We have said earlier about Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s songs have a strong social commitment reflecting the joyful or sorrowful times of not only Assam, but the whole of the North East India. Here is one song that aims at the total common man—the unemployed youths. After auto-rickshaws were introduced in the streets of Assam Bhupen Hazarika wrote, composed and sang this song with his younger brother late Jayanta Hazarika in probably the late sixties to inspire the unemployed local youths not to hesitate but to go for it.
The lyrics of the evergreen song go like this in English:
“Driving our auto-rickshaw, we two brothers…
Storming through the streets of Guwahati…
Me the elder brother having a doctorate…my younger brother a post graduate…
Having to repay a big bank loan….
From the refinery in the fat east to the University in the far west…
All localities in between… from north to south…
Working hard…sweating…will repay the remaining bank loan…
Permit in my brother’s name…I too drive it often…
As my brother says,’younger brother of an educated unemployed…
We have no complex…..’
My brother has only one weakness…Jalukbari University his favorite…
Sometimes he would take away the auto from me…saying….
‘My love will be my passenger today…’
I ask would she marry you…you not being a professor…he would reply...
With pride, ‘My love understands the dignity of labor…’
I praise him for the decision…good that you did not run after a job…
Or you would’ve remained unemployed for life…blessings from my sister-in-law…
Driving our auto…we two brothers…”
The song is inspiring even now! Tributes to Bhupenda…
