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State comes to a halt in mourning

By Ron Duarah

DIBRUGARH, Nov 8 � Almost three crore people of Assam took a day off from their daily chores to contemplate one of the country�s biggest tragedies in recent times: the demise of their very dear Dr Bhupen Hazarika. Assam today closed down spontaneously in protest against God snatching away the life of a great son. Many said they felt this son should have lived a few more days.

It has now become abundantly clear that Dr Hazarika has been the one person who could unify the Assamese sub-nationality, and was second only to Srimanta Sankardeva in being able to achieve this. While lakhs of people streamed by his body at the historic Judges� Field in Guwahati since Monday evening, elsewhere in Assam, there have been spontaneous street-corner congregations almost everywhere. At these places, people came out in large numbers to pay obeisance to one of Assam�s greatest-ever sons.

Even in remote areas like Haluating and Borsola in Sivasagar district, the sadness among the residents over the demise of Dr Hazarika had to be seen to be believed. A school teacher of Borsola, Madhurjya Hazarika, said he has never seen such a public outpouring at the death of someone in his lifetime. Similarly, one could witness hundreds of garlanded portraits of Dr Bhupen Hazarika in thousands of street corners, clubs, etc. At all these places, candles and earthen lamps and incense sticks were burnt with ritualistic fervour. In attendance at all the places were scores of swollen-eyed fans of Dr Hazarika. Attempts to talk to them would only provoke uncontrollable crying, as if a near relative has died.

Despite today being a public holiday, the Public Relations Department of the Assam Government ensured that its Field Loudspeaker Systems in the urban centres of the State were kept running, playing songs of Dr Hazarika, throughout the day.

In neighbouring Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh too, a general pall of gloom was witnessed following spread of the news that Dr Hazarika is no more. Reports said that the Nagas are in mourning over the death of Dr Hazarika. News has been received from several places in Arunachal Pradesh about condolence meetings to mourn the demise of Dr Hazarika.

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