Multi-faceted identity who stirred every heart: Himanta at Bhupen Hazarika birth centenary event

Guwahati: The year-long birth centenary celebration of Bhupen Hazarika began on Monday, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a special tribute to the ‘Bard of Brahmaputra’ on Sept 13 during his visit to the state.During the event, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said the PM will release a special commemorative coin of Rs 100 prepared by the Reserve Bank of India in honour of the legendary artiste and also launch a book on Hazarika.

The translated version of this book into all Indian languages will be sent to the libraries of every college and university across the country.Synchronising with the celebration of the ‘Year of Books’ this year, Sarma said state govt will distribute the special book on Bhupen Hazarika to 20 lakh families in the state.Paying tribute to Hazarika at the “Dr Bhupen Hazarika Samannay Tirtha” in Jalukbari, the CM said the year-long celebrations of the birth centenary of Hazarika have given an opportunity to the people to remember a multi-faceted personality who could stir every heart through his immortal creations.He added that Hazarika’s entire life was a symbol of uniqueness, protest, deep passion, and loyalty. Hazarika’s songs, he said, never served only as a means of entertainment; they themselves were movements. His songs truly carried the hopes of the oppressed, the cries of the displaced, and the dreams of the common people.Sarma said as a part of the centenary celebrations, the state govt would organise events in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Kolkata, Mumbai, and New Delhi. He added that the concluding ceremony of the year-long birth centenary celebration would see the presence of the President of India as the chief guest.The CM announced that a museum dedicated to Bhupen Hazarika’s dreams would be constructed within this year at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati.