From Guwahati to New Delhi, India prepares for a grand year-long tribute to Sudhakanta Dr Bhupen Hazarika

Guwahati, Sept 8: The year-long birth centenary celebrations of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika will commence today with the inaugural programme to be organised at the Dr Bhupen Hazarika Samannay Kshetra at Jalukbari.

The programme will be attended by Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

A screening of the movie Sakuntala directed by Dr Hazarika has been organised in the evening at Aideo Cimena Hall at Panjabari, where the State government will also launch the introduction of music classes in model schools of Assam, Cultural Affairs director Rahul Das said. At the programme, subsidies will also be distributed to producers of full-fledged Assamese cinema.

Programmes are also being organized by different institutions, organizations and government departments.

Dr Hazarika’s son Tej arrived here from the US with his family to take part in the celebrations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to officially inaugurate the celebration on September 13.

Dr Hazarika, affectionately called ‘Sudhakanta’, was born at Sadiya in Tinsukia district on September 8, 1926.

Cycle rallies were organized on Sunday by the Marwari Yuva Mancha in association with Dr Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust at various places of the State, including Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Dimapur.

The Assam government had constituted a 50-member committee headed by the Chief Minister to oversee the year-long birth centenary celebrations. Besides Guwahati, events are being planned at New Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Kolkata and Mumbai.

The Central government has been requested to launch a commemorative coin. The finance ministry has issued the official gazette notification for issuance of a Rs 100 commemorative coin on the special occasion, which is likely to be launched by Modi during his visit to the State.

As part of the celebrations, the State government will distribute 10 lakh biographies of Dr Hazarika, and give one to each library in the country.

The government is also planning to make a documentary in three languages – English, Assamese and Hindi. Events will be organized in educational institutions during the year.

Saptak, the cultural society of Gauhati University, celebrated the birth anniversary of Dr Hazarika with a musical tribute on Saturday. A cycle rally was also organized at the university on Sunday.