The village of Salvador do Mundo might not
even realise that a noted Indian singer and composer was living in their midst
and working on his music during the quiet times of the Covid-19 lockdown.
Papon, originally from Assam had moved to Goa during the pandemic and was
living with his wife, Shweta and his two children, Puhor and Parijaat. The six
months that he spent here reminded him of his home. “The pace of life and the
red soil is the same as Assam. Living here it made me realise that this
experience was nice and I do have a lot of friends in Goa especially living in
Morjim and Ashvem. But living in the state myself, brought a whole new
perspective,” says Papon.
The singer is known for not just Bollywood hits but also for
keeping Assamese music vibrant. Papon started his musical career in 1998 with
the Assamese song ‘Nasaba Sokule’ from the album ‘Snigdha Junak’. His Bollywood
songs include ‘Moh moh ke dhage’ for ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ and ‘Humnava’ in
‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani’, ‘Bulleya” in ‘Sultan’ and more recently ‘Sun Zara’ in
‘Cirkus’ and ‘Tum Ho’ from ‘Mission Majnu’.
“There are many new things coming up. I recorded four albums, a
ghazal album, a Hindi pop album, an indie sound album and an album with
collaborations with multiple renowned singers, mostly duets and Hindi songs. I
am planning to release these songs from March onwards on my Youtube music
channel by releasing one song per month. The planning on the frequency of the
release is still going on but there will be new music every month,” says Papon,
who has a huge fan following for his ghazals.
He further adds, “I conceived these songs and worked on them
during the lockdown. Some were recorded in my mobile studio when I was
travelling to Shillong, Meghalaya. I kept travelling through the months and I
could produce new ideas, melodies and songs.
With his very distinctive voice, Papon is easily recognisable
when he sings even the first two words of a song. “Most of the music lovers
tell me that I own the song that I sing. I also select the songs that suit me
and I should justify the song,” says Papon, who performed at the closing
ceremony of the International Film Festival of India in 2022.
With lots of shows lined up for the rest of the year, he
jokingly calls the airport his home, but since his children are schooling in
Mumbai and the family calls it their new home. He reveals that he is working on
two films, ‘The Land of the Sacred Beats’ and ‘The Mystical Brahmaputra - A
Musical Story’, on the culture and music of Assam for the past four years, but
the film making process is hampered by his travels. “There is research based
work involved and it will be musical documentary about the new contemporary
music that is taking shape in Assam,” explains Papon.
Coming from a musical family, his parents were a musical force
to be reckoned with. Papon’s father, Khagen Mahanta was known as the ‘King of
Bihu’. He was a singer and composer of folk and traditional music of Assam
while Papon’s mother, Archana, was also a folk singer. The musical couple often
performed together, singing many duet hits and popularising and preserving
Assamese folk music. With Papon’s own children growing up, he doesn’t want to
impose music on them. “My parents were legendary artistes but I don’t want to
impose music on them. They know my music and we do discuss music together. In
fact, I discover a lot of musicians through them,” adds Papon.
Papon
also takes the responsibility of promoting Assamese music very seriously.
“Through different national television shows, it is good to see independent
Assamese singers who are bringing in new music and sounds. It is very exciting
and interesting for me. I was recently part of the Mongeet Majuli Festival of
Assam along with Adil Hussain and there were a lot of residents and
participants who came in and we could share our experiences with them,” says
Papon, about the annual festival which incorporating musicians from newer
horizons.