A multi-faceted artiste, Keshav Mahanta’s lyrics reveal his quest for truth. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Keshav Mahanta

Some childhood impressions and the philosophy of equality are the fountainheads of his mesmerising songs. The Sahitya Akademi-honoured lyricist and poet Keshav Mahanta, even at the age of 78, draws inspiration from the fragrance of his soil to create soul-stirring songs of love and yearning.

Mahanta discloses, “Even today I find ultimate solace in penning down my thoughts, over which I hold no control at all. So, at present I am working on a book which will be a selective compilation of my poems and film songs,” he says.

“I regularly write a column, Shiparar Tumi Kalpana Mur, for Saadin newspaper, which is a memoir on my life and of course I write songs and poems, the cardinal form of my literary endeavour.” Born in 1926 at Chotiya, in the house of Satra adhikari Thaneswar Mahanta, the philosophy of Vaishnavism had a deep impact on his personality. “It is not only about growing long hair and wearing white kurta and dhoti. The harbinger of neo-Vaishnavism, the great guru Sankardeva, brought about a total revolution in Assamese society as a whole,” he says. “Apart from the religious part, the philosophy and cultural aspects of Vaishnavism are where my real interests lies.”

As a child, Mahanta grew up in a Catholic and liberal environment where no form of discrimination was ever tolerated. “True to my liking, Borgeet (the unbiased lyrical praises in the name of Lord Krishna) took me very close to the philosophy of Vaishnavism during my formative years,” he recalls. “Moreover, the songs of icons like Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla, Bishnu Rabha, Parboti Prasad Baruah, Ambikagiri Rai Choudhury and Rudra Barua produced a great sense of ecstasy and literary understanding within me,” he adds.

“When I was about 12 years old, our family went through a great financial crisis, when we lost almost all our ancestral property,” he says. “But every member of the house showed tremendous courage even in the hours of crisis and somehow I managed to continue with my studies”.

Mahanta, till the age of 15, had no inkling of making it big in the literary world. “Forget about making a name, I wrote my first song for a drama called Tajor Rosona after being pressured by my schoolmates,” he smiles. “But the song was appreciated even by my teachers and I thoroughly enjoyed the process of arranging my thoughts in verse,” he adds enthusiastically.

During those days he wrote a short story, Baro Tokar Jogot Khon for Abahan, the then famous magazine. Mahatma Gandhi was another hero of his life, whose non-violent call for the freedom struggle of the nation goaded him into joining the Independence movement.”

“I respect Gandhi till date and his weapon of non-violence and truthfulness were enough for me to join in a struggle to save my motherland,” he recalls. He adds, “I also stayed in a C-division jail almost for a period of six months during the Quit India Movement.”

After clearing his matriculation with flying colours, young Mahanta landed in Guwahati to get himself enrolled in the prestigious Cotton College. “Due to financial constraints, I had almost decided to forego my studies. But the villagers were adamant enough to send me to Guwahati for higher studies,” he recalls. With an amount of Rs 32 in his pocket, he got himself admitted to Cotton College with the help offered to him by some of his friends and seniors.

“To earn money, I taught children and wrote for the then popular magazine Jayanti,” he says.

“Maybe, this is what we call destiny and my strong willpower to accomplish my desired goal, After a struggle of some years I finished my masters in Assamese literature from Gauhati University.”

“Guwahati was completely a new place for me and I took some time to adjust to the environment in and around the city and college,” he smiles. Along with poet Ajit Barua, actor director Brojen Barua and few of their peers, Mahanta formed a group called Halogen during their college days. “We talked about culture and literature of the day, and actively participated in almost all the competitions,” he says.

“As I was pretty good in English literature, my teachers wanted me to do my graduation in English, but I had no money to buy books and moreover, the libraries of those days were not equipped enough. So I decided to take up Assamese literature,” he says. “The fire of communism engulfed others of my generation and I also actively participated in the IPTA (Indian Progressive Theatre Association) movement.

After graduation, Mahanta joined Don Bosco School as a teacher. Working there for a few years, he got a job in the publication department of Gauhati University. “On Himanga Biswas’s insistence I joined Soviet Desh in Calcutta as chief editor and thoroughly enjoyed my stint there for a period of three years,” he remembers.

He came back to Guwahati and joined the publication department of Gauhati University and remained there till his retirement as publication officer. “Here song after song flowed from my pen,” he says.

His résumé boasts of five books on songs, four on poetry, several books on children and some highly-appreciated work of translation of some of India’s best known authors. In 1993, the Sahitya Akademi honoured him for his book of songs Mur Jey Kiman Hepa. Another book on verses, Tumar Teej, bagged the Assam Sahitya Sabha Raghunath Choudhury Boota.

Along with several awards and critical appreciation, the masses showered him tremendous love for his film songs. The lyricist of great quality has till date penned down several songs for almost 30 Assamese films. He has also written scripts for radio on the life and work of Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla to Bishnu Rabha.

Recently, the song lovers of Assam have greatly appreciated his eight songs in an album Moon-Juri sung by his daughter Monojyotsna Goswami. Namrata Barua’s book Priyotomo Aey Jeevan deals with the lyrical works of the master in all its hues.

Mahanta appreciates the efforts of the young artistes. “Every artist must maintain a code of conduct since their fans repose great respect on them and it is our responsibility to maintain the trust bestowed on us,” he professes.

Mahanta finds solace in the the company of his wife Nikunja Lata Mahanta, and his children and grandchildren.And continues his tryst with poetry.