GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 8th September. Google honored iconic singer Bhupen Hazarika on his 96th birthday on Thursday with a doodle depicting the musician with a harmonium and his trademark Gurkha cap.
The Bharat Ratna awardee was a composer, poet, and filmmaker who composed music for films in Assamese, Hindi, Bengali, and a few other languages.
“Happy birthday, Bhupen Hazarika! Your songs and films continue to command respect for Assam’s rich culture,” Google said.
It referred to Hazarika as one of northeast India’s “leading socio-cultural reformers, whose creations and compositions brought people from all walks of life together.”
The artwork, illustrated by Mumbai-based guest artist Rutuja Mali, “celebrates Hazarika’s work to popularize Assamese cinema and folk music,” it said.
Mali stated that she went through a few of Hazarika’s songs, photos, and videos to “reflect his charm” in the doodle.
A Google doodle is a special, temporary change to the logo on Google’s homepages that is intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures from specific countries.
Hazarika, also known as the ‘Bard of the Brahmaputra,’ was born on this day in 1926 in Sadiya, Assam.
He took a master’s degree in political science from Banaras Hindu University in 1946 and a doctorate in mass communications from Columbia University in 1952.
He returned to India after finishing his studies in America to continue his work on songs and films that popularized Assamese culture on a national and global scale.
Hazarika won several prestigious awards during her six-decade career, including the National Film Award for Best Music Direction in 1975, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987, the Padma Shri in 1977, the Padma Bhushan in 2001, and the DadaSaheb Phalke Award in 1992.
In 2019, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna (posthumously).
He was also the chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi for five years beginning in 1998.
Hazarika died on November 5, 2011.
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