Assam Music Maestro Dr. Bhupen Hazarika will be awarded the Bharat Ratna on August 8.
On this occasion, Tej Hazarika, the son of the late singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika, said on Monday that "It is a really big deal and a great honor given Bhupen da in the grand scheme of things Indian as well for us, his family and his fans…"
The announcement had been made in a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan which also said the award would be given to Former President Pranab Mukherjee and social activist Nanaji Deshmukh.
"Happy to announce that on August 8th, my family and I will be at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, thanks to the Home Ministry of the Indian Government, to receive the Bharat Ratna that my father Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was awarded posthumously last year. This is India's highest civilian award and it is a really big deal and a great honor given Bhupen da in the grand scheme of things Indian as well for us, his family and his fans. A legend in Assam and Bengal, to a certain extent, what was his great contribution to India? What are the messages encoded in his songs? How relevant are they to Indian's future? Why did he write all his songs in Assamese though he was fluent in other languages? Assamese speaking people should be pleased Bhupen Hazarika is so recognized. A close study of his songs may answer some of those questions. He wrote over 600 songs by one count.
Please share this good news with your friends.
Here I share one song that may bear some answers….he wrote in his song Mor Gaan Houk] [LET MY SONG BE]:Let my song redeem one's faith, not cynicism
[Translated by Syed Ahmed Shah and reproduced from reprinted from Winged Horse: 76 Assamese Songs of Bhupen Hazarika, Coolgrove Press, NYC. 2018]
Let it sing the praise of truth, not idle musings.
Let my art leave its mark in the realm of excellence
Let it awaken the great soul of a certain crusading man.
Let contemporary conflicts, life's brilliant flashes
Raise my song, sung in unison by million voices.
Sowing seeds of destruction dividing human hearts
Is never my song's intention, peace is all it wants.
Let my composition bring to life the past and the present
Let there be swimming in it the future ever radiant.
Confronting every wall of intractable obstruction
Let my song overcome all with a lightning momentum…
