Honouring Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s legacy, the Government of Assam has announced special initiatives to continue its effort to preserve and promote his works and creations and the values he stood for across the globe.
The Assam Cabinet, meeting under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma on April 12 decided to hold a year-long programme commemorating the legend’s birth anniversary starting from 8 September 2025 to 8 September 2026.
A 50-member committee will be formed to oversee the entire celebration which will be led by the Chief Minister. Further, Chief Ministers from all North Eastern States, too, will be invited to join as patrons.
The Cabinet also decided to hold commemorative events at Guwahati, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Arunachal Pradesh. In addition, an important institution will be renamed after the legendary personality. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has invited Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to attend the inaugural ceremony on 8 September 2025. Mentioning about the meeting, CM posted in X, “It was my privilege to meet Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji in New Delhi. Had the honour of inviting him to Assam as the Chief Guest for the inaugural ceremony of the year-long celebration of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s birth centenary.”
The post also informed that the Hon’ble Prime Minister has agreed to grace these important occasions on 8th September 2025, appreciated the initiative of the Government of Assam and made several recommendations.
In conjunction with the centenary celebrations, the biography of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika will be published and translated into various languages and one million copies of his biography will be printed and distributed among the people of Assam. There will also be a documentary on his life and work. The Chief Minister also requested the Union Government to issue a commemorative coin in honour of the Bharat Ratna.
Also planned are music festivals, film screenings, art competition, etc.
The intellectual community of the State has lauded the visionary initiative of the Government of Assam and stated that necessary digital preservation measures should also be undertaken to promote the words and works of Bhupen Hazarika among the younger generation.
The Sudhakanta, as Dr Hazarika was also known, is a voice that transcends boundaries and resonates across the globe. Born in 1926 in Sadiya, Hazarika was immersed in the cultural milieu from a very early age, profoundly influenced by luminaries such as Laxminath Bezbarua, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Bishnu Prasad Rabha, and Phani Sharma.
In 1937 – Bhupen Hazarika penned his first song.
“কুসুম্বৰ পুত্ৰ শ্ৰীশংকৰ গুৰুৱে
ধৰিছিল নামৰে তান..”
This marked the beginning of a memorable journey that spanned over seven decades leaving an indelible imprint on music, literature, cinema, politics, education, and journalism.
Sudhakantha was involved in magazines like New India, Gati, Bindu, Amar Pratinidhi and Pratidhani. Sudhakantha made his directorial debut with Era Bator Xur (1956) and later directed other Assamese films such as Shakuntala, Pratidhwani, Latighati, Chikmik Bijuli, Siraj (1988)etc. He also gave his voice for Hindi, Bengali and other film industry along with Assamese films. The first Assamese movie in which Bhupen Hazarika gave his voice was Indramalati where he also acted as a child artiste and enthralled the audience with his acting skills. Mera Dharam Meri Maa was the only Hindi film directed by Bhupen Hazarika.
As a music director, his first independent project was Sati Beula. Notably, he won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for Chameli Memsaab, directed by Abdul Majid. In recognition of his tremendous contributions, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika received numerous accolades, including the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Srimanta Sankardeva Award etc.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi declared Sattriya Dance as a Classical form when Dr. Hazarika was its chairman.
