Assam begins year-long centenary celebrations of Bhupen Hazarika

Assam government, on September 8, launched the year-long birth centenary celebrations of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, with Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma paying rich tributes to the legendary singer, composer, and cultural icon.

The inaugural ceremony was held at the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Samannay Kshetra in Guwahati, the site where the maestro was cremated in November 2011. Both the governor and the chief minister offered floral tributes at his memorial. As part of the ceremony, 100 prominent personalities hoisted a flag in his honour, followed by a musical programme dedicated to his timeless legacy.

Hazarika’s only son, Tez Hazarika, along with his wife and son, arrived from the United States to participate in the centenary events. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the celebrations on September 13 during his two-day visit to Assam, further underlining the national importance of the commemoration.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described Hazarika as a global voice of humanity and an eternal source of inspiration. “His life and times are an example in itself. His love for Assam and Bharat is one to take inspiration from by all,” Sarma said in a post on X. “We celebrate the life of a legend who carried Assam to the world through his soulful melodies and made humanity his tune and love his anthem,” he added.

The chief minister also highlighted the unprecedented honour accorded to Hazarika by the BJP-led government at the Centre, which posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna on him, renamed Dibrugarh Airport in his memory, and issued a commemorative coin featuring his likeness.

Samar Hazarika, the younger brother of the maestro, appreciated the state government’s initiative to celebrate his brother’s centenary on such a grand scale. “This is the first time an Assamese artiste has been honoured in this manner across the nation,” he said, while also thanking non-governmental organisations and cultural institutions for planning parallel events.

The Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust, founded by the maestro himself, also organised programmes at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati, which included musical performances and the ceremonial lighting of lamps before his museum.

Elsewhere in Assam, district administrations have lined up cultural tributes. In Nagaon, a musical programme on September 10 will feature 15,000 students from universities, colleges, and schools singing Hazarika’s immortal song “Manuhe Manuhor Babe” (If humans do not care for humans) at Nurul Amin Stadium. Officials from the India Book of Records will be present to document the event.

Bhupen Hazarika, fondly known as “Sudhakantha” (the Bard of the Brahmaputra), was born on September 8, 1926, at Sadiya in Tinsukia district. His music, deeply rooted in Assam’s cultural ethos, transcended borders and languages, uniting people through universal themes of humanity, justice, and empathy.