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Lajmi biggest beneficiary of Dr Hazarika�s will

By Sanjoy Ray

GUWAHATI, Jan 9 � Filmmaker and business partner of Dr Bhupen Hazarika, Kalpana Lajmi, has emerged as the biggest beneficiary of the legendary artiste�s will, while his son Punnag Tej Hazarika was entitled only to his father�s share of inherited plots (revenue) in Tezpur and Nazira.

Tej will be entitled to the claim on the sale of the plot in Tezpur, only if Nripen Hazarika, brother of Dr Hazarika (presently occupying the property) opts to sell the property after due approval from all his siblings or their legal heirs.

The certified and last will signed by the legendary artiste mentioned that his wife and son or the trustees of the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust will have no right to claim or demand whatsoever the properties bequeathed to Lajmi, including the movable and immovable properties. Lajmi, after Dr Hazarika�s death, will be the chairperson of the Trust till her death.

�Film and television companies, bank accounts, both personal and company accounts, investment be it in cash or gold (jewellery), cheque and property both in India and rest of the world have been earned in equal proportion by Lajmi along with myself and therefore after my death she will be entitled to be the sole owner of the same,� Late Dr Hazarika deposed in his will.

The other properties that were bequeathed to Lajmi include all professional equipment from film and sound for which the trade licence is in the name of Bhupen Hazarika and Kalpana Lajmi, besides the residential flat at Andheri West (Mumbai), all other existing and future bank accounts, pension, cash, investment, jewellery, property, car, rights and receipts of sales both in cash and cheque of film and television software, record, DVDs and CDs made by Dr Hazarika.

Dr Hazarika, in his will, also wished that his share of the 16-bigha land jointly inherited by him and his brothers and sisters located under Jalukbari mauza, should be bequeathed to Kalpana Lajmi with transferable right of sale, gift and mortgage after his death along with the revenue earned from it and the remaining plot (36 kathas) to be divided among the brothers and sisters and their legal heirs.

�All properties belonging to Kalpana Lajmi and Dr Hazarika�s production companies like Dr Bhupen Hazarika and Kalpana Lajmi Productions and Kalpana G Lajmi Productions and Bhupen Hazarika Productions are separate entities and do not belong to the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust and hence cannot be attached to it,� the will categorically mentioned.

�All other properties other than mentioned above, movable or immovable, outside Assam belonging to me and the partnership shares belonging to me jointly in the production houses, shall be held occupied by Lajmi with transferable right of sale,� the will signed by Dr Hazarika with Kamal Chandra Kataki and Sumitra Hazarika as witnesses mentioned.

Dr Hazarika, in his will, appreciated the support and help offered by Lajmi in times of distress and further mentioned that after her death, the ownership rights will be vested upon Lajmi�s brother.

Late Dr Bhupen Hazarika bequeathed his share of land at Nizarapar and the two-storied building built on it to the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust.

The will also stated that the land and the house, which Dr Hazarika built for his Late brother Amar Hazarika, would solely belong to his widow Sumitra Hazarika and no family member, their legal heir or Dr Hazarika�s business partner Kalpana Lajmi can remove, displace or throw her from the Nizarapar compound property nor from her existing house until her death.

�Since Amar Hazarika, Jayanta Hazarika, Bhupen Hazarika and Samar Hazarika have already built their own houses, no members of their family or any other family members can disrupt, encroach, break down or build upon their land or homes. The balance area of Nizarapar property may be divided for homes to be built among the remaining brothers and sisters and their legal heirs other than those mentioned above,� the will mentioned.

Dr Hazarika further wished (as mentioned above) that his share of property inherited from his father Late Nilakanta Hazarika along with his nine brothers and sisters at Nazira (Sivasagar) or the revenue earned by its sale, after his death, to be bequeathed to his son.

The will mentioned that the legendary artiste along with his brothers and sisters had signed away the house inherited by their father in Tezpur in the name of Nripen Hazarika, who has been its occupant for the last several years and that Nripen Hazarika and his family, during Dr Hazarika�s lifetime or after death, will not be given any share of property from Nizarapar.

But if Nripen Hazarika wishes to sell the Tezpur property (as mentioned above), it will have to evaluated at its existing rates and the value of the house and same can be done only with joint signatures of all the 10 brothers and sisters and their legal heirs and thereafter the revenue earned is to be divided equally between Dr Hazarika and his other siblings with transferable right to enjoy, occupy and sale.

After his death, his share of revenue should be given to his son Punnag Tej Hazarika.

The plot of land (300 to 500 bigha) at Sadiya owned by Dr Hazarika has also been bequeathed to the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust.

The will also said that if his estranged wife Priyamvada Patel Hazarika, residing at Canada and my son Punnag Tej Hazarika or either of them refuse or deny or fail to respond to accept my properties bequeathed to them by me within 12 months, in that case the refused property will automatically be vested upon the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust.

All the awards and prizes, both medals and certificates earned by Dr Hazarika, besides copyrights and royalties of books, lyrics, essays, short stories, notations, novels, journal pieces, articles and scripts for films written by Dr Hazarika and royalties from films either on celluloid, cable, video, television and theatre and royalties of all music, tunes, songs made and composed by the legendary artiste by way of and in the manner of audio and video cassettes, audio and video compact discs, long-playing records, short-playing records and all other sound producing future devices containing original lyrics, and music composed by him are the property of the Bhupen Hazarika Cultural Trust.

Dr Hazarika, in his will, had also given his funeral rights to Lajmi, Sunil Nath (executor of the will), Pranabhiram Baruah and Dr Nomal Borah.

The will was approved and signed by Dr Hazarika on February 17, 2011.

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