Bhabananda Barbayan

🪔 About

Adhyapak Dr. Bhabananda Barbayan is an internationally acclaimed and renowned exponent of Sattriya dance, music, and drama, originating from Majuli, Assam, India. Born as Bhabananda Hazarika, he was inducted into the revered Uttar Kamalabari Satra at the tender age of three and a half, following a family tradition of dedicating a child to the Satra for continuing its artistic legacy. He received comprehensive training in Sattriya culture under the guidance of esteemed gurus including Adhyapak Paramananda Barbayan and Tuniram Barbayan for nritya (dance), Cheniram Barbayan for bayan (drumming), Kamal Bargayan and Gupiram Bargayan for gayan (vocal), and Baluram Bargayan for Oja, manuscript, and acting. At the age of sixteen, he became the youngest Barbayan, a master of Sattriya dance and music of the Satra, and was conferred the title of ADHYAPAK by the Satra authority in 1997. Dr. Barbayan is the first traditional practitioner of Sattriya dance, drama, and music to obtain a Ph.D., which he completed from Rabindra Bharati University, West Bengal, where he also serves as a director and research scholar. He has been instrumental in propagating Sattriya globally, introducing the dance form to the curriculum of various international universities and serving as a visiting faculty at institutions such as Paris-VIII University, King's College London, Brown University, Drexel University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, National School of Drama, Dibrugarh University, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Dali University, and Dhaka University. He is an empaneled artist of the ICCR, Ministry of External Affairs, India. His significant contributions include the reconstruction of 'Cihna Yatra' Bhaona in 2016, the first drama by Srimanta Sankaradeva, and the composition of over 10 dramas, 25 dance-dramas, and 22 dance compositions. Dr. Barbayan has established three Sattriya training institutions: SATRARANGA, a foundation for cultural relations in Majuli, Assam (2000); RONGAYAN, an academy of Sattriya dance, theatre, and music in Guwahati, Assam (2003); and SATTRIYA AKADEMI, DELHI in New Delhi (2008). He has taught more than 1,500 students worldwide, demonstrating his dedication to preserving and promoting Sattriya. Awards & Honours: Sanchari Award (2009), Youth Icon of India (2010), La Maison de Ananda Award (2012), Sangeet Natak Akademi Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Award (2014), Fellow: Awareness Through Movement and Functional Integration, Centre Feldenkrais Cantal, France (2017), Gurugram Kala Sanaman (2018).