Rupam Sarmah

Rupam Sarmah is a musician, filmmaker, entrepreneur, author, sound engineer, and computer scientist. Rupam is a Guinness World Records holder and had a #1 release on the Billboard World Music chart (Together in Peace, 2017). He won Gold Telly Awards (One Little Finger, 2019). As a filmmaker, Sarmah has directed documentaries, short films, and feature films. Sarmah directed the English-language feature film One Little Finger with a theme of Ability in Disability.[1]

Rupam Sarmah
GenresWorld, New Age, Classical, folk
Occupation(s)Computer Scientist, Composer, Filmmaker, Record Producer, Engineer
Instrument(s)Vocals, tabla, percussions, strings, keyboard, piano
Years active1992–present
LabelsRJ Productions International
Websiterupamsarmah.net

Work

Sarmah has worked with some of the award-winning artists and actors -- Siedah Garrett, Dan Aykroyd, Moloya Goswami, Tamela D'Amico, Abhinaya, Jaya Seal, Kushol Chakravarty, Asim Bose, Pabitra Rabha, Rituparna Sengupta, Debashree Roy, Paoli Dam, and others.

Rupam has produced, engineered, recorded songs and music with award-winning artists such as Quincy Jones, Siedah Garrett[3], Kathy Sledge, Julian Lennon, Janis Ian, Kechi Okwuchi, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Laura Sullivan, George Kahumoku, Jr., Cindy Paulos, Wouter Kellerman, Brian Vibberts, Ricky Kej, Sumitra Guha, Kevin Mackie, Sophia Agranovich, Alan Roy Scott, Udit Narayan, Babul Supriyo, Sadhna Sargam, Kumar Sanu, Rupankar, Subhamita, Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta, Usha Uthup, Anweshaa, Iman Chakraborty, and many others.

Sarmah and Sumitra Guha have represented India for Festival of India concerts in France (2018) organized by the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, and the Embassy of India in Paris on the occasion of India’s 70th Independence. The theme of the project was A Musical Journey towards Rising India.

As a Computer Engineer, Executive, and media professional, Rupam has worked for technology startups and other companies such as Apple. Rupam is a Voting member of Grammy® as a Musician, Producer, and Engineer (P&E) since 2005.

Sarmah has been involved with AI, Autism, and Music research and started a research center (RMAN) for ongoing research.

Activism

Sarmah founded the One Little Finger Global Foundation (501c3) to support underprivileged children and persons with disabilities, media production house RJ Productions International - maZumba for collaborative content creation. He has worked on a number of projects with organizations, including UNESCO Center for Peace, PRERONA, Manovikas - Welfare and Rehabilitation Center for the Children with Special Needs, Bhupen Hazarika Foundation.[2][3]

Awards

Sarmah has received a number of awards and recognitions for his music and film.[4][5] One Little Finger, written and directed by Sarmah, received several awards.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] His research-based world music project, OMKARA - The Sound of Divine Love and Gospel with Borgeet,Talk to God, received nominations in the Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2014.[13]

Sarmah made a Guinness World Record on 24 February 2013 for his project 'A Musical Journey for World Peace', which united more than 500 participants from across the globe playing 315 kinds of musical instruments for world peace.[14][15][16]

Chart performance

OMKARA was listed in the top 10 Radio Airplay chart.[17]

Action Moves People United, co-produced and engineered by Sarmah, made the top 10 on the US Billboard Compilation Album chart.[18]

The album A Musical Journey: Together in Peace made the top 10 on the Billboard World Albums chart. Sarmah created history by becoming the first Assamese and also probably the first artist of Northeast origin to get a #1 album on the Billboard World Albums chart.[19]

Life

Sarmah was born in Jorhat, Assam. He learned Indian instruments and classical vocals during his time at Golaghat and Jorhat. He also continued to explore other fields, such as film, sound engineering, and music. Sarmah migrated to the United States after completing his BS in Engineering in India. He then earned his doctorate from George Washington University's School of Engineering and Applied Science with a dissertation in Artificial Intelligence. Rupam completed his Master’s in Management, Master’s in Computer Science, and Doctorate from US universities. In the US, he took lessons from Ali Akbar Khan, Hindustani classical maestro. Rupam and his family currently live in California.

Filmography
  1. ARISE TOGETHER - Video - I Am Brave by Dana | Gandhi's Grandson Speech (Album Produced and Directed by Rupam Sarmah) [2022, Sep 23]
  2. AUM - Blessings to Humanity - Music Video (track from AUM - The Divine Sound; Music Directed and Produced by Rupam Sarmah) [2021, Sep 24]
  3. Enlighten Your Soul | Tribute to Gandhi, Mandela, MLK Jr. - Music Video (Music Directed and Produced by Rupam Sarmah [Oct 2, 2021]
  4. One Little Finger (2019-2020)[20][21][22][23] - Feature Film - Story, Screenplay and Direction by Sarmah
  5. Gumsum Gumsum - Music Video (Singers: Anweshaa, Rupam; Music and Direction by Rupam Sarmah) [2020]
  6. O Mor Axomi Aai (Love for my country) - Music Video (Singer, Songwriter, Direction by Rupam Sarmah) [2020]
  7. O Maa Desh Amar (Singer: Iman Chakraborty, Music: Rupam Sarmah, Bengali Lyrics: Gautam Susmit) [2020]
  8. Gulsher Music Video (produced by Rupam Sarmah and Sharif Awan)
  9. Together in Peace - Mandela Meets Gandhi (produced by Rupam Sarmah and Sharon Katz)
  10. We Are Love (900 Voices)[24] - Music Video: Participated in Grammy® winning composer Laura Sullivan’s project [2015]
  11. In Search of God - Film Director (Best Documentary Award, Indian Film Festival, Houston, Texas; Music Score, composer, Sound Design)
  12. Sagar Kinare (Bengali) - Music Director
  13. Alor Thikana (Bengali) - Music Director
  14. A Musical Journey for World Peace[25] - A Musical Concert Film, Directed by Rupam
  15. Majestic Assam - Music Video
  16. Story of Gulsher - Music Video
  17. Art of Healing - Documentary, produced by Rupam (portrait of an artist, Lisa Sniderman)

Discography
  1. Arise Together - Children of the World - Co-Produced by Rupam Sarmah [2023]
  2. Love Serenade - Rupam Sarmah, Sophia Agranovich [2023]
  3. ARISE TOGETHER - Co-Produced by Rupam Sarmah [2022]
  4. Peace and Joy - Rupam Sarmah and Sophia Agranovich [2022]
  5. AUM - The Divine Sound[26] - Composed and Directed by Rupam Sarmah [2021]
  6. AUM - ALOHA Blessings - Composed and Directed by Rupam Sarmah, feat. George Kahumoku, Jr., Cindy Paulos [2021]
  7. One Little Finger (2019) - Rupam Sarmah featuring Quincy Jones, Siedah Garrett, Julian Lennon, Kechi Okwuchi, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
  8. A Musical Journey towards Rising India (2018)[27] - Produced by Padmashri Sumitra Guha and Rupam Sarmah; Music Direction by Rupam Sarmah
  9. A Musical Journey: Together in Peace (2017) - album composed, directed, produced by Sarmah
  10. The Song Unsung (2016) - vocals by Janis Ian and Sarmah (words by Tagore, music inspired by Borgeet 'Pawe Pori Hori')
  11. Story of Gulsher (2016) - a collaboration between India and Pakistan produced and composed by Sarmah
  12. Mandela Meets Gandhi (2016) - a collaboration with Sharon Katz and The Peace Train (South Africa)
  13. Action Moves People United (September 2016) - album with Dan Aykroyd, Kathy Sledge, Julian Lennon, Alan White, Annie Haslam, Lillias White, and others[28] (Sarmah as Co-Producer, Singer, Composer, Engineer)
    1. includes "Enlighten Your Soul" (2016) - with Dan Aykroyd, Alan White and others (composed by Sarmah)
  14. Arise Above Abuse (Spoken Word and Music Album by Cindy Paulos and others) [2015]
  15. Sounds from the Circle[29] - New Age Album - compilation [2015]
  16. OMKARA – The Sound of Divine Love[30][31] (World Music Project based on Chakra and healing music) – Directed and Produced by Rupam (feat. Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Sumitra Guha, Laura Sullivan, and others) [2014]
  17. Talk to God[32] (Contemporary Gospel song blended with Borgeet 'gopale ki goti'), Rupam Sarmah and Nona Brown, Singer and Composer [2014]
  18. Angel Blessings[33] (Benefiting Hospice): Take in a Deep Breath of Heaven (Rupam Sarmah and Nona Brown) [2014]
  19. In Search of God[34] - Singer, Direction and Score
  20. Sagar Kinare (Bengali) - Singer and Music Director
  21. Hits of Rupam - Singer and composer
  22. Priyam (Assamese) - Singer and composer
  23. Gems of Bishnu Rabha, vol 1, 2, 3 (iTunes) - Sound Design
  24. Geetali (Assamese) - Singer and composer
  25. Piya Re (Hindi) - Singer and composer
  26. Praner Gaan - Singer and Composer
  27. Sylvan Rhapsody of Assam (iTunes) - Sound Design
  28. Sangeetpremee - Singer and composer
  29. My Love Is You - Singer and composer
  30. Music Film (world record concert) – A Musical Journey for World Peace by Rupam and his team
  31. Bengali Album (Banjara)
  32. Bishnuprasadar Prosad (book – published) (assisted Dilip K. Datta, URI, USA)
  33. Bhupen Hazarikar Geet aru Jeevan Roth – (assisted Dilip K. Datta, URI, USA), published 2014

Notes
  1. "Persons with Disabilities tell their own story on celluloid - Times of India". The Times of India. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  2. "Global online Bhupendra Sangeet competition".
  3. "Nostalgia at online Bhupendra Sangeet".
  4. ".:: Indian Film Festival of Houston ::". www.iffhinc.org. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013.
  5. "Indian Film Festival of Houston".
  6. "filmmaker-gets-international-recognition".
  7. "assamese-filmmaker-wins-award-at-riverside-international-film-festival-for-movie-on-physically-challenged".
  8. "assamese-filmmaker-gets-international-recognition-for-movie-on-differently-abled".
  9. "meet_the_filmmaker_rupam_sarmah_with_one_little_finger_in_cannes_2019".
  10. "assam-filmmaker-rupam-sarmah-wins-three-awards-at-telly-awards-in-us".
  11. "persons-with-disabilities-tell-their-own-story-on-celluloid".
  12. "assam-jorhat-boys-flick-shines-in-los-angeles-film-festival".
  13. "Hollywood Music in Media Awards nominations 2014".
  14. The Assam Tribune. "Jorhat musical performance gets into Guinness World Records". The Assam Tribune. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  15. "Video: Hundreds help set most instruments used in a piece of music world record in India". Guinness World Records. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  16. Locker, Melissa. "WATCH: Indian Symphony Breaks World Record For Most Instruments in a Piece of Music". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  17. "World Top 100 Radio Chart".
  18. "AMPU - Billboard Chart". Twitter. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  19. "Songs of Assamese origin top Billboard World Chart; Thanks to Rupam Sarmah!". The North East Today. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  20. "Hearing impaired girl acting in an English film".
  21. "One Little Finger (Screenplay)". IMDb.
  22. "Persons with Disabilities tell their own story on celluloid - Times of India". The Times of India. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  23. "one-little-finger-to-air-in-san-diego".
  24. "We are Love - Music Video". YouTube.
  25. "A Musical Journey for World Peace". iTunes.
  26. "Rupam Sarmah brings Chanting and Healing Energies from Around the World with the Power of Music". www.wicz.com. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  27. "Rising India – Rupam Sarmah". Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  28. "Action Moves People United » Artists". www.actionmovespeopleunited.org. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  29. "New Age Musik".
  30. "Omkara | The Sound of Divine Love". Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  31. "Omkara Store".
  32. "Talk to God". iTunes. 2014.
  33. "Angel Blessings".
  34. "In Search of God on iTunes". iTunes. 26 February 2012.
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