Angaraag Mahanta, better known by his stage name Papon, is an Indian playback singer and composer from Nagaon, Assam. Apart from his film-related work, he is also known as the vocalist and founder of the folk-fusion band Papon and The East India Company. Born on November 24, 1975, Papon kickstarted his music career in 1998 with the single "Nasaba Sokule," included in his studio debut Snigdha Junak. After releasing his second album, Jonaki Raati, in 2004, he made his Bollywood debut in 2006 on the track "Om - Mantra" from the 2006 film Strings - Bound by Faith. In the following years, he gained widespread recognition for his work in Bollywood and has sung many popular songs in Hindi, Assamese, and other languages. His first big hit, "Jiyein Kyun," appeared in the Hindi thriller Dum Maro Dum in 2001 and was followed by other notable releases such as "Lakeerein" from Kya Dilli Kya Lahore (2014), "Moh moh ke dhage" from Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015), and "Baba Bolta Hain Bas Ho Gaya" from Sanju (2018). He also continued to release albums as a solo artist, including the Hindi albums The Story So Far (2012) and The Story Now (2016), as well as the Assamese folk albums Rong Phool (2008), Sinaki Osinaaki (2009), and Notun Puhor (2017). Originally released as part of the soundtrack of the film Cirkus, the Shreya Ghoshal duet "Sun Zara" reached Number 69 on the Indian Top 100 in 2022.
