Assam began its year-long celebration birth centenary celebrations of legendary singer, composer, and filmmaker Bhupen Hazarika, who was born on September 8, 1926, on Monday.
Among those who paid homage to the late artiste were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose tribute was published in several national publications, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“Remembering Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Ji on his Jayanti. Known as the Bard of Brahmaputra, Hazarika Ji’s soulful voice carried the spirit of Assam to the world, and his creations spoke of love, unity and humanity. His melodies will forever echo in our hearts, reminding us of the power of music to heal and unite. By conferring upon him the Bharat Ratna, Modi Ji ensured that his legacy remains immortal,” wrote Shah.
Hazarika, who had passed away in 2011, was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2019.
The Assam government had started the celebrations on Monday with a function at the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Samadhi Kshetra in Guwahati’s Jalukbari, in which Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the memorial would be renamed to Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Samannay Tirtha. Among other guests, Hazarika’s only son Tez Hazarika, who lives in the USA with his family and is in Assam for the celebrations, was a part of the function.
Sarma also paid homage to Hazarika on a social media post stating, “Today, we celebrate the life of a legend, who carried Assam to the world through his soulful melodies and made humanity his tune & love his anthem. We celebrate the Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika, on his jayanti, remembering his life, which was a poetry in itself”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to participate in the celebrations later this week, after he will arrive in the state on September 13 after his engagements in Mizoram and tentatively Manipur. According to the Assam government, PM Modi will release a special commemorative coin prepared for the occasion by the Reserve Bank of India and a book on Bhupen Hazarika that will be translated into different Indian languages.
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Sarma also announced that the state government will over the course of the year, organise events in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi and that the concluding event will be held in the presence of the President of India as chief guest.
