By Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : ‘‘Sudhakantha Bharatratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika sang for humanity and each of his songs sent a message to the society for strengthening the bond of unity and harmony. We must follow his ideals and try to make contributions towards development of the state and the country’’, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said while speaking at the 93 rd birth anniversary programme of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika organised by Cultural Affairs Directorate, Govt. of Assam at Dr. Hazarika’s Samadhi Kshetra at Jalukbari in the city. Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for honouring the wish of state’s people by posthumously conferring Bharatratna to Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, the Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Modi had been implementing schemes for making India one of the most developed countries in the world. He also said there was no place for superstitions and dogma in the 21 st century and he expressed sadness that some untoward incidents took place in this land of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika.

Sonowal called on the youth to abstain from using drugs and he urged all sections of the society to build a strong movement against drug addiction. Saying that Dr. Hazarika had envisaged a society where youths, artistes and litterateurs, labourers along with all classes of the society could live a life of dignity, Sonowal stated that the state government had been making all efforts to take the society forward following Dr. Hazarika’s ideals. Referring to Prime Minister Modi’s Fit India Movement, Swacch Bharat Abhiyan and other such initiatives, the Chief Minister said all section of the people must join hands with the government to make the initiatives successful and protect the environment for the future generations. He also said that Dr. Hazarika spoke about the beauty of nature through his songs and we must preserve Assam’s natural beauty with dedication. Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of State for Food Processing Rameswar Teli said that people must keep in mind each song of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika as they spoke of humanity and universal brotherhood. Cultural Minister Naba Kumar Doley said that the state government was taking a lot of steps for preserving the songs and artistic creations of Dr. Hazarika so that the future generations could take inspiration from them. Media Advisor to the Chief Minister Hrishikesh Goswami, Legal Advisor to the Chief Minister Shantanu Bharali, MP Quin Ojha, MLAs Prasanta Phukan and Jogen Mohan, Commissioner and Secretary of Cultural Affairs department Pritam Saikia,Director of Cultural Affairs department Bishnu Kamal Bora were also present on the occasion among others. Earlier today, the Chief Minister offered his floral tributes at the statue of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika and also planted a sapling.