Biography

Bishnu Prasad Rabha was an Indian cultural figure from Assam, known for his contributions in the fields of music, dance, painting, literature as well as political activism. As an advocate of people's cultural movement, he drew heavily from different genres of classical and folk cultural traditions. Considered a doyen of the Culture of Assam, the Assamese people affectionately call him Kalaguru (meaning: "the master of the arts"). He is also called by Marxists as Sainik Silpi (sainik "soldier", silpi "artist") for his active participation in the armed struggle, led by the Revolutionary Communist Party of India (RCPI). There have been many live performances at the Baan theatre in Tezpur which is famously connected to Bishnu Rava. This theatre (Ban Stage) where many of Bishnu Rabha's plays have been staged is designed by renowned architect Upendra Kumar Baruah. He was also recognised as a film director, music composer (Siraj) and actor (Era Bator Sur). He was an actor par excellence. His acting expertise was witnessed by Ban Theatre of Tezpur. But, he never used this talent for commercial purpose. In spite of having very good rapport with the art world of Kolkata and Bombay, he never left Assam to achieve commercial success in the field of acting. Rather he used his talent to educate the masses. This talent also helped him to move around in disguise during his days of struggle. He also assisted in making of the first Assamese film Joymoti, by Jyoti Prasad Agarwala. He was also a recognised film director.