Indians bid farewell to the legendary singer, Bhupen Hazarika

Guwahati: Thousands of people on Monday paid their last admiration to cultural icon Bhupen Hazarika as the truck carrying his mortal remains took the renowned singer on his last journey home here after being brought from Mumbai.

A sea of humanity lined all along the 25km route from the airport to Hazarika’s residence at Nizarapar area with people showering flower petals, offering wreaths and the traditional Assamese ‘gamosa’ (a piece of cloth used for bath) on the cortege carrying the gilt-edge brown coffer.

Songs of the music ace played along the entire route with the administration putting up public address system all over the city. Portraits of Hazarika lined the entire stretch as the truck from Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport took nearly six hours to reach his house. A disciplined and organized crowd hymn ‘Bhupenda amaar majot hodai amar thakibo’ (Bhupenda will be always immortal for us), ‘Bhupendar bina Asomor naksa no hai’ (There can be no map of Assam without Bhupenda) among other acclamations.

Assam Governor J B Patnaik and chief minister Tarun Gogoi laid wreaths on Hazarika’s body at the airport soon after the casket containing the mortal remains arrived at noon from Mumbai where the 86-year-old singer-composer died on Saturday following multiple-organ failure. Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi, Hazarika’s companion for nearly 40 years, sister-in-law Manisha Hazarika, nephews and other family members escorted the music legend on his last journey home.

All shops and business establishments closed as a mark of respect to Hazarika and form of public transport remained off the roads.

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