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| Bhupen Hazarika |
Guwahati, Jan. 28: Dispur today initiated steps to turn the cremation site of Bhupen Hazarika at Gauhati University into a memorial.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, during a visit to the cremation site at the university this afternoon, said the government would immediately take up earth-filling and boundary wall work to protect the site from the onslaught of the monsoon.
Though Dispur has not taken a final call on where to set up the memorial to commemorate the life and times of the legendary singer, sources said the university, where he was cremated in November last year, has emerged the most suitable choice.
Gogoi visited the university on the occasion of Saraswati Puja.“Whether the memorial of the bard will be on the lines of Rajghat or not will be decided later. But we must start preliminary work like earth-filling and building a boundary wall to protect the cremation site from monsoon and floods,” Gogoi said.
He said the memorial would carry forward the legacy and works of Hazarika for future generations.
The government alone cannot make an effort to immortalise Bhupen Hazarika, the public has to join hands, he added.
Gogoi said the government would constitute a committee, comprising people from all walks of life, culture, caste, community and religion to take the decision on the memorial. On the Bharat Ratna for Hazarika, the chief minister said his government was pursuing the matter with all sincerity.
“But conferring the Bharat Ratna will be meaningless if we cannot preserve, protect and follow the life and works of the singer,” he said.
Cultural affairs minister Pranati Phukan, who also visited the cremation site along with Gogoi, said the government was considering various proposals to build the memorial.
Gogoi visited the RCC 4 Bhubaneswar Barooah Boys Hostel at the university where he used to stay from 1959 to 1962 to pursue his masters in law. He became nostalgic and recalled his hostel days when he used to play an active role in the students’ union.
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