“I may have received numerous national and international awards. But it is always special when I get one in my home state,” said Bhupen Hazarika, eminent singer, musician, filmmaker and lyricist, when the Assam Government conferred on him the Pramathesh Chandra Barua Lifetime Achievement award here last weekend.Hazarika, who was handed over the award by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, said he had never composed or sung a song with the intention of getting an award. "I write and sing for the downtrodden. I write for Assam and her people and for the Northeast. I also sing for my country and the world. After all, the whole world belongs to me, I am a nomad," Hazarika said in response to the award. A proud Assamese who has always stood by the people of the state, Hazarika said it was the love for Assam that kept him going. “It is the Brahmaputra from where I draw my inspiration," he said to a packed audience in the Rabindra Bhavan where he spoke for about 12 minutes.Hazarika was given a cheque for Rs 50,000, a citation, a 'sorai', a 'jaapi' and the award — a white-winged wood duck (the state bird of Assam) in bronze — instituted in the name of PC Barua of Devdas fame, another great son of Assam who made immense contribution towards the development of Indian cinema. Hazarika formally handed over his permission to the state-owned Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra to preserve and organise public display of all his personal belongings, including various awards, mementoes, souvenirs, books, letters and other publications. The Government accorded him the status of Cabinet Minister with the CM saying that henceforth, all the expenses of travel and accommodation and other related protocol of the musician would be the same as that of a minister of cabinet rank in the state.
