Umananda Dowerah (right) with his collection of records. A Telegraph picture

Dibrugarh, March 4: Connoisseurs of Assamese music have reason to rejoice. Some rare compositions, including the first recorded Assamese song, are being revived from obscurity by an amateur music lover.

Seven rare gems will be released on the Internet on March 7, the birth anniversary of Prafulla Chandra Baruah, the first Assamese to have a song on long-playing gramophone record.

The entire project has been undertaken by Umananda Dowerah, a 48-year-old cultural activist known for his rare collection of antique record players and records.

Dowerah, who has a museum-cum-library of his own at his residence in Moran, said, “There could not have been a better day than the birth anniversary of the man who started it all.”

An accomplished artist by profession, Dowerah has been collecting old records which have now crossed the thousand mark. He also has 14 gramophone record players of various shapes and types.

“The idea to release some of the old songs sung by some of the great Assamese singers was doing the rounds for some time now. People who step in the museum often express their willingness to have some of the songs. Since the Internet is the most popular and cost effective form today, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to release some of the songs through the Net,” Dowerah said.

The seven songs, composed between 1924 and 1948, include Phulu Phulile Jonbaie Hahile (1924) sung by Prafulla Chandra Baruah and composed by Prasannalal Choudhury, Bolise Moloiaba Dheere Dheere (1936) sung by Gopal Chandra Sarma and composed by Karunadhar Baruah and O Rupohi (1948) sung by Siva Prasad Bhattacharjya and composed by Purushtom Das.

Upcoming artiste and radio singer Dipalima Dowerah Chaliha has lent voice to all the seven songs.

“Singing the seven songs, sung by famous sons of Assam, was an extraordinary experience for me. Initially, I felt nervous but later I was able to complete the task,” Dipalima said, sharing her experience of working on the project with her uncle Umananda.

The initiative has been acclaimed by critics and music lovers.

Surajit Borkotokey, a reader in the department of mathematics of Dibrugarh University and an upcoming critic, said the project would not only help easy access to the addicts of immortal Assamese compositions but will also help upcoming singers in many ways.