Gauhati University Launches Digital Archive Project for Bhupen Hazarika's Films and Songs

Guwahati: Gauhati University (GU), where cultural icon Bhupen Hazarika once served as faculty in the education department, is making significant progress toward building a comprehensive digital archive of his songs and films.Under the project titled “Preservation, Restoration, and Digitization of the Films and Songs of Dr Bhupen Hazarika”, the folklore research department at GU (GU-FRD) leads the initiative in collaboration with the department of cultural affairs, govt of Assam, Dr Bhupen Hazarika Regional Govt Film & Television Institute , Assam state film (finance and development) corporation, and other partners. The university has been able to collect prints of his two films, “Shakuntala” and “Chiraj”, which are difficult to find on online platforms, from various sources for digitisation and public access.Approximately 100 songs have been gathered from public domains, and over 400 additional songs have been identified for preservation under the initiative aimed at transforming vulnerable analog formats into secure, future-proof digital copies. Collection and restoration efforts to source original audiovisuals, cassettes, LPs, and film prints from govt archives, private collectors, and families are set to gain momentum as the state celebrates the birth centenary of the balladeer from Sept 8.