HT Bureau
GUWAHATI/DIPHU, Sept 8: The state’s cultural heartland came alive on Monday as Assam paid tribute to legendary singer and Bharat Ratna awardee Dr Bhupen Hazarika on his 100th birth anniversary.
The grand inauguration of year-long celebrations was held at the Bhupen Hazarika Samannay Tirtha in Guwahati, where thousands gathered alongside dignitaries to honour the maestro whose music and message continue to resonate across generations.
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Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, state Congress president Gourav Gogoi, and several other leaders joined students, music lovers, office workers and ordinary citizens in paying homage at the memorial near Gauhati University, where Dr Hazarika was cremated in 2011.
Cultural programmes, floral tributes and performances filled the day with heartfelt remembrance.
The Governor hailed Dr Hazarika as “the soul of Assam and a symbol of India’s cultural consciousness,” adding that the centenary celebrations are “not merely an event of remembrance, but a festival of inspiration aimed at igniting the imagination of generations to come.”
Chief Minister Sarma announced that the state government, in collaboration with other states including Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Delhi, will organise events throughout the year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an article published across state newspapers, described Hazarika’s legacy as one that “extends far beyond music as his works embodied emotions that transcended melody.”
The Prime Minister will participate in a special tribute event in Assam on September 13, where a commemorative ₹100 coin in Hazarika’s honour will be unveiled.
A biography of the maestro, written by Sahitya Akademi award-winning author Anuradha Sarma Pujari, will be translated into all major Indian languages and distributed to libraries nationwide.
The celebrations will conclude in New Delhi on September 8, 2026, with President Droupadi Murmu expected to attend the closing ceremony.
The day also saw cultural programmes by the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust and Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra Society, including the hoisting of the Trust’s flag by 100 prominent personalities led by nonagenarian Sattriya dancer Jatin Goswami.
Musical performances by indigenous groups and lighting of lamps at the Hazarika museum were part of the events. The All Assam Students’ Union organised tributes across the state, while the state government launched new music classes in Adarsha Vidyalayas and announced subsidies for Assamese films.
Hazarika’s son, Tez Hazarika, along with his family from the United States, attended the celebrations.
“His music carried the hopes, struggles, and dreams of our people, becoming a movement in itself,” said state Congress president Gogoi.
While the grand commemorations in Guwahati set the tone for the year-long celebrations, other parts of the state joined in paying tribute.
In Diphu town, the Diphu Club and Bangali Sahitya Sabha organised a community event where local artistes and residents offered floral tributes, recited speeches and performed songs of the maestro.
Diphu Club president Robin Goswami remarked that although the celebrations were modest, they reflected the community’s deep respect for Hazarika’s legacy.
Born on September 8, 1926, in Sadiya, Tinsukia district, Dr Bhupen Hazarika’s compositions, such as “Bistirno Parore,” “Dil Hoom Hoom Kare,” and “Manuhe Manuhor Babe,” voiced the struggles and aspirations of ordinary people while celebrating Assam’s cultural pride.
As the state marks his birth centenary, the celebrations are a reminder of the enduring power of his music to inspire unity, compassion and resilience. (With Inputs from PTI)
