Duarah with his collection. Picture by Biju Boro

Guwahati, Aug. 18: He is truly an interpreter of melodies.

Umanand Duarah, a humble commercial painter from Moran, has transformed his singular passion for collecting gramophone records and antique record players into a mission to preserve the bygone era of Assamese music.

Hundreds of visitors to the Sankardev Kalakshetra today sampled Duarah’s unique collection of 200 records of Assamese songs from the past eight decades.

The first Assamese record — Prafulla Chandra Baruah’s Phool O’ Phoolile Juneo Hahile, produced by HMV in 1924 — is part of the collection that is on display at the cultural complex.

The exhibition, called Suworoni Kuolien, is the fruit of collaboration between the Sankardev Kalakshetra and Our Hope, a non-governmental organisation that has been striving to bring hidden creative talents from across Assam to the fore.

There was nostalgia in the air this afternoon as Duarah played records from his collection on an antique gramophone. The auditorium resounded with classic melodies from the past, including Anindaram Das’ Kan Hei Rupohir Ghat, Shivaprasad Bhattacharya’s Aaru Nobojabi Bin Bataruah and Bhupen Hazarika’s O’ Junali Dipandita.

Duarah also possesses the first long-playing record of Jyoti Sangeet, including renditions by Santana Baruah, Namita Bhattacharya, Dipen Baruah, Samar Hazarika and Kokil Goswami. His collection of Rabha Sangeet and lyrical compositions by Parvati Prasad Baruva is just as enviable.

The painter’s collection of record players tells the story of the gramophone before it went out of fashion. He has seven players, including a phonograph.

That is not all. He has collected posters of Assamese films, including that of the pioneering Joymoti, released in 1935.

Duarah started chronicling old Assamese music and collecting gramophones six years ago “just out of curiosity”, little knowing that it would soon become an obsession. “Collecting gramophones is not easy as it sounds. More so because they have become obsolete,” he said.

The bulk of Duarah’s collection has been sourced from villages across the state.

Apart from Assamese music, Duarah has a collection of about 1,300 records of Hindi and Bengali songs. The notable feature of his collection is that all the songs are ditties from yesteryears.

By his own admission, Duarah seldom listens to contemporary songs, but not because he dislikes modern music. It is just that old is gold.