There is an array of shining stars in the family tree of Barbarooah. The well-known producer of Assamese films and documentaries, Paran Barbarooah is the grandson of the great sonnet poet, litterateur and former president of Asam Sahitya Sabha, Hiteswar Barbarooah. Ganesh Gogoi, popularly known as Papori Kabi, is Paran Barbarooah’s maternal uncle. Sashi Chandra Barbarooah, a revered Vaishnavite pandit with a colossal bank of knowledge was his father.

Paran Barbarooah won the Rajat Kamal, as producer for his documentary Sound of the Dying Colours, considered as the Best Promotional Film at 42nd National Film Festival and awarded Assam Silpi Divas Award for Best TV Serial in Assamese Brikudar Baruar Biya. His another tele-serial in Assamese, Major Sahab was highly applaused by the media and viewers. He was the producer of the superhit Assamese feature film Surooj. His latest documentary Echos of Sunshine was invited to the New York International Film Festival last year, and was selected for the Hyderabad International Film Festival.

His wife Bibi Devi Barbarooah is a familiar name in the arena of Assamese poems and lyrics, and has earned fame as a broadcaster in AIR, Guwahati. She is also keenly connected with filmmaking as a producer, story-scriptwriter and has to her credit a good number of documentary films. She produced the (national) award winning documentary Spirit of the Graceful Lineage. She was also the producer of acclaimed Assamese serial Gangasnan. She was the art director of Major Sahab. Her books include Hridayjuri (a collection of poems), Suriya Mon and Mor Monor Banhi (lyrics).

The talented award winning filmmaker Prerona Barbarooah Sarma is the daughter of Paran Barbarooah and Bibi Devi Barbarooah. A psychology graduate from Sophia College, Mumbai (1997) and diploma holder in communication arts, films and television production from Xavier Institute of Communication, Mumbai in 1998, Prerona had a penchant for creativity since her childhood. She was the director, actor and singer of a musical fantasy show telecast on DDK, Guwahati. She anchored for North East Mirror in DD-1 and was an English newsreader for the North East News, DDK, Guwahati. She was serving as an assistant director in UTV, New Delhi, with celebrated Karan Thapar. She was awarded for first ever Indian interview with Pakistan President General Parvez Musharraf on DD-1. Her list of works include Hard Talk India (BBC World), Line of Fire (Sab TV), We the People (Star Plus), Face to Face (BBC), The Great Debate (DD-1, New Delhi), etc. She has also directed a number of documentaries and serials which were highly appreciated. Her remarkable directorial venture include Spirit of the Graceful Lineage, based on the matrilineal society of Meghalaya, which earned her national award and was invited to international film festivals in Kerala, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New York. Her Echos of Sunshine was also invited to these festivals.

Paran Barbarooah’s only son Priyank paved the way for a whole new generation of models starting out in Mumbai, as he was the first Assamese male model, who appeared for various branded products, and was covered solo in a four-page feature in Femina. He had also acted as a child artiste in feature films like Sadari and Surooj.

Incidentally, Prerona is married to Himangsu Sarma, born and brought up in Delhi, and presently based in Guwahati, after his stint in the modelling world moved to working in several TV serials for Zee and Sony. He starred in Farhan Akhtar’s acclaimed movie Lakshya along with Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta. Dr Bhupen Hazarika, a long time family friend of Barbarooahs, recently paid a visit to their place and congratulated them on their achievements.

Meanwhile, Paran Barbarooah is presently busy with the production of Srimanta Sankardev, a much awaited Assamese feature film on the great Vaishnavite saint. In an interaction with this writer, he said that he is happy to produce the film, as it was a dream of his father late Sashi Chandra Barbarooah, a former Padadhikar of Sankardev Sangha. He said that his father wished that people of the country, as well as outside should know about Sankardev. With such a purpose in mind, the film will be dubbed in Hindi and English. The film is directed by Surya Hazarika. Incidentally, Dr Bhupen Hazarika has rendered a Borgeet for the film.

Apurba Kumar Das