PM Modi to hold road show in Guwahati today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a roadshow in Guwahati on Saturday as part of celebrations marking the 100th birth anniversary of legendary singer and Bharat Ratna awardee Dr. Bhupen Hazarika.

Modi is set to land in Guwahati at 5:15 pm, following which he will attend a meeting to pay tributes to the musical icon. 
During the event, he will release a Rs 100 commemorative coin issued by the Reserve Bank of India in honour of Hazarika and launch a biography of the maestro titled Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika, authored by Sahitya Akademi awardee Anuradha Sarma Pujari.

The centenary celebrations will feature an 18-minute musical tribute by 1,200 artistes, who will perform a medley of 14 evergreen songs of Hazarika. People associated with the singer during his lifetime are also expected to attend the occasion.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the Khanapara Veterinary College Field late on Friday night to review preparations for the Prime Minister’s visit, directing officials to ensure flawless arrangements and strict security measures. “A few hours to go as Assam gets ready to welcome Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji. Joined my fellow karyakartas to review last-minute preparations,” the CM posted on X.

The Rs 100 commemorative coin, made of pure silver and weighing 40 grams with a diameter of 44 millimeters, features a portrait of Bhupen Hazarika on one side, with the inscription “Dr Bhupen Hazarika Birth Centenary” in Hindi along the upper circumference and in English along the lower circumference, with the year 2025 noted below. The reverse side displays the Ashoka pillar emblem, the denomination 100 with the Indian Rupee symbol beneath it, and the words “Bharat” in Hindi and “India” in English on either side of the denomination. The coin is non-circulating and meant purely as a collectible, with an estimated price of Rs 7,600 to Rs 8,000.

The biography, originally written in Assamese, will be translated into all major Indian languages. The Assam government plans to distribute it to around 20 lakh people and make it available across libraries nationwide.

During his stay, the Prime Minister will reside at a state guest house in Guwahati. On Sunday, Modi will visit Mangaldoi in Darrang district and the Numaligarh refinery in Golaghat district, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for projects worth over Rs 19,000 crore and address public gatherings. Following the visit, he will depart for Kolkata from Jorhat airport in the evening.