for the Selona Company. His association with the icons of Assamese culture at Tezpur was the beginning of his artistic growth and credentials. Subsequently, Hazarika sang two songs in Agarwala's film Indramalati (1939): Kaxote Kolosi Loi and Biswo Bijoyi Naujawan at the age of 12. A revolutionary zeal was rooted during his childhood. Its expression was, no doubt, “Agnijugar firingathi mai” (I am the spark of the age of fire) which was written at 14 years of his age and he was well on his way to becoming a lyricist, composer and singer. Education and career Hazarika studied at Sonaram High School at Guwahati, Dhubri Government High School and matriculated from Tezpur High School in 1940. He completed his Intermediate Arts from Cotton College in 1942, and his BA (1944) and MA (1946) in Political Science from Banaras Hindu University. For a brief period, he worked at All India Radio, Guwahati when he won a scholarship from Columbia University and set sail for New York in 1949. There he earned a PhD (1952) on his thesis "Proposals for Preparing India's Basic Education to use Audio-Visual Techniques in Adult Education". In New York, Bhupen Hazarika befriended Paul Robeson, a prominent civil rights activist, who influenced him. He used music as the “instrument of social change” following the path of Paul Robeson who once told him about his guitar - “Guitar is not a musical instrument, it is a social instrument.” His song Bistirno Parore which is based on the tune, imagery and theme of Robeson's Ol' Man River. This song is translated in various Indian languages, including Bengali and Hindi and sung by the artist himself, and is still popular. Being inspired from some other foreign ones, he also composed several other songs in Indian languages. He was exposed to the Spiritual, and the multi-lingual version of We are in the Same Boat Brother became a regular feature in his stage performance. At Columbia University, he met Priyamvada Patel, whom he married in 1950. Tez Hazarika, their only child, was born in 1952, and he returned to India in 1953. His famous songs include (in Assamese): Bistirno Parore (বিস্তীৰ্ণ পাৰৰে) Moi Eti Jajabor (মই এটি যাযাবৰ) Ganga Mor Maa (গংগা মোৰ মা) Bimurto Mur Nixati Jen (বিমূৰ্ত মোৰ নিশাটি যেন) Manuhe Manuhor Babey (মানুহে মানুহৰ বাবে) Snehe Aamar Xoto Shrabonor (স্নেহে আমাৰ শত শ্ৰাৱণৰ) Gupute Gupute Kimaan Khelim (গুপুতে গুপুতে কিমান