Guwahati/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday led celebrations in Guwahati to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, unveiling a ₹100 commemorative coin and a biography of the late music legend.

Addressing the gathering, Modi described Hazarika as “Sudhakantha” (nectar-voiced) and the “Bard of Brahmaputra”, saying the centenary year was dedicated to an artist who “gave voice to the emotions of India, connected music with sensitivity, preserved India’s dreams through his music and narrated the compassion of Mother India through Mother Ganga.”

The prime minister said Hazarika’s life and works carried enduring lessons of unity and humanity.

“Bhupen Da’s entire life was dedicated to the nation’s goals,” he remarked, adding that the singer’s songs urged people to reflect on compassion and empathy.

Quoting Hazarika, he said, “If humans do not think about each other’s joys and sorrows, pain and suffering — then who will care for one another in this world?”

Modi linked the centenary tribute to contemporary priorities, urging citizens to promote self-reliance. “On the occasion of Bhupen Da’s centenary birth anniversary year, we must resolve to pursue self-reliance for the country,” he said.

He appealed to the people of Assam to become brand ambassadors of the ‘Vocal for Local’ movement".

He added that Hazarika’s compositions, deeply rooted in Assam and the Northeast, celebrated the region’s cultural richness while strengthening the idea of a united India.

Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal were present at the centenary celebration.

PM Modi pays tribute to Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika on his 100th birth anniversary celebrations. Photo: PIB

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Golaghat in eastern Assam to inaugurate a ₹5,000-crore bamboo-based ethanol plant at the Numaligarh Refinery and lay the foundation stone for a petro-fluidised catalytic cracker unit with a capacity of 360 kilotonnes of propylene per year.

Earlier today, Modi addressed a gathering in Churachandpur and expressed full support to the people of Manipur, underlining the beginning of negotiations between various groups in the state, where deadly ethnic clashes between Kuki and Meitei groups broke out in 2023.