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Sudakshina Sarma Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 15, 2026 • 4 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth8 August 1934

Age88 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceBharalumukh, Guwahati, Assam Province, British India (now Guwahati, Assam, India)

ProfessionSinger

NationalityIndian

Marital statusWidowed

SpouseDilip Sarma

FamilyChildren - Rituparna Sarma, Rishiraj Sarma, Rijushree Sarma Majumdar

Sudakshina Sarma Biography

Sudakshina Sarma (born Nirupama Hazarika; 8 August 1934 – 3 July 2023) was a celebrated Assamese singer whose career spanned more than seven decades. A pro

Early life and background

Sudakshina Sarma was born Nirupama Hazarika on 8 August 1934 in Bharalumukh, Guwahati, then part of Assam Province in British India. She grew up in a large, artistically inclined family as the fourth of ten children. Music and cultural activity were part of her upbringing: her mother sang traditional lullabies and folk songs, and the family regularly listened to gramophone records and radio broadcasts. Her father, Neelkantha Hazarika, worked as an ACS officer and also composed music.

From an early age Sudakshina — nicknamed Queen or Queenie in childhood — was immersed in Assam’s musical circles. She attended Panbazar Girls’ High School and later earned a BA from Handique Girls’ College in Guwahati. As a teenager she accompanied her elder brother Bhupen Hazarika to performances around Assam and met cultural figures such as Bishnu Prasad Rabha and Jyotiprasad Agarwala, experiences that shaped her artistic development.

Career

Sudakshina’s recording career began as a child. At age ten, in 1944, she recorded songs in Kolkata with music director Kamal Narayan Chowdhury; those early tracks, composed by mentors including Bishnu Rabha and her father, became popular. She sang on important public occasions as well, including performances tied to the national mourning and remembrance of Mahatma Gandhi in the mid-1940s, and she joined All India Radio’s Guwahati unit when it was established in 1948.

Her repertoire covered a broad range of Assamese musical forms. Across more than seven decades she sang classical and modern genres such as Borgeet, Kamrupi and Goalparia folk styles, Bongeet, Biyanam, and Bihunam. She also helped popularize Jyoti Sangeet and Rabindra Sangeet in Assam. Well-known songs associated with her include Kotha Aru Shur, Jetuka Bolere, and Sharatkalor Rati.

Sudakshina worked closely with her husband, Dilip Sarma, himself a singer and composer. The couple recorded many songs together and were active members of the Assam division of the Indian People’s Theatre Association. They performed Jyoti Sangeet abroad as part of cultural exchanges in the 1950s and maintained a lifelong commitment to folk, classical, and modern Assamese music. Their collaborative projects included recordings for labels such as HMV, Columbia, and Senola Records, LPs for theatrical productions, and playback singing for Assamese films including Chik Mik Bijuli (1969), Pargat, and Abuj Bedona (1993), the latter two directed by Dilip Sarma.

In 1990 the couple founded Jayjayanti Kala Kendra, a music college and art school affiliated with Pracheen Kala Kendra in Chandigarh, and established the Sarbabharatiya Sangeet O Sanskriti Parishad and the Dilip Sarma–Sudakshina Sarma Cultural Academy. For their contributions to research and practice in Assam’s folk traditions and Jyoti Sangeet, Sudakshina and Dilip were jointly awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2002 — the first time a married couple received the honour together.

Public profile

Sudakshina’s family connections placed her at the heart of Assam’s cultural life. Her elder brother Bhupen Hazarika was a prominent singer, composer, and public figure, and several siblings were active in music and education. Sudakshina married Dilip Sarma in 1954; the marriage deepened both her artistic partnership and community involvement. The couple raised children who also pursued music: sons Rituparna Sarma and Rishiraj Sarma, and daughter Rijushree Sarma Majumdar.

Even after reducing public performances, Sudakshina remained involved in teaching music until advancing age limited her activities. She continued to release work later in life, including a 2020 collaboration with her son Rishiraj titled “Aai-O-Aai.” Her public life also included roles in radio, theatre, and dance alongside her singing career.

Later years and death

In later years Sudakshina underwent several medical procedures, including hip surgery and a leg operation after a fall in 2022. In June 2023 she was admitted to the intensive care unit of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital with pneumonia and bed sores; her condition briefly improved, but she deteriorated and died on 3 July 2023 at GMCH. She was 88. In keeping with a commitment to medical research and donation, she had donated her eyes and body to an NGO in Guwahati that supports organ donation.

Latest updates

Sudakshina Sarma’s recorded legacy and the institutions she and her husband established continue to be referenced in Assam’s musical community. Her long career as a performer, teacher and cultural organizer left a mark on several generations of Assamese musicians and listeners.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Sudakshina Sarma, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Aai-O-Aai

Song recorded with her son Rishiraj Sarma

2020
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Career Highlights

  1. Recorded popular Assamese songs from childhood, beginning in 1944
  2. Helped popularize Jyoti Sangeet and Rabindra Sangeet in Assam
  3. Performed with husband Dilip Sarma and were active in the Assam division of IPTA
  4. Founded Jayjayanti Kala Kendra and other cultural institutions in 1990
  5. Joint recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2002
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Sudakshina Sarma born?

Sudakshina Sarma was born on 8 August 1934.

What is Sudakshina Sarma known for?

Sudakshina Sarma is known for singer.

What is Sudakshina Sarma’s marital status?

Sudakshina Sarma's marital status is listed as Widowed.

Who is Sudakshina Sarma married to?

Sudakshina Sarma is publicly listed as married to Dilip Sarma.