Family members and relatives of Dilip Sarma offer tributes at his residence in Guwahati on Tuesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, Oct. 7: Octogenarian Assamese singer-composer Dilip Sarma passed away at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) at 6.30 am today, following a massive cardiac arrest. He was 82.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee was admitted to the hospital about a month back and was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

Sarma and his wife Sudakshina were jointly honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2002 in recognition of their contributions to research and practice of the state’s folk music and Jyoti Sangeet, the songs of Jyotiprasad Agarwalla.

Born on January 25, 1926 at Bamunpukhuri village, Pathsala in Barpeta district, Sarma was the president of the Guwahati branch of the Indian Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA) till the time of his demise.

Sarma, the brother-in-law of music maestro Bhupen Hazarika, was also the first person to sing an Assamese song broadcast from the Calcutta centre of All India Radio. Bridging the Assamese and Bengali cultures, he had translated many songs of Rabindranath Tagore into Assamese.

His last rites were held at the Navagraha crematorium this evening in the presence of a large number of admirers, friends and relatives. Earlier, his mortal remains were taken around the city in a procession with floral tributes paid at the IPTA office at Panbazar, Swahid Nyas at Uzanbazar, CPM office at Hedayetpur and CPI office at Rajgarh Road, among others.

Sarma left a lasting impression on the young and old alike, as was evident this morning with people of all ages pouring in to pay their last respects.

Condoling Sarma’s death, chief minister Tarun Gogoi said the state would remain grateful for his contributions that have enriched Assamese culture and music.

Among those who paid tributes to the departed soul were writer Hiren Gohain, Asam Sahitya Sabha president Kanak Sen Deka, educationist Udayaditya Bharali, litterateur Arun Sarma, Citu leader Deben Bhattacharya and AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya.

Describing Sarma as a bridge between Assamese and Bengali cultures, the Sabha president said the vacuum created by his death would be hard to fill.

Singer Debojit Saha’s wife Vandana conveyed condolences on his behalf in a message to The Telegraph. Sarma was Saha’s mentor. In 1949, Sarma worked as the assistant music director to Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwalla during the re-dubbing of the first Assamese film Joymoti.

During the early 1950s, Dilip Sarma was inspired by IPTA and remained associated with it till his death.“The progressive outlook of Dilipda will continue to motivate us and the generations to come,” said Kiran Sankar Roy, secretary of IPTA’s Guwahati branch.