Skip to main content

Mekurikai - an unsung hero!

Teok , a small town in Jorhat District of Assam. Around 30 years back, it was in process to be a township. It is my parents' home place, where I was born.


As my parental villages were in Teok, we usually visited this place on every vacation. Growing up in a concrete city, I found this place peaceful and naturally rich. We travelled by bus to visit my birthplace. The Teok State Transport bus stand was very small that time. State Transport buses stopped here for few minutes only. Here I saw Mekurikai for the first time.

I can still visualise his picture in my mind! Mekurikai, the unsung artist! He used to wore a half pant and a shirt, hanging wooden box around his neck. He sang TOKARIGEET (type of sufi song in Assamese Folk) and collected money from his listeners. Every morning he used to come to Teok State Transport Bus Stand. Whole day he got into the buses while they stopped, sang his TOKARIGEET in his mild and beautiful voice with feelings, collected money from his listeners and got down from the buses. Behind him, he used to left some sweet chord in the ears of his listeners.

Mekuri means Cat and Kai is used after a person’s name in Assamese to address Sir. MekuriKai – who can see like a cat. But regarding this unsung hero, his name didn’t match with him. He was blind.... he couldn’t see this beautiful world with his eyes... but he could feel everything everywhere! He walked a long distance to come every day to his earning place with his bare feet. In the evening, the same way he went back to his village!

I was too young when I saw this man first time in my life. I looked at him so curiously, my father then told me he has GOD gifted sense to feel around. He could recognise any person by his or her voice. He knew every person of old days by their names and village name. As he knew my Grandfather and so he knew my father as his son! Every passenger, who at least once had travelled on Jorhat – Sivsagar root of Assam, knew Mekurikai that time.

Its being so long time, since I had visited my birthplace. Last time when I saw Mekurikai, I was around 14/15 years old teenager. This tremendous singer is no more in this world now! He died as an unsung artist. He had a large amount of storrage of Assamese Folk song.... But I am afraid if someone ever had taken any pain to preserve those songs...!!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ক্ষন্তেকীয়া! চন ১৯৯৯ , শীতৰ এটা সেমেকা নিশা। মই গুৱাহাটীৰ মাজমজিয়াত অৱস্থিত ডাউন টাউন হস্পিটেলত ৰিচিপশ্চনিষ্ট হিচাবে কৰ্মৰত আছিলো। সেই সময়ত ডাউন টাউনত ৰিচিপশ্চনৰ তিনিটা ব্লক আছিল। মেইন বিল্ডং, এনেক্স ১ আৰু এনেক্স ২। এনেক্স ২ টো আছিল তাৎক্ষনিক চিকিৎসা সেৱাৰ। আমাৰ ডিউটি আছিল নিশা ৮ বজালৈ। সেইনিশা মোৰ ডিউটি পৰিছিল মেইন বিল্ডিঙত। তাৎক্ষনিক সেৱাৰ ব্লকত নিশা কাম প্ৰায় নাথাকেই। কিবা তাৎক্ষনিক কেচ আহিলে ইনচাৰ্জে আমাৰে এজনিক পঠিয়াই দিছিল এনেক্স২ লৈ। নিশা প্ৰায় ৮ বাজো বাজো। আমিও কাউন্টাৰ বন্ধ কৰি কেশ্চিয়াৰক দিনটোৰ সবিশেষ তথ্য গটাই দিবলৈ যা-যোগাৰ কৰিছিলো । দিনটোৰ নথিপত্ৰবোৰ ফাইলত ভৰাই আছিলো মই। এনেতে ইনচাৰ্জে মোক ক'লেহি "মালবিকা, এটা ইমাৰ্জেন্সি কেচ আহিছে এনেক্স ২ত। তুমি গৈ এন্ট্ৰিটো কৰি আহা। অলপ সোনকাল কৰিবা। ৮ বাজিলেই।" মই এনেক্স২ ত গৈ ক'ম্পিউটাৰটো অ'ন কৰিলো। বাহিৰত দেখিলো মানুহৰ হোৱা দোৱা। পেচেন্টক ইতিমধ্যে ভিতৰলৈ লৈ যোৱা হৈছিল। কেচটোনো কি মই নাজানিছিলো। মোৰ কাম আছিল পেচেন্টৰ নাম এন্ট্ৰি কৰি চিষ্টেমত আপডেট কৰাহে। মোৰ কাউন্টাৰৰ সমুখত মধ্য বয়সীয়া এগৰাকি মহিলাই ক...
I have seen in some news channels of Assam that Assamese People (of all religion) have raised voice against "illegal Bangladeshi" once again. During 1979 Assam Movement I was a small kid. I couldn't understand why those people came to the road with the slogan "Foreigners Go Back". Even couldn't understand who were Foreigners, couldn't understand why Indian Police and CRPF killed lots of Assamese Youths. Why my father had to go to jail agian and again. With an innocent thought I just imagined that those Khaki Dressed up men were not too good for us. But when I was able to understand these questions, there was a Government of Popular Regional Political Party in my state. But still there was a big question about those valuable young lives  whom we had lost in Assam Movement! Was it neccessary to lose those lives? Why the Popular Govt of Assam couldn't give value of those lives? People of Assam realised that their popular leaders were totally faile...