Lalit Chandra Nath ( as, ললিত চন্দ্ৰ নাথ) popularly known as Lalit Oja or Lalit Chandra Nath Oja (1923 - 21 October 2013) was a notable person from

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

. He was born to a poor family in Saatghoriya Gaon,

Sipajhar {{Infobox settlement , name = Sipajhar , nickname = , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = , image_caption = , pushpin_map = India Assam#India , pushpin_lab ...

Darrang district Darrang () is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Mangaldoi. The district occupies an area of 1585 km2. History No definitive records about Darrang are available for the pre-med ...

in 1923. His father Bhuban Chandra Nath was also an Sukananni Oja. Faguni Devi was his mother. He has been awarded the prestigious

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...

in 1983 and again in 2012 the same organization honoured him with the Rabindranath Tagore award for his expertise in Sukananni

Ojapali Ojapali is a traditional shamanistic type of indigenous folk dance from Assam in the northeastern region of India. Ojapali is believed to have evolved from Kathakata tradition and is performed in a group; it is believed to be one of the oldest ...

and for contribution in popularizing this traditional folk art form. He has performed Ojapali and

Deodhani dance Deodhani dance ( as, দেওধনী নৃত্য) is a Shaman folk dance from the Indian state of Assam. It can be performed either solo or in a group. Deodhani is of Boro-kachari origin. A group performance of Deodhani generally consists ...

in various places in and outside India. A biographical documentary film on Lalit Oja and his art, 'Haate Mudra Mukhe Pod Mayursodrix Nach' (Assamese), 'Lyrics with Body and Soul' (English), was made with an objective to make people aware of the contribution made by this man in preserving and popularizing the folk art. The film was directed by Prabin Hazarika.

References

1923 births 2013 deaths People from Darrang district Musicians from Assam Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award {{India-musician-stub