GUWAHATI, Nov 6 - To commemorate the fourth death anniversary of Dr Bhupen Hazarika, the Dr Bhupen Hazarika Foundation (BHF), in collaboration with Care Luit and Pragjyoti Communications, organised a national forum at the India Islamic Cultural Centre auditorium in New Delhi on Thursday.
Several leading personalities from the Northeast and Delhi took part in the event. NSN Lotha, former president of the Naga Students Federation, and former general secretary of the North East Students Organisation said that Bhupenda was a global legend from the Northeast and would have shaken the world had he been born in the West. �It is the duty of the people of the Northeast to introduce Bhupenda to the world,� he said.
L Subhas Singha, a social activist from Manipur, while elaborating on the legacy of Bhupenda, suggested that a North East Cultural University be established in the name of the music maestro. Dr Ankuran Dutta, associate professor of KK Handiqui State Open University and former programme officer of the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Southeast Asia, spoke about Dr Bhupen Hazarika�s pioneering research on the use of mass media to propagate adult education.
Author Aruni Kashyap said that Bhupenda had always been an inspiration from him. Social worker and chairman of the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority Dhiren Barua said that a town hall in the name of Bhupenda should be constructed in Guwahati where people from all over the world can come and stay to learn about the maestro.
Bhupenda�s son and New York-based writer, publisher and art critic Tej Hazarika spoke about his father�s humanism that was reflected in his life and his works. Bhupenda�s cousin Aratii Sehgal also shared the memories of the legend.
Jajabor, a special memorial volume on Bhupenda containing write-ups from various leading personalities from the world of art, culture, literature, journalism, etc., and River of Hurt, a novel by Tridib Choudhury based on the turbulent days of the Assam Agitation were also released on the occasion.
