GUWAHATI, Jan 25 � Age and its accompanying ailments have apparently failed to shackle the ever restless spirit of the living legend, Dr Bhupen Hazarika, who on Tuesday extended his gratitude to the people of the State by singing a few lines and shedding tears of joy.
Tears rolled down the cheeks of the music maestro as the State formally threw open the museum set up in his name at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra here. The Bhupen Hazarika Museum established at the initiative of the Kalakshetra Society has on display around 4,000 objects owned by the people�s artiste, Bhupen-da.
The museum was inaugurated by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in the presence of a host of cultural luminaries of the State at a function held at the Kalakshetra. Earlier, the maestro arrived in the company of filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi and was given a rousing welcome. There was also a presentation of folk dances of the State.
That the mind is indomitable was once more proved by Bhupen-da who preferred to sing his evergreen number �Mor Gaan Hauk Bahu Asthahinatar Biporite Ek Gabhir Asthar Gaan� and called upon the young generation to imbibe the spirit of camaraderie and brotherhood and build a society which would epitomize all the human values.
�I appeal to all people of the State who love beauty and creativity, to come forward and be the builders of a new society,� urged Bhupen-da, saying that the moment was a momentous one in his life and that he had no words to express his gratefulness to the people of the State.
Kalpana Lajmi too expressed her gratitude to the people for showering such affection and honour on Bhupen-da, and said that Assam would stand out from the rest of the country because it could go to great lengths to honour an artiste.
Tarun Gogoi, in his inaugural speech, mentioned that this day would be a memorable event in the cultural history of the State, and promised that all efforts would be made to usher in a new era in the State based on the ideals of the maestro.
�Dr Bhupen Hazarika is an inspiration for the State and we are committed to building a new Assam on the ideals of equality, peace and brotherhood of Bhupen-da,� said Gogoi, suggesting that the songs of Bhupen-da be translated into Hindi and Sanskrit so that the world gets an opportunity to listen and feel the depth and uniqueness of the songs.
The Kalakshetra Society on the other hand has appealed to all the admirers of Bhupen-da who might be in possession of any objects related to Bhupen-da to donate the same to the museum.
