Hazarika’s last rites performed with full state honours

The mortal remains of cultural icon Bhupen Hazarika were consigned to flames by his son Tez Bhupen Hazarika after full state honours were accorded to him at the Gauhati University campus on Wednesday.

Tez lit the pyre at 10:20 AM after performing the rituals associated with the last rites while the singer's companion of nearly 40 years Kalpana Lajmi sobbed and prayed with folded hands.

The last post was sounded and a 21-gun salute was given to the legend before his body was lifted to the pyre.

Hazarika's body draped in the traditional gamosa reached the campus at around 10 am from historic Judges Field and final tributes were paid by Assam Governor J B Patnaik and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Wreaths were placed by Union DONER Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar on behalf of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh on behalf of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and by BJP leader in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.

After the last respects were paid, the body was taken out of the casket and transferred to a bamboo bier and his son and nephews carried him on his final journey to the sandalwood pyre.

About 70 kg of sandalwood collected from the University Botanical Garden has been used for the pyre.

After lighting the pyre, Tez knelt and bowed to the people with folded hands thanking them for their love and respect for his father.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi also placed a sandalwood on the pyre.

In fact, Hazarika's last rites were to be performed on Tuesday, but the government postponed the ceremony by a day in the wake of a huge demand from the public who came out in their thousands to pay their last respects to the late singer.

His versatility saw him excelling in every field stamping his unique individual identity on each genre he delved in.

But his main contribution lay in catapulting the remote North East on cultural centrestage both at the national and global level.

Hazarika, whose baritone voice enthralled and mesmerised millions of fans, reached creative heights which few in the North East region could aspire to and was single-handedly responsible for giving the region's cultural heritage the due place it deserved in the national arena.

Crowned with awards galore and regarded as a modern day "Balladeer", Hazarika's immemse contribution to the field of music and films received widespread recognition with his art appealing to the old and new alike as more than three generations have grown up listening to his music.

"Bhupenda", as he was popularly called by old and young alike, claimed that music was his first love although he excelled on a much wider cultural mosaic. (DD-9.11)