Guwahati's Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra is set to get a new museum dedicated to legendary musician and Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika, after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma virtually laid the foundation stone for the project on Tuesday.
A museum built for Hazarika's birth centenary
The ceremony was held to mark the birth centenary of Dr Bhupen Hazarika, whose songs and films shaped Assam's cultural identity across generations. The proposed museum will come up on a plot spread across 3.24 bighas within the Kalakshetra campus and is expected to cost around Rs 35 crore to build. Once ready, it will chronicle the singer-composer's life, his creative body of work and his lasting influence on Assam's art and culture.
Centre and state to share the funding
The project's finances will be split between two sources. The North East Council will contribute Rs 13 crore of the sanctioned amount, while the Assam government will bear the remaining cost of roughly Rs 20 crore. Together, the two contributions add up to the Rs 35 crore estimated for the museum's construction.
Appeal to preserve memorabilia
Sarma urged people who still hold onto Hazarika's personal belongings, memorabilia and creative works to hand them over to the government. He said such items, once collected, could be preserved and put on display at the museum so that future generations get a chance to see them.
CM pays tribute to the cultural icon
Speaking about Hazarika's legacy, the Chief Minister said, "Some personalities become immortal not merely because of their achievements during their lifetime, but because their creations continue to speak to generations."
An Insta-Reel contest to mark the centenary
Alongside the museum announcement, the Assam government has also launched an Insta-Reel competition as part of the birth centenary celebrations. The contest is designed to get young people to portray Hazarika's life, his work, his ideals and his humanistic values through short digital videos. It is open to participants between 16 and 45 years of age from across India and abroad. Entrants have to make an original video of up to 30 seconds, post it on their personal Instagram accounts, and then submit the reel formally through a Google Drive link. There is no entry fee to take part, and creators will keep the intellectual property rights over the reels they submit. The best entries in the competition will be given cash prizes.
