From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: The people of Assam seem in no mood to let go this moment of time that has provided them with the last opportunity to shower generous homage and love to Dr Bhupen Hazarika, the god of music and culture in Assam.
They converged in lakhs to pay obeisance to the musician of their heart while his body was lying in state in the Judges’ Field here for two days here following his death on November 5 in Mumbai after a prolonged illness, they thronged in thousands at the cremation of the music legend on November 9 at Gauhati University campus.
Still, the people are not tired, they gathered in lakhs on Tuesday once again at Khanapara playground here to be with the bereaved family members of Dr Hazarika including his son Tez Hazarika, grandson Sez Hazarika to attend the Adyashraddha (the religious ritual held after 11 days from the day of death) ceremony held in public under the aegis of the Assam government. People draped in their traditional dresses (most women in mehkela chadar) lined up in long queue at the field where the religious rituals were conducted under a massive tent put up for the occasion. Not only had that people in other parts of Assam also held such rituals in front of the legend’s portraits.
An overwhelmed Tez Hazarika said, “I have no word to express my awe and gratitude on behalf of my family, my extended family to all the people of Assam and other parts of the region for the profound outpouring of grief and respect to my departed father. We have been humbled and it is very difficult to express in words how we are feeling about their adoration to my father.”
“I express our gratitude to chief minister Tarun Gogoi for being so supportive to my father during his last days of difficulty facilitating such a national grieving for my father . I have never read about such massive outpouring of grief and respect for any person even in history book. We are basically wordless, speechless to really explain what is actually going on here. My father’s life on this earth was a ‘nirvana kind’ of manifestation. People were deeply deeply moved by his music and poems. His music will continue to inspire people all over the world and he spirit will remain alive in his music. The grief has transcended all classes, strata in the society. It is amazing,” Tez Hazarika, a US citizen, said.
Dr Hazarika’s companion for the last four decades Kalpana Lajmi said before the massive gathering, “I have come here today not to grieve the death of Bhupen Hazarika but to rejoice the fact that the people of Assam through their love, affection, passion have created an unprecedented phenomenon of outpouring of emotion on the death of a legendary figure. I have been told by friends from various parts of the globe that the sea of humanity gathered to pay last respect to Bhupen Hazarika has even outnumbered those gathered after death of figures like Mahatma Gandhi, JF Kennedy, Michael Jackson and Lady Diana.”
“I have to mention names of two persons – Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for providing outstanding financial and healthcare support to Bhupen Hazarika during his last days. I have been told by chairman of Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Tina Ambani that no existing government in the country or any past government has done so much in terms of financial and medical comfort for anybody from any sphere of life as has been done by the present Assam government to Bhupen Hazarika. Bhupen da did not share his political ideology of this government, but they rose above those and stood by him in all possible way till today.
“I as a chairperson of Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust would like to pledge before millions of his lovers and fans that we will try to project him as a gigantic poet and philosopher, not only as only a musician and singer, all over the world and in every university on the globe,” she said.
All religion prayers were organised on Tuesday on the occasion of Adyashraddha of Dr Hazarika not only in Guwahati but all over the State by the people reflecting his influence and closeness to people from all the communities in the region.