Guwahati: Veteran Assamese musician and a singer of a class apart, Khagen Mahanta who passed away on Thursday at his city residence at the age of 72, was cremated on Friday in a special cremation space created by Assam government at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra at the request of the family of the departed soul.
Thousands of mourning fans followed the body of the departed musician while it was being taken to various institutions in the city including All India Radio, directorate of cultural affairs at Rabindra Bhawan premises, etc to allow his fans to pay their last respects to the musician who dominated the cultural landscape of the state for decades and was considered next to ever green musician Dr Bhupen Hazarika, who predeceased him.
He was a colossal musician and equally popular among the masses like the Hazarika. Mahanta gave a major thrust to documentation of folk tunes of Assam and was instrumental in redefining Bihu songs.
He was a recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1992. He was actively involved in Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) movement alongside likes of Bhupen Hazarika, Balraj Sahni and Hemanga Biswas. He also acted in ‘Shakuntala’ , an Assamese film directed by late Bhupen Hazarika.
The state government declared a half-holiday on Friday for all offices and educational institutions and a full holiday for educational institutions in Guwahati out of respect for the departed musician.
