Tez Hazarika to Receive Bhupenda's 'Bharat Ratna' Today

Guwahati, August 8, 2019:

The iconic balladeer Bhupen Hazarika's son Tez Hazarika has said that Bhupen Hazarika is India's 'gift to the world'. US-based Tej Hazarika is in India to receive the country's highest civilian honour, the 'Bharat Ratna' to be bestowed on Bhupenda, as his father is popularly known, on Thursday.

'Bhupenda', as he was popularly known, was a poet, music composer, singer, actor, journalist, author and filmmaker, all rolled into one. He took the rich folk heritage of Assam and interpreted it beautifully for the world through his songs.

The government on January 25 announced that former president Pranab Mukherjee, Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumously) and Hazarika will be conferred with the Bharat Ratna. The awards are scheduled to be presented on Thursday.

Tej said his father''s Bharat Ratna is an "excellent landmark and helpful prerequisite to continue the process of preparing the groundwork for a powerful and democratic Indian republic awoken to the fact that her diversity is her uniqueness and strength".

It is to be mentioned that Bhupen Hazarika completed his basic education from Guwahati in 1942, BA from Banaras Hindu University in 1944 and MA (Pol Sc) in 1946. He did his PhD in Mass Communication from Columbia University. He also received the Lisle Fellowship from Chicago University, US to study the use of educational project development through cinema

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