments by conducting orchestras with them. He was associated with several films as a music director, besides composing the background score of a number of TV serials and stage plays. A folk singer of repute, Sarma was also engaged in research of Sattriya dance, a classical form innovated by Srimanta Sankardeva in Assam.

Distinguished personalities, including Sattriya dance guru Jatin Goswami, folk singer Loknath Goswami and lyricist Prasanta Bordoloi, visited Sarma's house and paid floral tributes.

The last rites of Sarma will be performed at the Nabagraha crematorium in the evening. Before that, his body will be taken to Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, All India Radio office, Rabindra Bhawan, Asam Sahitya Sabha and Shahid Bhawan of AASU.