A schoolgirl crosses the bamboo bridge over the Singa river at Hahim in Kamrup district. Picture by Kulendu Kalita

Guwahati, Nov. 6: The Bard of the Brahmaputra, as Bhupen Hazarika is known, would have been proud of what the inhabitants of 14 villages at Hahim in Kamrup district of Assam did on his third death anniversary.

As the rest of the state paid tribute to the balladeer yesterday, about 2,000 people, primarily from the Garo community, were intent on accomplishing a morning-to-late afternoon self-help mission, about 70km away from his xomadhi sthol at Jalukbari.

Several pleas before the district authorities to build a bamboo bridge over the Singa had fallen on deaf ears. The September floods had washed away the only link for nearly 5,000 villagers. Over 500 students could not attend classes for 40 days, while many patients, including pregnant women, could not be taken to hospital.

The villagers took it upon themselves to build a 200-feet makeshift bridge and completed it by late afternoon, making it safe enough for two-wheelers to move slowly on it.

They have also started the spadework to clear a 14km landslide-hit road connecting Meghalaya, which they propose to name after the cultural icon.

Two NGOs, Boko-based Rasomgram and Guwahati-based North East Foundation for Cultural Social and Economic Development, had joined hands to mobilise funds for the purpose. Hahim is 13km from Boko.

“We assured the villagers of garnering resources for the work. We had requested the district administration to take measures but nothing came out of it. The job became easier when about 2,000 villagers brought as many bamboo poles yesterday and started work,” Chandan Keshav, the secretary of Rasomgram, a weavers’ society, told The Telegraph today.

A majority of the villagers earn their livelihood from selling fruits and other perishables.

“The fruits that we grow could not be taken across the river to Hahim market. We had to skip a few meals as there was no money to buy rations,” Renu Marak, a 40-year-old widow from Ranikhat, said.

Renu was instrumental in motivating the villagers. “The bridge gets damaged in floods every year. But this time it was damaged beyond repair. So we had to start from scratch. While the men joined hands to fix the poles and mesh, the women took care of their lunch,” she said. The task was completed under the guidance of three technical advisers.

Canning M. Sangma, a teacher of Moipara LP School, was all smiles. “We decided to complete the task on Bhupenda’s death anniversary,” Sangma, who likes listening to Manuhe manuhor babe, said.

The job will remain half done till the authorities wake up and build a pucca bridge. “A pucca bridge remains a distant dream. The block development officer said there were no funds to build the bridge,” Keshav said.

By February, a wooden bridge will be constructed to make the structure strong enough to withstand calamities like floods. “We will wait for a response from the authorities. The 14km road linking the Meghalaya border will also be cleared by December. There are students who take the road to attend classes. Once the road is made motorable, we propose to name it after Bhupen Hazarika,” Keshav said.