Assam missed PM’s tribute to Bhupen Hazarika in 2011, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday expressed deep gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for attending the birth anniversary celebrations of legendary singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika, saying the people of Assam would always remember the respect shown to the cultural icon.

Speaking at a programme organised as part of Hazarika’s birth centenary celebrations in Guwahati, Sarma said Modi’s presence had healed a wound that lingered since 2011, when the state mourned Hazarika’s demise. “When Bhupen da died, the people of Assam wanted a representative of the Government of India to come and pay respects. We wanted the prime minister to come and lay a garland when he was being cremated. But our dream did not come true,” Sarma recalled, in a veiled reference to the then Congress-led UPA government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who represented Assam in the Rajya Sabha.

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“Today, Modi ji has come to be part of Bhupen da’s birth centenary celebrations. The way he has shown respect for Bhupen da, the people of Assam will never forget it,” Sarma said, adding that the Prime Minister’s gesture carried emotional significance for every Assamese.

The Chief Minister also highlighted Hazarika’s lasting legacy, noting that his songs and creative works strongly advocated social equality, harmony, and nationalism. He credited the BJP-led central government for honouring the ‘Bard of Brahmaputra’ in multiple ways, including conferring the Bharat Ratna, naming the Dhola-Sadiya bridge after him, and issuing a commemorative ₹100 coin.

“Bhupen da’s creations were not just music; they were a philosophy of unity and nationhood. Today, the honour given to him by the Prime Minister reaffirms his place as one of India’s greatest cultural icons,” Sarma said.