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Banga Ratna award recipient, Balaram Hazra, popularly known as the ‘Dhol Magician’ died at his residence in South Patkapara village in Alipurduar district on Tuesday.
He was 70. Hazra, the ‘Dhol Badok’ (drum player) had received the Banga Ratna Award on 22 January 2017. The artist was suffering from cancer for the past one year and was admitted in the Alipurduar district hospital on 22 February.
“Mr Hazra was very popular in the state for his extraordinary excellence in playing drums. He had also visited a number of foreign countries. In his last days, he was facing an acute financial crisis,” a neighbour said.
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It is believed that Hazra could “talk with the beats of his drums” and he was known to prouduce almost every sound he liked on his drums. Artists from across the state have expressed sadness on the demise of the folk artist.
According to Hazra’s wife, Bharati Hazra, he was not able to eat anything for the past five days. “We had taken him to Kolkata for treatment, but he did not agree to undergo treatment there,” Mrs Hazra said.
She added that they got support from everyone when Mr Hazra was bedridden. “Balaram Hazra was an eminent name in Bengal’s society of arts. He will be remembered in future for his extraordinary traits. It is a great loss to the field of art,” said former state forest minister, Jogesh Chandra Barman. The artist is survived by his wife, son and two married daughters.
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