Arunchal Pradesh to arrange Bhupen Hazarika Museum to mark his beginning centenary

A bilingual commemorative ebook capturing his life, works, and values—cultural delight, inclusivity, and communal concord—may even be revealed to mark his beginning centenary.

The announcement was made following a coordination assembly chaired by deputy chief minister Chowna Mein on the civil Secretariat on Saturday.

“The celebration might be a tribute not simply to his music, but additionally the values he championed—of unity, dignity, and concord throughout communities,” Mein mentioned.

Officials mentioned the museum in Roing will characteristic uncommon images, musical archives, handwritten lyrics, and audiovisual materials from Hazarika’s profession, together with his contributions to movies, literature, and social activism.

Born on September 8, 1926, in Sadiya (then a part of undivided Assam), Bhupen Hazarika was a multifaceted cultural icon—lyricist, composer, poet, filmmaker, and politician. He earned his doctorate from Columbia University in 1952, the place he was deeply influenced by American civil rights icon Paul Robeson. This impressed Hazarika’s iconic Assamese music ‘Bistirno Parore’, primarily based on Robeson’s ‘Ol’ Man River’.

Hazarika’s ties with Arunachal Pradesh are additionally vital. He composed the Hindi anthem ‘Arunachal Hamara’, and directed the state’s first color Hindi characteristic movie, Mera Dharam Meri Maa (1976), marking a historic cultural milestone.

Over the a long time, he composed for Assamese, Bengali, and Hindi movies, together with Chameli Memsaab, Rudaali, and Daman, typically utilizing his artwork to handle problems with social justice and unity.

Hazarika was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1992, India’s highest honour in cinema. He was additionally awarded the Padma Shri (1977), Padma Bhushan (2001), Padma Vibhushan (posthumously in 2012), and Bharat Ratna (2019)—the nation’s highest civilian award.

In 1979, the Arunachal Pradesh authorities honoured him with a Gold Medal for his contributions to the state’s cultural integration. He was additionally the primary recipient of the Asom Ratna in 2009.

The beginning centenary celebrations, which started in 2023, will culminate on September 8, 2026, with programmes deliberate throughout Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra. These embody educational seminars, concert events, exhibitions, and the discharge of a peer-reviewed biography in a number of Indian languages.

Hazarika handed away on November 5, 2011, in Mumbai.